Tom Hadley
Content Writer
A supplier delivers 40 cartons when you ordered 60. The agreed price is buried somewhere in an email thread, and accounts are holding an invoice that doesn't match anything. Usually, the real problem is that the order was never written down properly in the first place.
A purchase order fixes that. Below you'll find a free purchase order template as a CSV file, plus everything you need to use it well: the fields every PO needs, the terms you'll come across and the point where it makes sense to move from spreadsheets to an automated PO workflow.
Just want the template? Skip to the download section below.
What Is a Purchase Order?
A purchase order (PO) is a document a buyer sends to a supplier to confirm exactly what they want to buy, how many, at what price and by when. Once the supplier accepts it, the PO usually forms the basis of the agreement between you, so it pays to get it right.
A good PO does more than place an order. It gives your buyer, your supplier, your goods-in team and your accounts team the same set of numbers to work from:
Goods in can check each delivery against what was actually ordered, not what someone remembers ordering.
Accounts can match the supplier's invoice to the PO and the delivery before anything gets paid.
Buyers can see what spend is already committed before the invoices land.
Everyone has a dated record to point to when a delivery is short, late or wrong.
Purchase Order vs Invoice vs Delivery Note
These documents often get mixed up because they list the same products. The difference is who sends them and when.
Document | Sent by | When | What it confirms |
|---|---|---|---|
Purchase order | Buyer | Before the goods are supplied | What you want to buy and the price you've agreed |
Delivery note | Supplier | With the goods | What the supplier says they've sent |
Goods received note (GRN) | Buyer's warehouse | When the goods arrive | What actually turned up, and in what condition |
Invoice | Supplier | After the goods are sent or delivered | How much you owe and when it's due |
What to Include on a Purchase Order
Every PO should answer the same questions a supplier, a goods-in operative and an accounts assistant will ask. These are the fields our template includes, and why each one matters.
Field | What it's for |
|---|---|
PO number | A unique reference that appears on every related document, from the delivery note to the invoice |
PO date | When the order was raised, so you can track supplier lead times |
Buyer details | Your company name, billing address, contact and VAT number |
Supplier details | The supplier's name, address, contact and your account number with them |
Deliver to | The warehouse address, plus any booking-in or delivery slot instructions |
Required delivery date | When you need the goods, not just when you'd like them |
Line items | Your SKU, the supplier's product code, a description, quantity, unit of measure and unit price |
Totals | Line totals, subtotal, delivery charges, VAT and the final amount |
Payment terms | For example, 30 days from invoice date |
Delivery terms | Who pays for carriage and when ownership passes, using Incoterms for international orders |
Notes | Packaging, labelling, pallet or carton requirements |
Authorised by | Who approved the order, with a signature and date |
Two fields cause more problems than the rest put together. The first is the PO number: if it's missing or duplicated, nothing downstream can be matched. The second is line items without your own SKU. When a delivery turns up carrying only the supplier's codes, someone has to translate every line by hand before it can be booked in.
Purchase Order Terms Explained
If you're new to purchasing, or you've inherited a process from someone else, these are the terms you'll hear most.
Term | What it means |
|---|---|
Purchase requisition | An internal request to buy something, raised before a PO is created and sent |
PO approval | Sign-off from someone with the authority to commit the spend |
Lead time | The time between sending a PO and the goods arriving |
Reorder point | The stock level that tells you it's time to raise a new PO |
Advanced shipping notice (ASN) | A message from the supplier telling you what's on its way and when |
Goods received note (GRN) | Your record of what actually arrived, checked against the PO |
Partial delivery | A delivery that covers only part of the PO, with the rest still outstanding |
Back order | Items the supplier can't send yet, to follow in a later delivery |
Discrepancy | Any difference between the PO and what arrived: short, over, damaged or wrong items |
Three-way match | Checking the PO, the GRN and the invoice agree before the invoice is paid |
Open PO | A PO still waiting for some or all of its goods |
Closed PO | A PO that has been fully received, matched and paid |
Landed cost | The full cost of getting stock into your warehouse, including carriage, duty and fees |
Incoterms | Standard international trade terms that set out who is responsible for shipping, insurance and duty |
Inners and outers | Pack sizes within a case: for example, 12 inners of six units in each outer carton |
For more warehouse and fulfilment terms, see the Helm glossary.
Download Your Free Purchase Order Template
Our free purchase order template is a CSV file with all the fields above set out as columns. It opens in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers, and imports into most accounting and inventory systems.
Download your Purchase Order Template here.
Before you send your first PO, add your logo, company details and VAT number to the template and save it as your master copy. You'll never retype them again.
How to Fill In Your Purchase Order Template
Once your master copy is saved, raising a PO takes a few minutes. Work through the template in this order.
Give the PO a unique number. Use a simple sequence such as PO-2026-0001 and never reuse a number, even for a cancelled order.
Add the supplier's details. Include your account number with them so their team can find you quickly.
Set the delivery address and date. Name the warehouse, add any booking-in requirements and give a required delivery date.
List each line item. Use your own SKU alongside the supplier's product code, then add the quantity, unit of measure and agreed unit price.
Check the totals. Work out the line totals, VAT and grand total, and add delivery charges if the supplier has quoted them.
Confirm payment and delivery terms. Make sure they match what you've agreed with the supplier, not last year's terms.
Get it approved. Have the budget holder sign and date it before it leaves the business.
Send it and log it. Email the PO to the supplier, ask them to confirm it and record it in your PO log so goods in knows what's coming.
Types of Purchase Orders
Most day-to-day stock orders are standard POs. The other types are worth knowing once you start agreeing longer-term deals with suppliers.
Type | What it is | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
Standard PO | A one-off order with the products, quantities, prices and delivery date all fixed | Most everyday stock orders |
Planned PO | An order with products, quantities and prices agreed, but delivery dates still to be confirmed | Seasonal stock you know you'll need, such as Christmas lines |
Blanket PO | An agreement to buy the same items repeatedly over a set period, often with a spending cap, with stock called off as you need it | Packaging, consumables and fast-moving lines |
Contract PO | A framework that sets out terms and conditions with a supplier, with standard POs raised against it | Long-term supplier relationships |
Dropship PO | An order where the supplier sends goods straight to your customer instead of your warehouse | Products you sell but don't hold in stock |
Manual vs Automated Purchase Order Workflows
A template is the right place to start: it gives every order the same structure and costs nothing. The trouble starts as order volumes grow, because the template only covers one step of a much longer process.
The Purchase Order Process, Step by Step
Spot the need. Stock hits its reorder point, or someone raises a purchase requisition.
Raise the PO. Add the supplier, delivery details, line items and agreed prices.
Get it approved. The budget holder signs it off. If they don't, amend it and resubmit.
Send it to the supplier. Ask them to confirm the quantities, prices and delivery date.
Check the delivery against the PO. Goods in counts what arrived and records any discrepancies on a GRN.
Track anything outstanding. If the delivery is partial, keep the PO open until the back order arrives.
Match the PO, GRN and invoice. Only approve the invoice once all three agree.
Pay and close the PO. Pay the supplier and mark the PO as closed.
Most of the work, and most of the errors, happen after the PO is sent: at goods in, with partial deliveries and when matching the invoice.
What Changes When You Automate
Stage | Manual (template, email and spreadsheet) | Automated (in a WMS) |
|---|---|---|
Spotting what to reorder | Someone checks stock levels and makes a judgement call | Reorder suggestions based on stock thresholds and supplier lead times |
Creating the PO | SKUs, quantities and prices copied into the template by hand | Built from supplier records, with costs and lead times already linked |
Approval | Email chains and printed signatures | PO statuses and user permissions in one system |
Sending to the supplier | Saved, attached and emailed manually | Generated as a PDF or CSV straight from the PO |
Receiving the goods | A paper copy checked line by line | Checked against the PO at goods in, with discrepancies logged |
Partial deliveries | Tracked in a separate spreadsheet, if at all | Outstanding quantities tracked automatically |
Stock levels | Updated by hand after booking in | Updated as goods are booked in |
Reporting | Pulled together manually from the PO log | Supplier lead times and delivery performance on demand |
Signs You've Outgrown Spreadsheet POs
Deliveries turn up at goods in that nobody knew were coming.
Partial deliveries and back orders live in someone's head or on a sticky note.
Your PO log and your stock levels regularly disagree.
Invoices sit unpaid because nobody can match them to a delivery.
You only find out a supplier is consistently late when a customer complains.
Stockouts happen because nobody spotted the reorder point in time.
If two or more of those sound familiar, the template has done its job. It's time for a system that connects the PO to the rest of your warehouse.
How Helm Automates Purchase Orders
Helm is a warehouse management system for 3PLs and eCommerce brands. Purchasing sits in the same place as your stock, orders and warehouse, so a PO stops being a separate admin job and becomes part of how stock moves through the building.
Know when to reorder. Set stock thresholds and link products to suppliers with their lead times and costs. Helm suggests what to reorder, when and how much, so POs go out before you run out, not after.
Raise POs without retyping. Choose whether it’s based on inventory demand, open order demand or created manually. Helm uses your system data and product settings to suggest what to order, then sets the expected delivery date from your lead times, keeping your stock under control and working the way your business does.
Send POs your suppliers can use. Send each PO as a PDF or CSV, using your own custom purchase order template if you want your branding on it.
Track every PO's status. Move POs through Draft, Sent, Received and Cancelled. Role-based permissions help prevent edits once a PO has been sent.
Receive against the PO. Goods in checks quantities against the original order, records damaged or incorrect stock and keeps track of outstanding items when a delivery is only partial.
See which suppliers deliver. Reporting covers PO delivery performance, supplier lead times and replenishment cycles, so supplier conversations start from data rather than gut feel.
Find out more about inventory management in Helm.
Get Your Free Purchase Order Template
Download the template, use it on your next order and see how much smoother goods in runs when every delivery has a PO behind it. When you're ready to stop copying POs between spreadsheets, Helm can take on the whole process, from reorder suggestions to booking stock in.
Download the free purchase order template as a CSV file here
See purchasing in Helm: start a free trial or talk to our team.
