Producing a purchase order
The purpose of producing a purchase order is to provide an audit trail that can be followed by anyone.
The builder can gather the information needed to make up a purchase order for a task from:
- a take-off sheet which contains the quantity for the material provided
- the project schedule for delivery date
- suppliers for the lead-in time
- nominated supplier list Each builder may have a different way of keeping a list of nominated suppliers. They may use for example: a database, which is a computer program with a list of their suppliers, a mobile phone containing supplier details or a phone book containing supplier details.
- quotes. To get a quote the builder would have sent the take off sheet and plans for the house to three or four suppliers. The builder can choose the supplier that offers the best price. The quote will also contain the total price for the supplies.
You can download an example of a nominated supplier list (Word 61 KB) and a sample quote (Word 104 KB).
The builder would usually complete all the purchase orders before preparing a call forward sheet.
There are different ways to prepare a purchase order. A builder may:
- use a computer program
- use a purchase order book.
The purchase orders may look different but the information on these orders will be the same.