From vendor to receiving dock — no gaps.

The vendor directory stores name, code, contact information, email, phone, and address for every supplier. This centralized record serves as the foundation for all purchasing activity, ensuring that every purchase order, receipt, and raw material lot can be traced back to its source vendor.

Purchase orders are auto-numbered using the format PO-{date}-{hex} and track statuses from draft through ordered, partially_received, received, closed, and cancelled. Each PO line item maps a raw material to a quantity, unit, and unit price, with received_quantity tracked separately for partial receipts. This means you always know exactly how much of each order has arrived and how much is still outstanding.

The vendor-material mapping table automatically updates cost_per_unit when POs are created or received, maintaining current pricing without manual intervention. This cost data feeds directly into COGS analytics, ensuring that your cost of goods sold calculations always reflect actual procurement costs.

The receive workflow is where purchasing connects to inventory — when items are received, the system auto-creates raw_material_lots with the correct quantity, unit, received_at timestamp, storage location, and vendor reference. If a lot already exists at a location, quantities merge rather than creating duplicates. Each receipt creates movement records and updates the PO line's received quantity. PO events track the full timeline from ordered through each receipt, recording every status change with a timestamp and the user who performed it. For lot management after receiving, see Inventory. For vendor-to-lot tracing, see Traceability.