Odoo Purchase Management: RFQ to Vendor Bill
A guide to Odoo Purchase: RFQs, vendor price lists, purchase agreements, reorder rules, approvals, receipts and three-way matching with vendor bills.
Good purchasing keeps stock available without tying up cash. Odoo Purchase links buying to stock levels, approvals and accounting.
The purchase flow
- Request for quotation (RFQ) sent to a vendor
- Purchase order once confirmed
- Receipt when goods arrive
- Vendor bill matched to the order and receipt
- Payment
Vendor price lists
On each product, record vendors with price, minimum quantity and lead time. Odoo uses this to pick the vendor and price on RFQs, and lead times to calculate when to order. Keep this data up to date; it drives everything else.
Automatic replenishment
Reorder rules (min/max) create RFQs when forecast stock drops below the minimum. Make-to-order routes create purchases for specific sales. See reorder points and safety stock for how to set levels.
Purchase agreements
For contracted prices or framework orders, use purchase agreements:
- Blanket orders with agreed prices over a period
- Calls for tender to compare offers from several vendors
Approvals
Turn on order approval above an amount so large orders need a manager. See our Odoo approval workflows guide.
Receipts
Receipts check what actually arrived. Partial receipts create backorders for the rest. Quality checks can run at receipt; see Odoo quality control.
Three-way matching
With the bill control policy set to received quantities, Odoo only bills what was received. Bills that do not match the order or receipt are easy to spot. This prevents paying for goods that never arrived.
Landed costs
Freight, duty and insurance can be added to product cost with landed costs. See our Odoo landed costs guide.
Reporting
Purchase analysis shows spend by vendor, product and buyer, plus vendor on-time delivery. Use it in vendor reviews.
Setup checklist
- Import vendors and vendor price lists.
- Set lead times.
- Configure reorder rules for key items.
- Set approval thresholds.
- Choose the bill control policy.
Explore Odoo Purchase implementation or our purchase management solution.
Frequently asked questions
Can Odoo create purchase orders automatically?
Yes. Reorder rules and make-to-order routes create draft purchase orders (RFQs) when stock falls below a minimum or a sale needs it.
What is three-way matching in Odoo?
It checks that the vendor bill agrees with the purchase order and the quantity received before the bill is paid.
Written by
ERP Builders Team · ERP consultants and engineers
Articles written and reviewed by the ERP Builders delivery team — functional consultants, solution architects and developers who implement, integrate and support ERP systems.
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