Submitting a Purchase Order (PO)

• About Submitting a Purchase Order
• Submitting a Purchase Order
  • Submitting to a Vendor that has a PO Interface
  • Submitting to a Vendor that has no PO Interface
• Note Regarding Vendor-Specific Functionality
• FAQs
  • Can I revise a purchase order after I submit it?

About Submitting a Purchase Order

After you create a purchase order, you can then submit it to the vendor. The submittal process is different depending if the vendor has a PO interface or not with the MealSuite system. 

• For a vendor that has a PO interface, the PO will be submitted directly to the vendor.
• For a vendor that does not have a PO interface, the PO will not be submitted directly to the vendor. Instead you are required to save and close the PO, and then print it as a PDF to submit via the vendor process (email, upload to portal, etc.).

Submitting a Purchase Order

1. Select Procurement > Purchase Orders and click the PO number of the open PO you want to submit (first screenshot below). The Review Order screen appears (second screenshot below). 
   
   
   
   
   
2. Note that Instructions field is only applicable for a vendor that does not have a PO interface; the instructions will be generated on the PDF that you will submit to the vendor. Example of instructions are "Please deliver to east entrance."
   
   
   
   
3. The Expected Date field shows the expected delivery date. However if you want to choose another delivery date in the future, you can do so by clicking into the field and selecting the desired date via the calendar tool. You can select up to 60 days in advance. 
   
   
   
   
4. If the vendor has a PO interface with the MealSuite system, the Submit Order button is available (left screenshot). If the vendor does not have a PO interface with the MealSuite system, the Save & Close button is available (right screenshot). 
   

   For a vendor with a PO interface	For a vendor without a PO interface

5. Depending if you are submitting to a vendor that has or does not have a PO interface, continue with the appropriate steps below:
   
   
   • Submitting to Vendor that has a PO Interface (via Submit Order button)
   • Submitting to Vendor that does not have a PO Interface (via the Save & Close button)

Submitting to Vendor that has a PO Interface (via Submit Order button)

If the PO is being submitted to a vendor that has a PO interface, the Submit Order button is available for you to submit. Complete the following steps: 

1. Click the Submit Order button.
2. If the interface detects a product has insufficient quantity for the requested order amount, then a message appears indicating such. Click OK to proceed. 
   
   
   
   
3. If the interface detects that products are unavailable on the vendor side, then a message appears indicating such, giving you the option to review the unavailable products or accept the system removing them from your PO. The message that appears is dependent on how many items are unavailable:
   • Only one product unavailable -"There is 1 item not available. The product will be removed from your order." The one product will be listed in the message pop-up. 
     
     
     
     
   • If up to five items are unavailable -"There are [x] items not available. The products will be removed from your order." The products will be listed in the message pop-up. 
     
     
     
     
   • If more than five items are unavailable -"There are [x] items not available. The products will be removed from your order." The products are not listed. 
     
     
     
     If you click the Review Unavailable Products button, the pop-up closes and you are returned to the shopping cart screen, which refreshes with the list of the unavailable products (which is accomplished by the All Unavailable Products filter being automatically selected). 
     
     
4. By clicking Accept, the PO is submitted without the unavailable items. 
5. When returning to the Purchase Order listing screen (Procurement > Purchase Orders), a successfully-submitted PO has the Status of Submitted. 
   
   

Submitting to a Vendor that has no PO Interface (via Save & Close button)

If the PO is being submitted to a vendor that has no PO interface, the Save & Close button is available. You are required to save and close the PO, and then print it as a PDF to manually submit to the vendor. To do so, complete the following steps: 

1. Click the Save & Close button. The PO is saved and closed. 
2. Click the Print button (first screenshot below). A PDF is downloaded and made available at the bottom of the browser tab (second screenshot below). Click to open it (third screenshot below). 
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Submit the PO to the vendor as per their accepted method (i.e., email; upload to portal, etc.). 
4. When returning to the Purchase Order listing screen (Procurement > Purchase Orders), a closed PO has the Status of Closed.
   
   

Note Regarding Vendor-Specific Functionality

Because each vendor can handle purchase order submittals differently, there may be exceptions to the information documented above. You can reach out to MealSuite Support or your CSM (customer service representative) to learn if there are exceptions. 

If you are a MealSuite Support or a CSM, see the following internal article on vendor-specific functionality related to special order products: Purchase Order Functionality Specific to Vendors (INTERNAL). 

FAQs

Can I revise a purchase order after I submit it?

No. For a PO that is submitted electronically, the status of the PO is closed and cannot be revised. For any changes, you will need to contact the vendor directly.