Managing Procurement (RFQs and POs)

This article describes creation and management of requests for quotation (RFQs) and purchase orders (POs) from Suppliers outside the SolarNexus platform.

NOTE that SolarNexus also provides features for ordering plansets directly within the SolarNexus platform. Please see the Ordering Plansets article.

Whether you place orders on a per project basis, or place batch orders for multiple projects and inventory, SolarNexus' ordering features can help. Prices quoted by suppliers can be easily maintained within your Company Catalog and therefore automatically reflected throughout all current sales proposals.

You can generate an RFQ before creating a customer proposal if you need to check/verify your costs. You can generate a PO from an existing RFQ after making a sale.

Placing and Managing RFQs and POs

Prior to placing an order, you must have a Supplier defined in your account from which you would place the order. See Administration - Suppliers for information about how to add/create Suppliers.

Creating an Order from within a given Project:

To create an RFQ or PO from within a given project, the desired order items must already be on a service, or on the solution's cost item list (cost item pricing only). Within the Cost Items section on the Price tab for a solution, you can add selected items currently in your line items list to a new RFQ or PO, or to an existing draft RFQ/PO.

1. Within the desired Solution, click on the Price tab, and expand the Cost Items section.
2. For unsold projects, you can create an RFQ by clicking the "Request Quote" button at the top of the Cost Items groups. For sold projects you can create either an RFQ or a PO.
3. Select the desired Supplier in the popup dialog. SolarNexus will show all the items currently on the line item list that you can order from the selected Supplier.
4. Select one or more items.
5. Once you've selected the items, you can click on New to create a new RFQ/PO. Or, for those companies who batch orders, and who already have a draft order created for that supplier, SolarNexus provides an opportunity for you to add the selected items to an existing draft PO for that supplier. This is a handy feature that allows you to "grow" an order for a supplier over the course of a week, for example. If no draft orders exist for the supplier, you will not have that option, but by creating this order you can start one that others can add to later.
6. Click New Order. SolarNexus will display the draft order. (See "Complete Order Details" below for completing the order)

NOTE: You may only place a purchase order from within a project if the project has been sold.

TIP: If no items in your list are associated with a defined supplier, SolarNexus will not allow you to create an order.

Creating an Order from the Orders screen:

1. Access the Orders screen from the Operations menu.
2. Click on the Create Order button  and then choose either Request for Quotation or Purchase Order as appropriate.
3. Select a Supplier
4. Edit order attributes as desired (shipping location, contact info, shipping and payment methods)
5. Click Add Product.   You can choose any items from your Company Catalog associated with the selected Supplier.  When you are finished adding products, click the Done Adding Items button.
6. Add Quantity for each of the items
7. For POs, enter in Unit Cost as well as the sales tax and shipping cost if known.
8. If you wish, associate the order with a project and solution.  (This is not required for RFQs and POs created from the Orders screen.)
9. Click the Save button at the bottom when complete.

Managing RFQs and POs

You can manage orders across projects by selecting Orders from the Operations menu. From there you can create a new order or edit a current order. You can add items to an order created here without having any relation to an existing cost item list for a project. You can filter the Orders screen by any of the five filters at the top.  For example, set Status =  [all active] to filter out completed or canceled orders. 

You may also sort all Orders by clicking on any of the column headers. The slider in the Originating Job column toggles between displaying the Job Name and the Company Address. For RFQs and POs related to a particular job, clicking on the Originating Job Name or Address will take you directly to that job's project workspace.

You may edit orders with Status = Draft by clicking on the edit icon in the Actions column or by clicking on the Order # link.  You can also delete active orders.

The orders status can be changed directly from the orders screen.  RFQs and POs have the following possible status settings:

• Draft
• Order Sent
• Rejected
• Fulfillment in Progress
• Delivered
• Delivered-Partial (POs only)
• Canceled
• Completed

Once RFQ or PO orders have been sent, you can manage using the Order Detail form, accessed by clicking on the Order # link in the left most column of the Orders Screen.

The Order Detail form has three sections:

1. The Manage Order section allows you to track and change the order status.  It also  provides a link to originating job, if applicable.  For RFQs and Order, the status is only set by the customer. 
2. The Order Log section provides an order-specific log used to enter notes and @mention other users involved with this order.  Any change in order status is also automatically recorded in the order log.
3. The Order Details section, which can be minimized, provides details about the order, including shipping and bill information.  This section also lists all items on the order.

TIP: For companies who generate regular orders to suppliers (for example, weekly), you could make a habit of creating a blank order that project users can add to during the course of the order period.