Create a Purchase Order
Purchase orders (POs) allow you to formally track expenses and manage vendor relationships within Ad Orbit. Use this guide to create a new PO from start to finish.
To create a new PO, navigate to Payables > Purchase Orders and click Create Purchase Order, or use the quick add (+) menu at the top of the page.
The PO Number is auto-assigned based on your sequence, but can be overridden if needed.
Next, select a Purchase Order Template and Class. The class determines which expense accounts and line items are available.
The Bill From section is for you to enter the Vendor who will supply the goods or services. The vendor must have at least one contact.
If the Vendor is linked to active projects in your system, a Projects field will appear. Selecting a project will automatically associate the PO and vendor contact with that project.
The Bill To section is for you to select your Publisher and the office where the goods will be shipped, or the services will be provided. The office contact will appear on the PO template for display purposes.
PO Dates
Order Date: defaults to today.
Expected Receipt: defaults to today. Update to reflect the anticipated delivery or service date.
Expiration Date: defaults to one month from today. Adjust as needed.
Line Items
Add items from the predefined PO Items list, or create custom line items.
All items must be tied to expense groups and accounts within the selected class.
Every item — predefined or custom — requires the following fields before the PO can be saved:
Name
Group
Account
Quantity
Cost
Rate Type
Caution
Once you add a line item to the PO, the class is locked. If you need to use a different class, remove all items first or start a new PO.
Finally, enter any notes you want the vendor to see on the PO template.
Click Create Purchase Order to submit.
Once you create the purchase order, the purchase order status will be based on your approval amount. The PO will get set to Requested if you don’t have a permission or Awaiting Vendor Approval if you do.
Note
A requested PO must be approved by a user before it can get set to the Vendor.
Once a PO reaches Awaiting Vendor Approval status, it can be sent to the vendor automatically (if configured), or manually by an authorized user.
Tips and Best Practices:
Set up your PO Items list in advance to save time when creating recurring purchase orders.
Verify your vendor has an active contact before starting — the PO cannot be created without one.
Use the Projects field to keep your POs organized alongside the relevant project records.
Review your approval permissions with your system admin if POs are not reaching the vendor automatically.
Updated 4/30/2026