Purchase Orders That Commit Spend Before It Happens
Create a PO, route it for approval against budget, and track the commitment through receipt and billing - spend is visible before the bill ever arrives.
What purchase orders in Fintra does
Without purchase orders, spend is invisible until the bill shows up. Fintra’s PO module makes a commitment visible the moment it’s created: a purchase order routes for approval, shows against the relevant budget line as committed (not yet spent), and stays linked through goods receipt and final billing so the whole procure-to-pay chain is traceable from one document.
- PO creation with vendor, line items, quantities, and prices
- Approval routing by amount and department before a PO is issued
- Committed-spend visibility against budget, before the bill arrives
- Direct linkage to goods receipt and 3-way match at billing time
Core capabilities
| Capability | What it does | What it replaces |
|---|---|---|
| PO creation | Builds a formal PO with vendor, items, and pricing | Emailing a vendor "please send us 200 units" |
| Approval routing | Requires sign-off before a PO is issued to the vendor | Spend committed with no one else aware |
| Committed spend | Shows open PO value against the relevant budget line | Budget that only reflects spend after the fact |
| Receipt linkage | Connects the PO to goods receipt when items arrive | No record of what was actually delivered against the order |
| Billing linkage | Feeds directly into 3-way match when the bill arrives | Manually cross-checking the bill against the original order |
How it works
From request to closed purchase order
- 1
Create the PO
Specify vendor, line items, quantities, and agreed prices.
- 2
Route for approval
The PO requires sign-off based on amount and department before it’s issued.
- 3
Track as committed
The open PO value shows against budget as committed spend immediately.
- 4
Receive goods
Goods receipt records what actually arrives against the PO, line by line.
- 5
Match and close
The vendor bill is matched against the PO and receipt, and the PO closes once fully billed.
A worked example
Frequently asked questions
Do purchase orders require approval before being sent to a vendor?
Yes, by default. A PO routes through an approval chain based on its amount and department, and only issues to the vendor once approved - preventing spend commitments from happening before anyone with budget authority has seen them.
How does a PO show up in budget reporting before it’s billed?
Once approved, an open PO’s value is tracked as committed spend against its budget line, distinct from actual spend already billed. This gives budget owners visibility into money that’s already spoken for, not just what has posted to the ledger so far.
What happens to a PO after goods are received?
Goods receipt records what actually arrived against the PO, and when the vendor bill comes in, it is matched against both the PO and the receipt through 3-way match. The PO closes once it has been fully received and billed, or is manually closed if only partially fulfilled.
Can I issue a PO for services, not just goods?
Yes. A PO can represent a service commitment as well as a goods order; the goods-receipt and 3-way-match steps are most useful for physical goods, but the PO, approval, and committed-spend tracking work the same way for service engagements.
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See spend commitments before the bill arrives
Start free, no card required. Issue a PO and watch it show against budget immediately.
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