Understanding the Procure-to-Pay Process in CrmLeaf
Worksuite, Manufacturing CRM, Construction CRM and Solar CRM editions. Requires the Purchase add-on module to be enabled for your account by an Administrator. The RFQ and vendor quote steps additionally…
Availability: Worksuite, Manufacturing CRM, Construction CRM and Solar CRM editions. Requires the Purchase add-on module to be enabled for your account by an Administrator. The RFQ and vendor quote steps additionally require the Manufacture add-on module, and returns require the Goods Return add-on module.
Overview
Procure-to-pay is the chain CrmLeaf uses to buy materials and services: you record a vendor, raise a purchase order, receive the goods, record the vendor's bill, pay it, and handle any excess payment as a vendor credit. Every document in the chain stores a link to the document before it, so a payment can be traced back to the bill, the purchase order, the vendor quote and the original bill of quantities.
Read this article first if you are setting up procurement, or if you need to understand why a document is not available at the step you expect.
How It Works
Procurement in CrmLeaf is a one-way chain. Each step creates the document that the next step consumes, and the status values on each document control what the next step is allowed to do.
BOQ → RFQ / Vendor Quote → Purchase Order → Delivery → Bill → Vendor Payment → Vendor Credit
- A project's BOQ lists what has to be bought. In the Manufacturing CRM edition it can generate vendor quotes for several vendors at once.
- An accepted Vendor Quote feeds procurement directly. The purchase order created from
it stores the source quote in
vendor_quote_id, which is what makes the chain traceable. - A Purchase Order carries three independent status axes -
purchase_status,delivery_statusandbilled_status- so its commercial state, its physical delivery and its billing are tracked separately. - A Bill is created only against a purchase order that is delivered and not yet billed, for the chosen vendor. Each purchase order can be billed once.
- A Vendor Payment is allocated across bills. The bill status recomputes, an expense labelled "Payment to vendor" is created automatically, and any excess becomes an automatic Vendor Credit.
- A Goods Return can hook onto the bill, the purchase order, a material requisition or a construction or solar site at any point in the chain.
Who Can Use This Feature?
Administrator
- Enable the Purchase module and any related add-on modules for the account.
- Set the ownership-based permission scope for vendors, purchase orders, bills, vendor payments and vendor credits.
- Configure the currencies, exchange rates, tax rates and warehouses the chain depends on.
User
- Raise purchase orders, update delivery, create bills, record vendor payments and apply vendor credits, within the permission scope granted.
Access depends on the modules and role assigned by your Administrator.
Prerequisites
- The Purchase module is enabled for your account.
- At least one vendor record exists.
- At least one warehouse exists, because a purchase order records a delivery warehouse.
- The currencies you buy in exist with an exchange rate.
The Procure-to-Pay Chain
| Step | Document | Status vocabulary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vendor Quote (Manufacture module) | draft, waiting, sent, submitted, accepted, declined, canceled |
| 2 | Purchase Order | purchase_status: draft, open, issued, accepted, rejected, canceled, closed |
| 3 | Purchase Order delivery | delivery_status: not_started, in_transaction, delivered, delivery_failed |
| 4 | Purchase Order billing | billed_status: unbilled, billed |
| 5 | Bill | open, partially_paid, paid |
| 6 | Goods Return | draft, requested, approved, received, inspected, completed, rejected, cancelled |
Expected Result
You can follow a single purchase from the bill of quantities through to the vendor payment, and you know which status value on which document controls the next step.
Service Organisation Context
Procurement in CrmLeaf mainly serves product, manufacturing, construction and solar businesses buying materials against a bill of quantities. Service organisations buy as well, though: subcontractors, associate consultants, software licences and pass-through costs recovered from a client. The same chain applies - purchase order, delivery, one bill per delivered purchase order, vendor payment, and an automatic vendor credit if you pay more than you allocate. The connection worth knowing is that recording a vendor payment automatically creates an expense, so third-party delivery cost lands in the same expense data the Budget add-on reads for actuals, with no second entry.
Important Notes
- Menu names and their position can differ between product editions and can be customised for your account, so your sidebar may not match these paths exactly. Use Search or your Quick Access items if you cannot find a screen.
- Procurement is a paid add-on. Confirm the Purchase module is included in your plan before planning a procurement rollout.
- When the Budget module is enabled, project budgets derive their committed and billed actuals from purchase orders and bills, so accurate procurement data feeds budget reporting.
Common Scenarios
Example: a manufacturer buying against a project BOQ. The production team groups the BOQ, sends an RFQ to three vendors, accepts the best quote, and converts it into a purchase order for the receiving warehouse. The storekeeper sets the delivery status to delivered, accounts creates the bill from that order, and finance pays it. A short delivery is handled as a goods return against the bill.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Possible Cause | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| A delivered purchase order is not appearing in Create Bill | The purchase order is not
delivered, it is already billed, or it belongs to a different vendor than the
one selected on the bill | Set delivery_status to delivered, confirm
billed_status is unbilled, and select the same vendor as the purchase order |
| Purchase screens are missing from the sidebar | The Purchase module is not enabled for the account or for your role | Ask your Administrator to enable the module and grant your role access |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to start from a BOQ or an RFQ?
No. A purchase order can be raised directly for a vendor. The vendor quote is optional and is stored on the purchase order only when you convert an accepted quote.
Can one bill cover several purchase orders?
A bill is created against a delivered, not-yet-billed purchase order for the chosen vendor, and each purchase order can be billed only once.
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