Receiving Inventory

The receiving process is used to track inventory that is received as the result of a purchase order by recording basic information such as the quantity received, receiving location, packing slip details, carrier, and so on.

When items are delivered to your organization, they must be added into the system inventory by creating a receiving record then accepting the items.

Note: There may be some instances where a vendor may send an invoice prior to an item being shipped or received. In cases such as this, an invoice for the purchase order line item can be created however, the invoice cannot be processed until the line item is received.

The receiving process tracks delivery items through several distinct steps from the time they arrive until they are placed in a storeroom. The steps in the process allow for the actual receipt, inspection of items, and acceptance. The process steps include:

  • Record the delivery of items — create a receipt record which holds basic delivery information. This step does not include details about the items.
  • Match items to the purchase order — review items on the purchase order and select, from a pick list, the items that were delivered. Items are counted and compared to what was ordered then placed “in receipt”. Items can also be received without a purchase order reference.
  • Receive and accept the items — complete the acceptance process to record the items into the appropriate storeroom. The system adjusts inventory quantities for the items accordingly. Depending on your system configuration and business practices, the system may also include taxes and other incidental costs for the items at the time of receipt.
  • (alternate) Create a shipping deficiency entry for receipt line items when there is a problem with materials received in the shipment. The deficiencies can be edited, added to, or resolved directly from the Shipment Deficiency zone of the Receipt Line record.
  • (alternate) Return the items — As needed, return items for replacement or credit. When returns are processed, the appropriate costing and inventory adjustments are made to account for the credit.

Quick Receive

Your organization may not require a multi-step processing to receive items into your inventory. In these cases, the system includes a feature to receive and accept the items in one step. This feature is only available if it is enabled in your system implementation. If the stock item has “Accept on Receipt” set as yes, one-step receiving is allowed.

Forced Complete

In some cases, the quantity ordered on the purchase order may never be fulfilled. For example, if your organization ordered a quantity of 10 of items that were discontinued and the vendor only had 5 to send to fulfill the order. The system provides the ability to receive the five items then to force the system to consider the order complete. This processing flags the system that the line item receipt quantity is complete so that the purchase order does not stay open. After receiving partial items, select the Force Complete action on the Receipt record. Completing this action marks the purchase order line item as Fully Received and transitions it to the Closed state.