What Is an Order?

An order or a business purchase order is a document sent by a buyer to a supplier that requests for specific products or services to be delivered in the future. Effective purchase orders include specific orders, with specific details such as type of item, quantity, and agreed prices for the products.

How to Create an Order

order template

In creating your purchase order, as a buyer, you must clearly communicate your requests to the seller to reduce confusion and several follow-up questions that may delay the process. According to Jillian Hufford in her "Amazon Statistics: Need To Know Numbers about Amazon [Infographic]," Amazon is currently the biggest e-commerce company that sells more than 12 million products, not including books, wine, media, and services and has 310 million active customers. With the aforementioned statistics, not being specific with your order might get you ignored. Here are some guidelines that can help you in creating an effective purchase order.

1. Work with the Format

The first thing that you must do is to choose a tool that you can use in creating your purchase order. There are various software programs that you can use in creating this document such as Google Docs, Microsoft Word, Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel, Apple Numbers, and Apple Pages, it's up to you to choose. Afterward, you have to decide the format and the arrangement of data of the entire document.

2. Seller and Buyer Information

Providing the name/company name, complete address, personal or business phone number, and email address of both parties will make the transaction easier. Having these details would also make your formal document more professional and reliable compared to those who don't specify the aforementioned data.

3. List of Product or Service Being Purchased

Since it is a purchase order, you must specify all the items that you want to buy from the seller. You need to be specific of the type of service or product that you want to purchase, the brand names, model numbers, the quantity, and the price per unit. Having these details would make your order confirmation more comprehensible and effective. Indicating the preceding data has an advantage to the buyer too since they can get the exact items that they have envisioned.

4. Specify the Billing Address

After providing the items that you want to purchase, you need to specify the exact delivery date and the delivery location. These details should be indicated in all purchase orders so you can expect where and when to wait for the purchased items to be delivered. Of course, you should also include the billing address so the seller would know where to deliver the bill receipt of all the items you purchased.

5. Terms of Payment

You should also indicate how you should pay the stuff that you ordered in your purchase order—whether through card/debit, check, or direct money upon delivery. This type of document also has terms and conditions. When a supplier receives your purchase order, they will immediately send you an order confirmation and an invoice that indicates the total amount of money that you have to pay.

How do I make an order form in Google forms?

The simplest way to start building a form is right from the Google Forms app. Go to docs.google.com/forms, then either choose a template or start a blank form. There's also a link to Google Forms in Docs, Sheets, and Slides: click File -> New -> Form to start a new blank form. Click Customize theme. Choose a color for your form. To add your own photo as a theme, click Choose image. To add custom color, click Add custom color. When you're finished, click Close.

How to Create a Purchase Order Form?

A purchase order is a document sent by the buyer to the seller specifying the details of the goods and services. If there previously existed no agreement between the two parties this document can act as a contract when signed by either party. Since these documents are legally binding, with signature, buyers can use purchase orders to create a paper trail and keep track of inventory. It can be beneficial in the following situations:

  • Tracking payments to different vendors.
  • Keeping track of large orders.
  • Keep records for auditing purposes in the future.
  • Use it to specify the terms between the parties involved.

What are the main elements of a Purchase Order form?

The main elements of a Purchase Order are:

  • Seller: Includes information of the party providing goods and services in exchange for money.
  • Buyer: Information on the party that is acquiring goods or services and giving out money in exchange.
  • Order Number: You need to come up with a unique code that will be used to track down orders to manage the inventory.
  • Description of Goods & Services: This provides details for the goods and services such as cost, quantity and total amount.
  • Billing Address: The address where the invoice should be sent to the seller so that goods acquired can be paid for.
  • Shipping Address: The location where the goods are expected to be delivered.
  • Shipping Date: The day when goods will be shipped from the seller to the buyer.
  • Signature: Both parties are required to sign the document. The buyer signs when he shows his intentions of buying goods and the seller when he accepts the buyer’s offer.
  • Order Date: When parties decided to start the transaction.

How do I get a Purchase Order number?

The steps to get a purchase order number from your dealer are as follows:

  • Enter your transaction code.
  • Enter vendor.
  • Enter the material number that needs to be procured.
  • Enter the quantity and unit of measure (the optional – system uses UoM from purchase info record).
  • Press ENTER to confirm the data entered.

How does a Purchase Order Number Work?

An invoice is prepared by the seller, sent to the buyer, and should contain:

  • Date of Issue.
  • Invoice Number.
  • Purchase Order Number.
  • Quantity of Goods Sold/Services.
  • Agreed Prices.
  • Discount (if any)
  • Taxes (if any)
  • Total Amount Due.