Overview
Purchase Orders (POs) are used to track and manage costs from suppliers. They let you link supplier expenses to specific projects, follow each order through clear statuses, and automatically create and maintain accurate expenses once a PO is approved.
Creating Purchase Orders
You can create a Purchase Order in two ways:
Option 1: From the Purchase Orders section
Navigate to the sidebar, click More
Select Purchase Orders
Click New Purchase Order
Option 2: From a Supplier profile
Navigate to the sidebar, click More
Select Suppliers
Click into a supplier profile
Click New Purchase Order
Attaching Purchase Orders to Projects
You can link a Purchase Order to a project directly from the PO sidebar:
Once attached, the project name appears with an Edit option
You can change or remove the linked project at any time
All updates are recorded in the Purchase Order activity feed for full visibility
Purchase Order Statuses and Actions
Purchase Orders now include clearer statuses and related actions:
Draft – PO is being prepared
Sent – PO has been sent to the supplier
Approved – PO has been approved
Paid – PO has been fully paid
Cancelled – PO is no longer active
Each status includes contextual actions such as:
Mark as approved / Unmark as approved
Mark as paid
Cancel Purchase Order
All status changes are reflected in the Purchase Order activity feed.
Approved Purchase
When a Purchase Order is approved, Bonsai automatically creates an expense that is linked to:
The Purchase Order, and
The associated project
Please note that:
If a PO is unapproved, cancelled, or deleted, the linked expense is automatically removed
Key fields (name, amount, date, project) are locked to maintain accuracy
The expense includes a banner linking back to the Purchase Order for full context