Receiving

Process goods received from vendors against purchase orders

Overview

The Receiving module processes inbound goods from vendors against purchase orders. It tracks receipt quantities, matches deliveries to PO line items, supports vendor bill generation from locked receivers, and handles Return Goods Authorizations (RGAs) for items sent back to vendors.

Receipt Processing

Record goods received from vendors with quantities, dates, and line-level detail matched to purchase orders.

PO Matching

Each receiver is linked to a purchase order, ensuring received quantities are tracked against ordered quantities.

Bill Generation

Generate vendor bills directly from locked receivers to streamline the accounts payable workflow.

RGA Support

Handle return goods authorizations for sending defective or incorrect items back to vendors with credit tracking.

Open Receivers List

The Open Receivers list displays all active receivers that have not yet been fully processed. Use this view to locate receivers, review their status, and open them for editing or bill generation.

List Columns

Column Description
Date The date the goods were received
PO # The purchase order number this receiver is matched against
Vendor The vendor who supplied the goods
RGA Boolean indicator showing whether this receiver is a Return Goods Authorization

Available Actions

  • Open Receiver(s): Select one or more receivers from the list and open them in the Receiver Editor for review or editing
[Screenshot: Open Receivers List - showing receiver grid with Date, PO #, Vendor, and RGA columns]

Receiver Editor

The Receiver Editor provides a detailed view of an individual receiver, including header information, line items, and actions for locking and bill generation.

Header Fields

Field Description Details
Vendor The vendor associated with this receiver Displayed as a link button that opens the vendor record
PO # The purchase order this receiver is matched to Displayed as a link button that opens the associated purchase order
Receipt Date The date the goods were received Editable date field; defaults to the current date when the receiver is created
Lock/Unlock Toggle indicating whether the receiver is locked Locked receivers cannot be edited and are eligible for bill generation

Editor Buttons

  • Lock/Unlock Receiver: Toggles the receiver between locked and unlocked states. Locking a receiver finalizes it for bill generation and prevents further edits to line items and quantities.
  • Generate Bill: Creates a vendor bill from the locked receiver. This button is available only when the receiver is locked and no bill has been generated yet.
  • Open Bill: Opens the vendor bill that was previously generated from this receiver. This button replaces Generate Bill once a bill exists.
Vendor and PO Links: Click the Vendor or PO # link buttons in the header to quickly navigate to the associated vendor record or purchase order without leaving the receiving workflow.
[Screenshot: Receiver Editor - showing header fields with Vendor link, PO # link, Receipt Date, and Lock/Unlock toggle]

Receiver Line Items

The line items table displays the parts and quantities included in this receiver, matched to the corresponding purchase order lines.

Line Item Columns

Column Description
# Line item index number
Part # Internal part number for the received item
Description Part description auto-filled from the parts catalog
Vendor Part # The vendor's own part number for this item
Qty Quantity of units received
Qty U/M Unit of measure for the received quantity (e.g., Each, Box, Kg)
Unit $ Cost per unit as specified on the purchase order
Unit $ U/M Unit of measure for pricing (may differ from quantity U/M)
Total $ Extended cost calculated as Qty multiplied by Unit $

Context Menu Actions

Right-click on a line item to access the following context menu options:

  • Open vendor part(s): Opens the vendor part record for the selected line item, allowing you to review vendor-specific pricing, lead times, and part details
  • Open part(s): Opens the internal part record from the parts catalog for the selected line item
[Screenshot: Receiver Line Items - showing parts grid with columns for #, Part #, Description, Vendor Part #, Qty, Qty U/M, Unit $, Unit $ U/M, Total $]

Creating a Receiver

Receivers are created from purchase orders to record the receipt of goods from a vendor. The receiver captures what was actually delivered and allows comparison against what was ordered.

Steps to Create a Receiver

  1. Open the purchase order that the incoming shipment corresponds to
  2. Click "Create Receiver" from the purchase order
  3. A new receiver is created with line items pre-populated from the PO
  4. Enter the actual quantities received for each line item
  5. Adjust the receipt date if different from today
  6. Verify received quantities against the packing slip and physical count
  7. Save the receiver
Partial Receipts: If only some items from a purchase order have arrived, enter quantities only for the items received. Additional receivers can be created against the same PO for subsequent deliveries.
[Screenshot: Creating a Receiver - showing the Create Receiver action from a purchase order]

Generating Vendor Bills

Once goods have been received and verified, a vendor bill can be generated directly from the receiver to initiate the accounts payable process.

Bill Generation Workflow

  1. Open the receiver that has been fully verified
  2. Click "Lock Receiver" to finalize the receiver and prevent further edits
  3. Once locked, the "Generate Bill" button becomes available
  4. Click "Generate Bill" to create a vendor bill from the receiver line items
  5. The vendor bill is created with amounts matching the receiver totals
  6. After generation, the button changes to "Open Bill" for quick access to the created bill
Locking Required: A receiver must be locked before a vendor bill can be generated. This ensures that quantities and pricing are finalized and will not change after the bill is created.

Receiving to Billing Workflow

The complete workflow from receiving goods to processing vendor payment follows these stages:

  1. Receive Goods: Create a receiver from the purchase order and record received quantities
  2. Verify Receipt: Compare received quantities against the packing slip and purchase order
  3. Lock Receiver: Finalize the receiver to prevent further changes
  4. Generate Bill: Create the vendor bill from the locked receiver
  5. Process Payment: Route the vendor bill through accounts payable for payment

RGA (Return Goods Authorization)

Return Goods Authorizations handle the process of returning defective, damaged, or incorrect items back to vendors. RGA receivers work similarly to standard receivers but create credit entries rather than charges.

When to Use RGA

  • Defective Items: Parts that do not meet quality specifications
  • Incorrect Shipments: Items received that were not ordered or are the wrong part
  • Damaged Goods: Items damaged during shipping or handling
  • Overshipments: Quantities received in excess of what was ordered and accepted

RGA Process

  1. Identify items to be returned to the vendor
  2. Create an RGA receiver, which is flagged with the RGA indicator
  3. Enter the parts and quantities being returned
  4. Lock the RGA receiver once return details are finalized
  5. Generate a vendor bill from the RGA, which creates a credit entry against the vendor
  6. Ship the items back to the vendor per their return instructions
Credit Entries: Bills generated from RGA receivers produce credit entries that offset amounts owed to the vendor, reducing the outstanding accounts payable balance.

Best Practices

Receipt Verification

  • Verify Against Packing Slips: Always compare received quantities to the vendor's packing slip before entering them in the system
  • Physical Count: Perform a physical count of received items rather than relying solely on packing slip quantities
  • Inspect for Damage: Check items for shipping damage before accepting and recording the receipt
  • Note Discrepancies: Document any differences between ordered, shipped, and received quantities immediately

Locking and Bill Generation

  • Lock Promptly: Lock receivers as soon as quantities have been verified to prevent accidental changes
  • Generate Bills After Verification: Only generate vendor bills after all received quantities have been confirmed and the receiver is locked
  • Review Before Locking: Double-check all line item quantities, unit prices, and totals before locking, as locked receivers cannot be edited

Process Efficiency

  • Timely Processing: Create receivers promptly when goods arrive to keep inventory records accurate
  • Match to PO: Always create receivers from the corresponding purchase order to maintain proper traceability
  • RGA Tracking: Process RGAs promptly to ensure vendor credits are applied in a timely manner
  • Use Context Menu: Right-click on line items to quickly navigate to vendor part or part records for reference during receiving