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Create a purchase order

Tekla PowerFab Tekla PowerFab GO
Modified: 16 Sep 2025
2025i
Tekla PowerFab

Create a purchase order

To create a new purchase order where material items can be stored, you need to define a few properties.

For suppliers, you can define default properties for purchase orders in Maintenance > Address Book > Properties. See Add companies to the address book.

  1. Open the module.

    The Select Requisition/Purchase Order dialog opens.

  2. Select the Purchase Orders tab.
  3. Click Add.

    The Purchase Order Edit dialog opens.

    Continue to defining the properties on the tabs.

  4. Click Save to create the purchase order.

The Purchase Order Edit dialog closes, and the new purchase order is added to the Select Requisition/Purchase Order dialog.

You can also create a new purchase order by adding subcontract items from a load. See Add subcontract items to a purchase order from a load.

Define general settings

  1. In the Purchase Order Edit dialog, select the General tab.
  2. Modify the settings as needed.

    The properties marked with an asterisk (*) are mandatory information.

    Option

    Description

    P.O. Date *

    The date of the purchase order

    Tekla PowerFab automatically uses the current date. To change the date, do one of the following:
    • Type the date in the P.O. Date field.

      The acceptable formats are YYYY/MM/DD, YY/MM/DD, MM/DD/YYYY, and MM/DD/YY.

    • Click the arrow on the right side of the P.O. Date field and select a date in the calendar.

    Reference #

    		 Type any reference number related to the purchase order.
    P.O. Number Type the purchase order number.

    We recommend that you plan the numbering of purchase orders carefully to help you organize the purchase orders in the future.

    Note: The purchase order number cannot be changed later.

    All other purchase order information can be modified later.
    Job # Select a job number related to the purchase order.
    Job Location Type any job location related to the purchase order.
    Ordered By

    The Tekla PowerFab user in your company that created the purchase order.

    Select a user in the list.
    P.O. Group

    The groups where the purchase order belongs to

    Setting purchase order groups for the purchase order helps you to sort purchase orders in the Select Requisition/Purchase Order dialog.

    To set purchase order groups, do one of the following:
    • Type new purchase order group names in the P.O. Group fields.
    • Click the arrows on the right side of the P.O. Group fields, and select existing purchase order groups in the lists.
    Item Increment

    Sets the autoincrement for item numbers.

    The default autoincrement of 10 allows items to be added in the list as needed, without having to renumber the other items in the job.

    For example, if items should be numbered as 10, 20, 30, ..., set the input increment to 10. If the autoincrement of item numbers is not necessary, type 1.

    P.O. Type

    The type of the purchase order

    The available options are set in PO Type Maintenance. For more information, see Manage purchase order types.

    Shipping Method

    The shipping method of the purchase order

    The available options are set in Purchase Order Shipping Method Maintenance. For more information, see Manage shipping methods for purchase orders.

    F.O.B.

    The free on board shipping destination applied to the purchase order

    The available options are set in Purchase Order FOB Maintenance. For more information, see Add, modify, or delete FOB shipping destinations.
  3. Do either of the following:
    • Continue to define properties on the other tabs
    • Click Save.

      The dialog closes.

Define vendor settings

The Vendor tab is for specifying which supplier you send the purchase order to.

It is mandatory to specify a vendor before you can save the purchase order. The Vendor list is populated with all companies defined as a supplier in the address book. See Add companies to the address book.

  1. Go to the Vendor tab.
  2. Select the vendor, the location, the contact person, and the person with whom the purchase order has been confirmed.

    Only companies that are saved in the Address Book with the firm type Vendor, Supplier, and Subcontractor and their contact persons can be selected.

    For subcontract materials and purchases, select Is Subcontractor in the Address Book. See Add companies to the address book.

  3. If you have added additional currencies to Tekla PowerFab, select the currency and exchange rate date for the purchase order.
    For information on currencies, see Manage currencies.
  4. Do either of the following:
    • Continue to define properties on the other tabs.
    • Click Save.

      The dialog closes.

Define client details (Ship To/Bill To)

The Ship To/Bill To tab is primarily used to specify the shipping address of the purchase order.

  1. Add or modify the properties as needed.

    Note that only companies that are saved in Maintenance > Address Book with the Client or My Company company types can be selected.

    You can also modify the information manually.

    Option Description
    Ship To Select the receiver in the list.

    The contact information is automatically added to the blank fields as defined in Maintenance > Address Book.

    Bill To Select the billing information.
  2. To define the inventory location of the purchase order items, click the arrows on the right side of the Inventory Location and Secondary Location fields.
  3. Do either of the following:
    • Continue to define properties on the other tabs
    • Click Save.

      The dialog closes.

Define remarks

The Remarks tab allows you to add any additional comments to the order.

The comments appear at the bottom of the physical purchase order document.

  1. On the Remarks tab, do either of the following:
    • Click the arrows on the right side of the blank fields and select previously created remarks in the lists.
    • Type new remarks in the blank fields.

    You can add up to four remarks. The available remark options are set in the Purchase Order Remark Maintenance dialog. For more information, see Manage purchase order remarks.

    You can also set default remarks that are added for all new purchase orders in the Purchase Order Company Standards dialog. For more information, see Define company standard settings for purchase orders.

  2. Do either of the following:
    • Continue to define properties on the other tabs
    • Click Save.

      The dialog closes.

Define top text

On the Top Text tab, you can define what information you want to add at the top of the purchase order.

  1. Go to the Top Text tab.
  2. Do either of the following:
    • Click the arrow on the right side of the Description field, and select a previously created top text item in the list.

      The Top Text field is automatically populated.

    • Type any necessary information in the Top Text field.
      Note: Any text you type manually in the Top Text is not saved, so it cannot be reused.

    You can create top text items in the Purchase Order Top Text Maintenance dialog. For more information, see Manage top text items for purchase orders.

    You can also set default top text items that are added for all new purchase orders in the Purchase Order Company Standards dialog. For more information, see Define company standard settings for purchase orders.

  3. Do either of the following:
    • Continue to define properties on the other tabs
    • Click Save.

      The dialog closes.

Define financial information

The Financial tab allows you to specify additional financial elements of the purchase order.

  1. Go to the Financial tab.

  2. Define the freight and adjustment costs, select the company code and the payment terms, and define the discount percentage used in the purchase order.
    Note: The adjustment costs can also be negative.

    For instructions on setting the available payment term options, see Manage payment terms for purchase orders.

    Company Code is available only if Trimble Viewpoint integration has been set up. For instructions on defining the company code, see Set up the Trimble Viewpoint integration.

  3. You can apply tax rates to the purchase order as follows:
    1. Click Tax Rates.

      The Select Tax Rates dialog opens.

    2. Click the arrow buttons to move the tax rates that you want to apply to the purchase order to the Included list.
    3. Click OK.

    You can create any necessary tax rates and tax groups in Maintenance > Tax Rates and Maintenance > Tax Groups. You can also define a default tax group for new purchase orders. See Define company standard settings for purchase orders.

  4. Do either of the following:
    • Continue to define properties on the other tabs
    • Click Save.

      The dialog closes.

Define other properties

The Other tab allows you to enter extra detail to the purchase order. The fields that are populated appear on the purchase order document.

  1. Go to the Other tab.
  2. Add any applicable information to the blank fields.

    For example, you can add information about the maximum lift or the unload instructions.

  3. To adjust the units used in the purchase order, clicking the Input/Display Units button and modifying the properties.

    For more information, see Define company standard settings for purchase orders.

  4. Do either of the following:
    • Continue to define properties on the other tabs
    • Click Save.

      The dialog closes.

Once materials have been added to a purchase order, you can view them in the Inventory. See View ordered material in inventory.

When you have sent the purchase order to the supplier, we strongly recommend that you lock the purchase order. This prevents further changes that would result in the supplier having an out-of-date version of the purchase order. See the following:

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