Odoo Purchase Workflow

---
name: odoo-purchase-workflow
description: "Expert guide for Odoo Purchase: RFQ → PO → Receipt → Vendor Bill workflow, purchase agreements, vendor price lists, and 3-way matching."
risk: safe
source: "self"
date_added: "2026-03-04"
---

# Odoo Purchase Workflow

## Overview

This skill guides you through the complete Odoo Purchase workflow — from sending a Request for Quotation (RFQ) to receiving goods and matching the vendor bill. It also covers purchase agreements, vendor price lists on products, automated reordering, and 3-way matching controls.

## When to Use This Skill

- Setting up the purchase flow for a new Odoo instance.
- Implementing purchase order approval workflows (2-level approval).
- Configuring vendor price lists with quantity-based discounts.
- Troubleshooting billing/receipt mismatches in 3-way matching.

## How It Works

1. **Activate**: Mention `@odoo-purchase-workflow` and describe your purchasing scenario.
2. **Configure**: Receive exact Odoo menu paths and field-by-field configuration.
3. **Troubleshoot**: Describe a billing or receiving issue and get a root cause diagnosis.

## Examples

### Example 1: Standard RFQ → PO → Receipt → Bill Flow

```text
Step 1: Create RFQ
  Menu: Purchase → Orders → Requests for Quotation → New
  Vendor: Acme Supplies
  Add product lines with quantity and unit price

Step 2: Send RFQ to Vendor
  Click "Send by Email" → Vendor receives PDF with RFQ details

Step 3: Confirm as Purchase Order
  Click "Confirm Order" → Status changes to "Purchase Order"

Step 4: Receive Goods
  Click "Receive Products" → Validate received quantities
  (partial receipts are supported; PO stays open for remaining qty)

Step 5: Match Vendor Bill (3-Way Match)
  Click "Create Bill" → Draft quantities follow the product bill-control policy
  Verify ordered, received and billed quantities, allowing documented partial receipts
  Enable 3-way matching with received-quantity bill control; inspect Should Be Paid
  Resolve discrepancies and obtain authorized approval before posting/payment
```

### Example 2: Enable 2-Level Purchase Approval

```text
Menu: Purchase → Configuration → Settings

Purchase Order Approval:
  ☑ Purchase Order Approval
  Minimum Order Amount: $5,000

Result:
  Orders below the configured threshold → Confirm directly (subject to access rights)
  Orders at/above the threshold → Status: "Waiting for Approval"
                     A purchase manager can approve (manager rights can also permit direct confirmation)
```

### Example 3: Vendor Price List (Quantity Breaks on a Product)

```text
Vendor price lists are configured per product, not as a global menu.

Menu: Inventory → Products → [Select Product] → Purchase Tab
  → Vendor Pricelist section → Add a line

Vendor: Acme Supplies
Currency: USD
Price:    $12.00
Min. Qty: 1

Add another line for quantity discount:
Min. Qty: 100 → Price: $10.50   (12.5% discount)
Min. Qty: 500 → Price:  $9.00   (25% discount)

Result: Odoo automatically selects the right price on a PO
based on the ordered quantity for this vendor.
```

## Best Practices

- ✅ **Do:** Enable **Purchase Order Approval** for orders above your company's approval threshold.
- ✅ **Do:** Use **Purchase Agreements (Blanket Orders)** for recurring vendors with pre-negotiated annual contracts.
- ✅ **Do:** Set a **vendor lead time** on products (Purchase tab) so Odoo can schedule arrival dates accurately.
- ✅ **Do:** Set the **Bill Control** policy to "Based on received quantities" (not ordered qty) for accurate 3-way matching.
- ❌ **Don't:** Confirm a PO before prices are agreed — use Draft/RFQ status to negotiate first.
- ✅ **Do:** Distinguish goods billed on receipts from ordered-quantity/service flows. Reconcile applicable PO/receipt/bill evidence; do not assume 3-way matching is an unbypassable payment block.
- ❌ **Don't:** Delete a PO that has received quantities — archive it instead to preserve the stock and accounting trail.

Reference: [Odoo 17 bill control and 3-way matching](https://www.odoo.com/documentation/17.0/applications/inventory_and_mrp/purchase/manage_deals/control_bills.html). Confirm the deployed version, modules, company currency and access rights before configuring approvals. Sending RFQs, confirming orders, validating receipts and posting/paying bills require the user's operational authorization; a setup request alone does not authorize these transactions.

## Limitations

- Does not cover **subcontracting purchase flows** — those require the Manufacturing module and subcontracting BoM type.
- **EDI-based order exchange** (automated PO import/export) requires custom integration — use `@odoo-edi-connector` for that.
- Vendor pricelist currency conversion depends on the active **currency rate** in Odoo; rates must be kept current for accuracy.
- The **2-level approval** is a binary threshold; more complex approval matrices (department-based, multi-tier) require custom development or the Approvals app.