Purchase Orders & Suppliers
Manage your entire purchasing workflow — from creating purchase orders to tracking deliveries. Upload POs from CSV files or use AI to extract line items from any document format. Maintain a supplier catalog with per-product pricing, pack sizes, and lead times.
Key Concepts
PO Statuses
Purchase orders flow through statuses: Draft → Ordered → Confirmed → In Transit → Received → Cancelled. Each status update is tracked with timestamps. POs in 'Ordered' through 'In Transit' status are factored into inventory forecasts as inbound stock.
Smart Import (AI)
Upload any file — CSV, PDF, Excel, or image of a PO — and AI automatically extracts supplier info, line items, costs, and dates. Review and confirm the extracted data before creating the PO.
Supplier Catalog
Maintain per-supplier pricing (unit cost, pack size, MOQ, lead time) for each product variant. When creating POs, Alfred uses supplier-specific costs and pack sizes for accurate cost calculations.
How to Use
Create a Purchase Order
Click 'Create PO' and choose your method: manual entry, CSV upload, AI Smart Import, or from a Purchase Plan. Add line items with SKU, quantity, and cost. Assign a supplier and set the expected delivery date.
Upload an Existing PO
Click 'Upload Existing PO' and choose CSV Template (structured format) or Smart Import (any file). For CSV, map your columns to the required fields. For Smart Import, upload your file and review the AI-extracted data.
Manage Suppliers
Navigate to a supplier's page to view their product catalog, edit per-product pricing, and update default lead times. Assign primary suppliers to products for faster PO creation.
Tips & Best Practices
- ✓Use Smart Import for supplier invoices and PO confirmations in any format — AI handles the field mapping.
- ✓Assign primary suppliers to your products so PO staging pre-fills the correct supplier and cost.
- ✓Link POs to purchase plans for traceability — you can track which plan generated each order.
- ✓Set estimated delivery dates on POs so the forecast engine accounts for when stock will arrive.