Workflow to generate a PO number and PDF
Approve a purchase request and create a PO
An approved Purchase Request will turn into a purchase order, a unique PO number is generated and a PDF to send to the supplier can be generated. Your newly created POs will appear in the purchase order tab.
Once the PR has been approved the PO will created, the system informs the requester and approvers via an email notification that the PR has been approved and provides you the link to Moss, where you can go to generate your PO PDF.
Note: You can ensure that your email settings are updated in “Settings” > “Notifications”.
Additional information:
Approvers and admins can edit details of the PR, including accounting fields, supplier information, and budgets before approval.
If a PR involves a named supplier entered via a free-text field and the supplier has not yet been added to Moss, the supplier can be onboarded. Once the supplier is added, the PR can be updated with the onboarded supplier by an approver or admin before approving the PR.
Accountants can only edit accounting fields and may do so both while the request is pending approval and after it is approved and converted into a PO.
For more, read this article about approving purchase requests.
Generate a PO PDF
Once the purchase order has been created, you can generate a PDF to send to your suppliers. You can customize the PDF to fit your organisations requirements.
The PDF includes supplier details, item descriptions, amounts, and an optional company logo.
By default, the person who submitted the PR is listed as the point of contact (POC) on the PDF. However, this can be updated or removed entirely before generating the PDF.
Once the PDF has been created it cannot be edited.
Steps to generate a PDF:
Go to “Purchases” > “Open”.
Select the PO and click “Generate PDF”.
Update the supplier point of contact and order description if needed.
Download the PDF from the purchase order screen.
Understanding PO linking vs. matching in Moss
Linking – finding the relevant PO for an invoice
When an invoice arrives in Moss, the system links it to the correct PO.
If the invoice has a PO number, it is linked directly.
If no PO number is found, Moss attempts to link it using:
Supplier (must be an exact match).
Expected delivery date (invoice date must be within ±7 days of the PO date).
Invoice amount within ±25% of the PO amount.
Important: The ±25% threshold only applies to linking when no PO number is found. If a PO number is present, this threshold is ignored.
Matching – checking if the invoice amount fits the PO
Once an invoice is linked to a PO, Moss checks if the invoice amount matches the PO amount.
If the invoice amount is lower than or equal to the PO amount → No approval needed.
If the total of all invoices linked to the PO exceeds the PO amount by even 1 penny → Approval is triggered.
Key Point: The ±25% threshold has nothing to do with matching. The tolerance for matching (approval trigger) is 0%—even the smallest overage will send it for approval.
Other Systems vs. Moss: Some systems allow for an approval tolerance (e.g., only trigger approval if an invoice is more than 5% over the PO amount). However, Moss does not allow this customization—the approval threshold is strictly 0% over the PO amount.
Two-way matching
After an invoice is matched to a PO:
The invoice skips the budgetary approval step in the invoice workflow, as this was completed during the PR approval stage.
However, if a matched invoice exceeds the approved PO amount, or if the supplier on the PO is different from the Supplier on the invoice, then the invoice will re-enter the budgetary approval step for reassessment
The verify step (if enabled) will still occur even if a PO is matched to an invoice. This step ensures factual verification through three-way matching, confirming that the billed items match what was delivered and what was ordered.
For more, read this article about the invoice matching process.
Configuring your POs
Customising PO numbers
Organisations can configure PO numbering to align with their internal processes:
Custom Prefix: Set a prefix for all POs (e.g., "PO-2025").
Length of Prefix: Choose 3-12 alphanumeric characters.
Starting/Next Number: Define the starting sequence for PO numbers / what the next number generated should be.
Steps to configure PO numbers:
Navigate to Settings > Accounts Payable > PO number format.
Enter a custom prefix and starting/next number.
Save the changes.
Adding a company logo to PDFs
To personalise PO PDFs, add a company logo:
Supported formats: HEIC, JPEG, JPG, PNG.
Maximum file size: 20 MB.
Steps to upload a logo:
Navigate to Settings > Accounts Payable > Company logo.
Upload the logo file.
Save the changes. The logo will appear on all generated PDFs.
FAQs
Can I edit PO details after approval?
During ‘pending approval’ everything can be edited. Post-approval, only accounting fields, budget allocation, PO description, and the point of contact for the PDF can be edited.
What happens if duplicate PO numbers are generated?
The system prevents duplicates by maintaining a history log. If a conflict arises, you’ll be prompted to adjust the configuration.
Can approvers edit purchase request details before approving them to ensure the details of the PO is correct?
Yes.
Can POs be generated manually without a PR being submitted in Moss?
No, but it is something we are considering adding in the future.
How can I manage invoices that exceed the approved PO amount?
If the invoice will take the total of matched invoices over the PO amount then the invoice is sent for budgetary approval.
How can I manage POs that will be fulfilled by multiple separate deliveries/invoices?
Multiple invoices can be linked to a single PO, ensuring all partial deliveries or invoices are tracked against the same PO.
We already have a system for generating POs and existing PO numbers. How can I continue the PO numbering in Moss?
You can choose the prefix and starting number for the next PO that will be created in Moss in settings.
How can I import existing POs generated before using Moss that haven’t been invoiced/fulfilled yet or import POs from external sources?
It is not yet possible to import POs from external sources or those generated before using Moss. However, both features are under consideration for future updates.