Purchase Order Template
The buyer's formal instruction to supply goods on stated terms, prices and delivery dates.
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About this document
A purchase order is the buyer's offer to buy on stated terms. That matters more than it sounds: once the supplier accepts it, the PO and its terms become the contract between you, which is why the wording on it outranks whatever was agreed by email. It is also the number every later document quotes, so getting it right once saves correcting it five times.
An offer, not a record of something already agreed
A purchase order is issued before anything ships and before any money moves, and it says what the buyer will buy, at what price, on what delivery and payment terms. Acceptance by the supplier forms the contract, whether by signature, by sales confirmation, or simply by shipping. This is the reverse of an invoice. An invoice records a transaction that has already happened. If the supplier accepts a PO carrying terms you did not intend, those are the terms.
The number that threads the whole shipment together
The PO number reappears on the sales confirmation, the commercial invoice, the packing list and often the bill of lading. Buyers reconcile against it. A mismatch is the most common reason an accounts department holds payment. Where a buyer runs multiple orders with one supplier, the PO number is also how the warehouse knows which delivery is which. So it belongs on the carton marks, not only on the paperwork.
Purchase order or proforma invoice
They cover similar ground from opposite directions. The buyer issues the purchase order. The seller issues the proforma invoice. Where a letter of credit or an import licence is involved, the bank or the authority usually wants the seller's proforma, because it is the seller committing to supply. For routine repeat buying, the PO alone is normal and no proforma is needed.
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Keep building your document set
- Commercial InvoiceGoods, values and payment details.
- Packing List — DetailedPackages, weights and dimensions.
- Certificate of OriginThe declared origin of your goods.
- Bill of LadingShipper, consignee and cargo details.
- Shipper's Letter of InstructionInstructions for your freight forwarder.
- Verified Gross Mass DeclarationThe verified weight of a packed container.
Questions
+Is a purchase order legally binding?
Not on its own. It is an offer. It becomes binding when the supplier accepts it, and acceptance can be explicit or implied by performance, such as despatching the goods. Once that happens, the terms printed on the PO generally govern the sale.
+What is the difference between a purchase order and an invoice?
A purchase order comes first and is issued by the buyer, setting out what they want to buy. An invoice comes after and is issued by the seller, demanding payment for what was supplied. One is a request, the other is a bill.
+Do I need a purchase order for an international shipment?
Not legally, but most buyers will not pay without one, because it is what their finance team reconciles the invoice against. It also fixes the terms in writing before goods move, which is worth having when a dispute arises months later.
+Should the purchase order carry the Incoterm?
Yes, with the named place. EXW Shenzhen and DAP Rotterdam are very different prices for the same goods. A purchase order that states a price without an Incoterm has not actually agreed a price, because it has not said who pays for freight, insurance and clearance.
+Can I change a purchase order after sending it?
Before acceptance, yes. Issue a revised PO with the same number and a revision marker. After acceptance you are amending a contract, which needs the supplier to agree. Either way, reissue the document rather than agreeing the change by email, so the paperwork matches what was actually agreed.