Like the Automatic Purchase Order Creation function, this utility uses a Shopping List to create Purchase Orders. Unlike Automatic Creation, however, Interactive Purchase Order Creation brings up one item at a time and lets you select a vendor.
From the FOOD-TRAK Main Menu, locate Data Entry, Procurement, and then click Interactive PO Creation. This will activate the wizard that will allow you to narrow your criteria for creating your Purchase Orders. Click Next when the first wizard page appears.
From the list of existing Shopping Lists that appears, select a Shopping List from which to create the PO. Click Next.
Select the date on which the Purchase Order/s will be placed by using the drop-down list. Today's date is set by default. Note that FOOD-TRAK will not process the Shopping List if the date set is before today's date. Click Next.
Select the date for FOOD-TRAK to consider bid prices. The order date may not be congruent with the date when new bid prices take effect. (Typically the effective bid date is the expected delivery date) Click Next.
You are now given a list of supplementary options:
to accept bids that include different units of measure for the same item,
to ignore Bid Preference information (set up on the Vendor Editor),
to consider expired bids as well as current bids, and
You may select any or all of the options available on this wizard. Selecting any of these options will automatically create an Audit Trail when the PO creation is complete. This Audit Trail indicates each item purchased as well as items not included on POs due to lack of bids or other reasons.
You also have the option of printing all Purchase Orders when the form has been completed; however, FOOD-TRAK still saves POs, which can be printed at any time. Click Finished to begin the interactive session.
Items are displayed one at a time and you can select any bid from those shown for that item, or you can pick a specific vendor and enter a bid price. As each item is assigned to a vendor, it will be added to the Audit Trail created during the process.
To pick a bid from the list displayed, click the bid to select it and click OK.
To select a vendor and enter a price, click Pick Another Vendor, select a vendor from the list and click OK. FOOD-TRAK then requests a price for the item and displays the most recent price paid. You can either accept the most recent price, or you can enter the new price and click OK.
You can skip an item thereby not including it on any PO. To skip an item, click Skip.
You can cancel the entire process by clicking Abort Wizard. This action will have the effect of returning things to their original state as they were before starting Interactive PO Creation. You can also abort the session by clicking Cancel when they Audit Trail appears.
You may click Back to return to previous items to change the vendor selection.
Advanced Procurement Features
When coupled with Advanced Procurement Module this feature considers the ”direct-ship” designation of items when creating Purchase Orders from a Cost Center Shopping List. The system determines if an item that is being ordered is a direct ship item for the Profit Center that requested it. If the item is not a direct ship item it follows the standard path and is put on an order for the Cost Center. If the item is a direct ship item it is placed on a separate Purchase Order for the Profit Center.
The Interactive Purchase Order process creates Purchase Orders with multiple orders if the Shopping that was used had multiple orders.