This article is part of the Purchase Order Module. Click here for more information and training on Purchase Orders. The Purchasing Assistant is also used in the completion of Shopping Lists. Click here for more information on the Purchasing Assistant: Shopping Lists.
The Purchasing Assistant is a tool designed to help Users quickly and easily review and submit Purchase Orders. Users can also add templates or non-scheduled orders to the PO batch before submitting them to the Vendors.
The left nav of the Purchasing Assistant displays the five Purchasing Steps that must be completed by the User. Users can navigate between steps by using the 'Next' and 'Back' buttons located in the bottom right of the screen.
If the User has access to multiple Location in R365, they will be able to switch between Locations using the selector in the top right corner. By default, the User's default Location will be selected when the Purchasing Assistant loads.
Opening a Purchase Order in the R365 Purchasing Assistant
Purchase Orders can be opened in the R365 Purchasing Assistant using the following method:
- Hover over the 'Vendor' Menu, then the 'Purchasing' sub-menu and select 'Purchasing Assistant'. Once clicked, the Order Method prompt will ask the User which ordering method will be used with the Purchasing Assistant. Select 'Orders Due Today' to work with your scheduled POs.
Step 1: Orders Due Today
This step will display any Memorized POs that are 'Due Today'. Memorized POs can be scheduled to be auto-generated on this step based on the 'Order Day' in the memorized template. Refer to the Memorize POs training for more information.
Manual Orders 'From Template' or 'From Blank' can also be added on this step.
- When 'From Template' is clicked, the 'Memorized POs' prompt will load where the User can select any available Memorized PO template and click 'Add to Today's Order' to add the additional templates to the Purchasing Assistant
- When 'From Blank' is clicked, a blank PO form will load in a popup where the User could manually create a new PO
Memorized POs Due today can be toggled 'Off' (red) if necessary. By default each Memorized PO will be toggled 'On' (green). Memorized POs that have been toggled 'Off' will be omitted from today’s order.
Step 2: Optional: Order Count
The step allows you to update the calculated Theoretical On Hand numbers manually if needed. Once the 'On Hand' numbers are accurate, clicking next will ensure the Purchasing Assistant uses the updated 'On hand' numbers in the suggested quantity calculation.
Step 3: Variables
This step will display the selected Location's Sales Forecast below the Day of the Week and Date. Sales Forecast values are used in the Suggested Quantity Calculation. Users with the Forecasting Security Role will be able to manually edit the Forecasted sales values by clicking on each Forecast value field. Users without the Forecasting Security Role will be able to view the Forecasted Sales, but not modify them.
The selected Consumption Days and total Buffer Days are populated from the source records (POs and AP Invoices) but can be modified as needed on this step.
Upon clicking 'Next' to advance to Step 4, the Purchasing Assistant will calculate and set the Suggested Quantity values on each enabled PO
Step 4: POs to Submit
This step displays the Purchase Orders that are ready to be submitted to the Vendor via email. The Individual POs can be opened and reviewed by double clicking on the specific Purchase Order.
Each PO will display the following:
- Vendor Name, Template name, Arrival Date, and Total PO Cost will be displayed at the top of the PO
- Submit Toggle - auto-selected for all POs that have a value greater than zero. When toggled, the PO is ready to be submitted on Step 5
- Hold Toggle - select to place a PO on Hold. The PO will maintain an 'Open' Status on the Purchase Order list and can be reviewed at a later time.
- Note: opening the Purchasing Assistant with an Order in Open Status will automatically jump to the User to Step 4 until that PO is either submitted or deleted
- Trash Can - click to remove the PO from the batch
Note: If the total PO is $0, a red flag will appear in the top right of the box and will not allow the User to progress to Step 5 until either the Amount is greater than zero, or the PO is removed from the batch
Clicking 'Next' will purge all 0 quantity items from the POs
Step 5: Final Review and Submit
The final review step allows the User to jump between each POs and review Items. Click on any PO Template in the top section to see the Details of that template in the Details Review section. The 'Qty to Order' field can be edited from
this screen if needed.
A flag will show the quantity difference compared to the last time the same product was ordered. The flags are:
- Twice as Much
- Half as Much
Any item that has been flagged will be displayed with red text to alert the User to the difference.
When the POs have been reviewed and are ready to Save or Submit, use the Actions buttons in the bottom right.
- Note: Save and Close is available to Users without the 'Submit Purchase Order' Security Role and will leave the POs in the Open Status. A User with the ability to Submit a PO would then have to submit the POs.
The 'Submit Orders' button will send the POs to the Vendors’ Emails address that is on the Vendor Record. If no email exists on the Vendor Record, the User will be prompted to enter an email address which will be saved for future orders.
When the POs have been successfully emailed, the Purchasing Assistant will display a success message
