Review a proposal and create draft purchase orders
Use Preview & apply after preparing an Order plan to check which items will be ordered, from whom, in which quantities, and to which locations. When the proposal is ready, Create drafts turns its groups into draft purchase orders.
This step does not notify suppliers. Each resulting purchase order has its own review and send action.
Before you preview
Wait for the last grid edit or import to finish. Check that every intended row has the correct material, destination, purchasing quantity, and required date. Review duplicate-row warnings and remove unwanted rows.
The grid's checkboxes and filters do not limit the application. A row hidden by Filter to selected, a search, or a material-type tab can still be included. Review the entire saved plan before proceeding.
Resolve identity and location questions
- Open Order plan and choose Preview & apply.
- If the proposal identifies rows needing review, follow Review to the plan's record view.
- For an Ambiguous material, inspect the proposed candidates. Use View material if you need more context, then choose Use this material for the correct match.
- For an Unmatched material, choose Find material and search by title or SKU. Select an existing material only when it is the item you intend to purchase.
- Use Assign a location when the receiving destination is missing or ambiguous. Verify locations that were matched by name alone.
- Return to the proposal after saving the corrections.
Identifiers such as SKU, barcode, and supplier SKU cannot be edited directly in the review card. If those values are wrong, remove the incorrect row and add it again with corrected identifiers. Create a material separately only when the item does not already exist.
Check every proposed purchase order
The preview groups lines by supplier, receiving location, and currency. Northwind Packaging supplying Main Warehouse in USD forms a different group from a delivery to Outlet. A different currency also creates a separate purchase order, even for the same supplier and location.
For each group:
- Confirm the supplier, destination, and currency in the group heading.
- Read Quantity, UOM, Unit cost, and Expected date for every material.
- Inspect the sourcing explanation and Alternatives when you need to understand the selected supplier.
- Read warnings and cost-estimate qualifications. Correct missing supplier mappings or prices in the material or supplier setup, then preview again.
- Check Not ordering for rows excluded from the proposal. A row can need correction, or its need may already be covered by supply.
Supplier minimums and order increments can increase an order. A price tier is a separate condition: if the proposed quantity is below the lowest eligible tier, do not assume Zapstra Inventory Management will increase it to earn that price. Review the supplier's pricing before sending the resulting order.
Read quantities in the correct units
The plan's entered requirement and its net stock need use the material's base unit. The purchasing proposal can express the final quantity in the supplier's unit. A smaller final number can therefore represent more physical stock after conversion.
For example, suppose Kraft mailer is stocked in each and Northwind Packaging supplies one case of 24 each:
| Calculation | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Target stock | 120 each |
| Available stock | 35 each |
| Open purchase order | 24 each |
| Other incoming supply | 0 each |
| Net requirement | 61 each |
| Rounded purchase quantity | 3 cases = 72 each |
With a case price of USD 24, the merchandise value is USD 72, equivalent to USD 1 per each, before additional charges. The supplier quantity, base quantity, and their corresponding prices must agree. Do not multiply a case quantity by a price per each. Review the supplier mapping and the created PO if the displayed unit basis is unclear.
When you have entered a fixed Order quantity, that is already your purchasing decision; available stock is not subtracted from it again. The example's stock netting explains how to arrive at the requirement before ordering. See Set stock targets and choose replenishment sources.
Review costs and dates
Order totals shows subtotals by currency. A reporting-currency total marked approximately, with a rate date, is a converted estimate. If a complete conversion is unavailable, rely on the native-currency subtotals; a missing combined total is not zero spend.
Freight and customs information may be incomplete. A supplier recommendation can be qualified because those inputs or currency conversion are missing. The ranking is a sourcing aid, not a guarantee of final landed cost. See Configure trade details and estimate landed cost.
Check the expected dates against your need and the supplier's current lead time. Sending a PO later can require another date review because supplier information may have changed since this preview.
Create and inspect the drafts
- Select Create drafts.
- Read Create draft purchase orders, including the number of draft POs and lines it will create.
- Confirm with Create drafts.
- Inspect the outcome for every group. Use View PO to open the created order and check its lines, units, currency, destination, and dates.
- When an order is ready to send, follow Send, track and close purchase orders. Submit → Submit to supplier is the supplier handoff.
If Zapstra Inventory Management says the proposal changed, review the refreshed quantities and costs before confirming again. A previous review does not approve newly calculated numbers.
The plan's Applications tab preserves the record of what was created. A partially applied or failed group may still have a draft PO and some lines. Open any linked PO and inspect it before creating replacement work. If the request times out, check Applications and Purchase orders first; do not infer failure from a missing confirmation.