Creating a Purchase Order (PO)
ℹ️ Purchase Orders help you track committed cost and keep your project aligned across budget, materials, deliveries, and AP invoices.
Terial provides you with three ways to create a PO. The recommended method is to build it directly from the project's Material List.
Recommended Method: Create a PO From the Material List
This is the fastest, cleanest way to build a PO using items already defined in your project budget.
Go to your Project → Material List
Check the boxes next to the materials you want to order on your PO
Click Add to Purchase Order
Choose one of the two options:
New Purchase Order — creates a brand-new PO and pulls in the selected materials
Existing Purchase Order — adds those materials into an already-created PO
Download the PDF of the PO and send it to your supplier / manufacturer.
Terial will automatically:
Populate the cost code, material name, and unit
Pull in the budgeted quantity and unit cost
Add each selected material as a line item in the PO
You can then adjust unit costs, quantities, or line-item notes as needed (click the arrow icon to pull over the field values from the "budgeted" section of the table to the "Ordered" section, if they are the same).
This method keeps project budgets, committed cost, and material orders tightly connected.
Method 2: Create a PO From the Purchase Orders Tab
If you'd rather start fresh:
Go to the Purchase Orders tab on the project
Click + New Purchase Order
Enter the PO header details:
Purchase Order # (auto-generated, sequential)
Assigned To (required)
Status (defaults to Draft)
Vendor (search or add new)
Shipping Address (defaults to project address)
Instructions (optional)
Documents (optional — upload quotes, confirmations, etc.)
Scroll to the materials table and click + Row to add new lines
Add materials using either option:
Option A — Link to a project's material list item
Click the link icon
Select the project
Choose the material (only one can be selected per link)
Click Select
This pulls in all budgeted data for that item.
Option B — Add a standalone (unlinked) material
Enter name, cost code (optional), quantity, unit, and unit cost
Best for one-off or miscellaneous items
You can mix:
Materials from this project
Materials from other projects
Materials not tied to any project at all within the same PO.
Download the PDF of the PO and send it to your supplier / manufacturer.
Auto-Populate Ordered Quantities and Unit Costs (Optional)
If the vendor's pricing and quantities match your project's budget:
Click the arrow icon between the Budgeted and Ordered columns
→ This copies the budgeted unit cost and quantity into the ordered fields.
You can override any values afterward.
If available, a header-level arrow lets you pull everything over at once.
This speeds up PO creation and reduces manual entry errors.
Save the PO
When all line items are added:
Click Save
Update the status as needed (Draft → Under Review → Approved → Submitted → Completed)
The PO will now appear on your project and committed cost will update in real time
After the PO Is Created, Send to Your Supplier
You can now:
Download the PO as a PDF and send it to your supplier / manufacturer
Log deliveries against the PO
Add materials from another project or add non-project items at any time
Upload packing slips, delivery photos, or quotes
Convert PO items into an AP Invoice
Track committed → actual cost automatically in your Budget view
Terial immediately rolls values forward from:
Budgeted → Committed (PO) → Actual (Delivery + AP Invoice)
Ready for the next steps?
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