---
title: Create a PO from a Work Item or Service Order
description: Order parts for a job. Create a purchase order from a work item or build one from scratch, linking each line back to the service order that needs it.
---
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2. [Parts, Inventory & Vendors](https://support.metafleet.ai/parts-inventory-vendors?hsLang=en)
3. [Purchase Orders](https://support.metafleet.ai/parts-inventory-vendors?hsLang=en#purchase-orders)
# Create a PO from a Work Item or Service Order
## Order the parts a job needs and keep them tied to it. Start a purchase order from the work item, or build one in Purchase Orders and link each line to a service order.
**For:** Dispatchers, parts staff and managers · **Permission:** Manage Parts or Inventory Manage on your role · **Time:** ~5 minutes
### Quick summary
1. Go to **Parts & Inventory › Purchase Orders** and click **+ Create PO**.
2. Pick a **Vendor** and add a **Part** line with a quantity and unit cost.
3. In the **Linked SO** column, pick the service order the part is for.
4. Click **Save as Draft**.
5. After you order from the vendor yourself, open the saved PO and click **Place Order** to lock it for receiving.
If the job already has a work item with the part on it, you can order from the work item instead. See **Start from the work item instead** below.
### Before you start
- The part must exist in your parts list. To add one, see [Add New Parts to Your Inventory](https://support.metafleet.ai/add-new-parts-to-your-inventory?hsLang=en).
- The vendor must exist. To add one, see [Add and Manage Vendors](https://support.metafleet.ai/add-and-manage-vendors?hsLang=en).
- Have the service order number ready, for example **261015-CNM-0101**.
### Start a new PO from Purchase Orders
Go to **Parts & Inventory › Purchase Orders**. Click **+ Create PO**. The page opens as a draft, with a **Draft** label in the Order Details card.
### Pick the vendor and add parts
Open the **Vendor** list and choose the vendor. Then, in **Line items**, click **Choose Part** and type the part name or part number. Pick the part from the results. The unit cost fills in from the part. Change it if the vendor's price is different.
Enter the **Qty**. Set an optional **Expected delivery** date, and a **Vendor invoice #** if you already have the number printed on the vendor's invoice.
Got a paper PO or invoice? Click **Scan Invoice / PO** above the line items to start the draft from a photo. See [Snap a Receipt → Draft Purchase Order](https://support.metafleet.ai/snap-a-receipt-draft-purchase-order?hsLang=en).
**Brand** (optional) sets which brand's QuickBooks connection this bill posts to. It appears only when your account has more than one brand.
### Link each line to its service order
In the **Linked SO** column, click **SO #...** and type the service order number. Choose the order from the results. The line then shows the order number with a **Change** link.
*A saved draft. The SO column shows which service order each line is for, so one PO can cover several jobs.*
### Save the draft
Add freight, tax, or **Internal notes** if you need them. Notes are for your team only. Click **Save as Draft** to keep the PO in draft.
The button at the bottom of the form is **Create PO**, or **Update PO** when you are editing an existing PO. **Create PO** places the order right away. Use **Save as Draft** if you still need to review it.
> **One PO can cover many jobs.** A purchase order has no single service order. The link lives on each line, so one order to a vendor can carry parts for several service orders at once.
> **Place Order is not a send button.** On a saved PO, **Place Order** locks the draft so you can receive against it. Its tooltip says you are confirming you have already placed the order with the vendor, and MetaFleet does not send it for you. Click it only after you have ordered from the vendor yourself. If QuickBooks takes the PO and a line is $0, a warning lists it. Click **Add costs** to open Edit PO, or **Place anyway** to place the order now and fix the cost later in QuickBooks.
### Start from the work item instead
If the job already has a work item with the part on it, you can order from there. This keeps the PO tied to that exact work item. Each action appears only when the part fits it. **Order from vendor** needs a real shortage and the right permission.
Open the service order's **Repair Board** and find the part under **Parts** on its work item. A short part shows how many are needed, with **Pull from stock** and **Order from vendor** on the line under its name. **Create PO** and **Map PO** are in the part's **⋮** menu.
- **Order from vendor:** asks you to pick the vendor. It then reserves one PO for that vendor on this service order and links the part to it.
- **Create PO:** reserves a PO number for the part.
- **Map PO:** links the part to a PO you have already started.
When you click **Order from vendor**, a message confirms the draft PO for that vendor. Each line starts at the part's catalog cost, or the vendor's cost if it is the part's preferred vendor. A line with no cost on file shows **Needs cost**, so add the cost. Then send the order to the vendor yourself.
The part row then shows a **PO reserved** tag with the PO number and vendor. When the part is mapped to the PO or ordered, the tag changes to **On order**, so anyone on the job can see which PO it is on. If the part is on more than one open PO, the tag names the oldest one that still has parts due. While the part is on a PO, **Pull from stock** and **Order from vendor** are hidden.
Once the part is received, the tag reads **Received** (or **Received 1 of 2** if only some arrived) with the PO it came in on. If the job is still short, the buttons come back. A part the technician typed in, or a special order, has no **Pull from stock** button. **Order from vendor** is the way forward.
> **Work items appear after diagnosis.** A service order that has not been diagnosed has no work items to order from. Use the Purchase Orders path above until the work item exists.
### Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The **Create PO** button on the create page is greyed out | A line has no part, or a quantity that doesn't fit | Click the grey button. It jumps to the first flagged line. Fix that line. |
| The part shows **PO reserved** instead of **On order** | The PO is reserved but not yet mapped or ordered | Map the part to the PO, or order from the vendor. The **On order** chip shows after that. |
| A PO line shows **Needs cost** | The part has no cost on file | Type the cost on the line. You can also save it on the part's Pricing tab (needs View cost). For a part that came from QuickBooks, a cost saved there also becomes its QuickBooks cost. |
| The service order does not appear in the Linked SO search | The number was typed wrong | Type the first few characters of the order number and pick the exact order from the list. |
### FAQs
**What is the difference between Create PO and Map PO?**
Create PO reserves a PO number for a part on a work item. Map PO links the part to a PO you already have.
**Can one PO have parts for different jobs?**
Yes. Link each line to its own service order.
**Will the vendor see my notes?**
No. Internal notes are for your team only.
**Does creating the PO order the part automatically?**
No. A saved draft only records the PO in MetaFleet. MetaFleet does not send the order to the vendor. Place the order with the vendor yourself, then click **Place Order** to lock the PO for receiving. See [Manage Purchase Orders](https://support.metafleet.ai/manage-purchase-orders?hsLang=en).
### Related articles
- [Manage Purchase Orders](https://support.metafleet.ai/manage-purchase-orders?hsLang=en)
- [Snap a Receipt → Draft Purchase Order](https://support.metafleet.ai/snap-a-receipt-draft-purchase-order?hsLang=en)
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