Quotations and purchase orders explained
You will know what a sales quotation and a purchase order each record, how they sit before the booking and the invoice, and what the list shows about each one.
Bookings › Quotes & Orders has two tabs. Sales Quotation is the price you offer a customer before the work; Purchase Order is the price you agree with a supplier, usually a truck owner, before you hire. Neither moves money or stock. They are agreements on paper that the bookings and invoices later fulfil.
Both documents share one layout: a party, a number, dates, line items with a billing type, quantity and rate, then adjustment, tax, round off and a grand total, with terms at the foot. Learn one and you know the other.
Sales Quotation
A quotation is sent to a customer who asks “what will this cost?”. It names the customer, carries a Quotation No with the SQ prefix from Settings › Invoice Settings, a Date and a Valid Until date, and lists what you will charge: a description, a billing type such as fixed freight or a per-unit rate, quantity, rate and amount per line.
Its Status is Draft while you are working on it and Confirmed when the customer accepts. The bookings that are later created for the work can be attached, so the list shows how much of the quoted work has turned into trips.
Purchase Order
A purchase order is the mirror image for a supplier. It carries the PO prefix, names the supplier and lists what you will pay them for: hire of a truck for a route, a service, parts. Confirmed once both sides agree, it is the reference the supplier’s invoice should match.
Where they sit in the flow
Quotations and purchase orders are optional. A company that works on standing rates can go straight to bookings. They earn their place where prices are negotiated per job, where customers ask for a written offer, or where supplier bills need something to be checked against.
- Customer asks for a price: create a Sales Quotation, send it, mark it Confirmed when accepted.
- Work is booked: create the Bookings for the trips and attach them to the quotation.
- Hire is needed: create a Purchase Order to the truck owner at the agreed rate.
- Trips run and are delivered.
- Billing: a Customer Invoice lists the bookings; a Supplier Invoice from the owner is checked against the purchase order.
What the list shows
- Above the list: print, Excel, share and a date range filter.
Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
Voucher No | The SQ or PO number |
Customer / Supplier | The party the document is addressed to |
Date | Document date |
Grand Total | The final amount after adjustment, tax and round off |
Attached bookings | Bookings linked to the document |
Reference No | Your or the party’s reference, such as a tender or enquiry number |
Status | Draft or Confirmed |
What they do not do
- They do not post to any ledger. Balances change only with invoices and payments.
- They do not create bookings. Bookings are created from Bookings › Add and can then be attached.
- They do not reserve a vehicle on the Booking Schedule; only bookings appear there.
Need Help?
Chat with the NShine ERP support team on WhatsApp at +91 79950 87755, or ask from inside the app. Last checked 9 November 2026 against app.nshineerp.com.