Configure Additional Purchase Order Status: Awaiting Confirmation

Merchanter now offers enhanced control over your purchasing workflow with the introduction of an additional purchase order status option. This feature allows businesses to implement an extra verification step before purchase orders are formally confirmed, providing greater oversight and ensuring supplier commitment before proceeding.

Activating the Feature

To enable this functionality, ensure you are logged in with a user account possessing the Prime role. 
Navigate to Settings → Organisation Settings → r Settings. In the window that appears, select the Ledger Options tab and then Order Types.

You will find a new configuration option titled "Use Awaiting Confirmation Status" in the purchase orders section. 

When this setting is unticked, the system maintains its traditional behaviour with purchase orders moving directly to confirmed status. When ticked,the purchase orders must pass through an intermediate Awaiting Confirmation stage before they can be fully confirmed. 
Please note: The stock will not be allocated until the order is confirmed. “Awaiting confirmation” is a substatus of a draft order. 

Workflow Impact

With this feature activated, the purchasing process gains an additional verification step. Once a purchase order is initially prepared, it must be explicitly marked as "Awaiting Confirmation" before it can progress to full confirmation. 

If you click the Mark as Awaiting Confirmation button the status of the order will update.

At this point, you can wait for your supplier to confirm the order and once confirmed, come back to the purchase order and allocate it with the Confirm Purchase Order button.

This is currently just a status and does not have a security level to approve an order.

You can find these orders using the purchases grid view and the status filter.

Tracking and Transparency

The system maintains comprehensive audit trails throughout this process. Timeline entries are automatically generated each time the new status transition buttons are used, providing clear visibility of when orders moved between "Awaiting Confirmation" and fully confirmed status. This creates a transparent record of the verification process for future reference and accountability.

This optional feature adds a valuable layer of control for businesses that require additional verification steps in their procurement processes, particularly useful for organisations dealing with multiple suppliers or complex supply chains where explicit supplier confirmation is essential before order finalisation.