Approve or reject a purchase order

Many businesses require an owner or manager to approve a purchase order before it goes out. Service Buddy supports an approval step so large orders don’t get placed by accident.

Approve a purchase order

1. From the main menu, click Purchase Orders.
2. Use the Status filter to show Open POs (awaiting approval).
3. Open the PO to review:
   • The vendor is correct
   • Line items and quantities match the need
   • Unit costs are reasonable
4. Click More Actions in the top-right → Change Status.
5. Select Approved and click Change Status.

Reject a purchase order

If something’s off — wrong vendor, wrong pricing, duplicate of another PO — reject instead:

1. Open the PO.
2. Click More Actions in the top-right → Change Status.
3. Select Rejected and click Change Status.

What happens next

On approval:

• The PO status changes to Approved.
• You can send it to the vendor by email from the PO detail page.
• The PO is ready to receive inventory against once goods arrive.

On rejection:

• The PO status changes to Rejected.
• The PO stays in your records for audit but can’t be sent or received against.
• If you want to salvage the order, start a new PO with corrected details.

Approval workflow tips

• Set a dollar threshold for manager approval — small orders under, say, $500 can be approved by the person creating them; larger ones require a second set of eyes.
• Review the PO list weekly during slow periods. Unapproved POs tend to stack up and delay stock arrivals.

Tip

Add a comment or note on every approval explaining any special terms (for example, “Approved — must arrive by April 25 for the Smith job”). It helps your receiving team match deliveries to jobs.

Caution

Once a PO is rejected, it can’t be re-opened. Make sure the rejection is intentional — and add a note so your team knows why the order was stopped.

FAQ

Do I have to approve every PO?

Not technically — Service Buddy doesn’t enforce approval. Most retailers add an internal approval step for POs over a dollar threshold (commonly $500–$1,000) so big orders don’t go out by accident. Smaller restocks (a few rolls of padding, a couple of cartons of underlayment, basic tools, thinset) can be created and sent without a separate approval.

Who can approve a PO?

Any user with sufficient permission to edit POs. Most retailers limit this to owner, admin, and operations manager roles to keep purchasing controlled. See Assign roles and permissions.

What if I rejected a PO by mistake?

Rejected POs can’t be re-opened. Start a new PO with the same details and approve that one instead. Add a note explaining why the original was rejected so the audit trail is clear.

Can I add comments during approval?

Yes — add notes on the PO before changing status. Include any special handling instructions (“must arrive by Apr 25 for the Smith install”) so receiving and the install crew see them later.

Should I approve before or after sending to the vendor?

Most retailers approve first, then send. That way nothing goes out until it’s been double-checked. The PO email-to-vendor flow assumes approval has already happened.

What status comes after Approved?

When goods physically arrive, mark the PO Received to update inventory. See Receive stock from a purchase order. For partial deliveries, mark each portion received as it lands.

Related tasks

• Create a purchase order
• Receive stock from a purchase order