Working with purchase order (PO) numbers

Typically, when you assign a PO number to a contract or project, you want items like tickets, labor, charges, and expenses that fall under the entity to have the same PO number. In Autotask, when you assign a PO number at the quote, contract, project, or ticket/task level, that PO number automatically becomes the default PO number for all associated items like expenses, charges, and labor. When a ticket or task inherits a PO number from a contract or project, that number is passed to expense, charge and labor items added to the ticket or task.

The following table shows which items inherit a PO number from an associated entity.

When you assign a Purchase Order Number to this Entity	These items inherit the entity's PO number
Quote	Any ticket, contract, or project charges created through Won Opportunity Wizard when closing the associated opportunity. You can edit inherited PO number on charges.
Contract	Can edit inherited PO number: projects, tickets, charges and expenses Cannot edit PO number: services and service bundles, milestones, set up fees NOTE  If the contract applied to a ticket does not have PO number and the ticket already has a PO number assigned, then the current PO number is retained (the field is not cleared). If the contract has a PO number and the ticket does not, the contract PO is applied, even when the contract is assigned by a form template.
Project	Can edit inherited PO number: Tasks, charges and expenses
Ticket	Can edit inherited PO number: charges and expenses Cannot edit PO number: labor
Task	Can edit inherited PO number: charges and expenses Cannot edit PO number: labor
Charges and Expenses	None
Subscriptions	Can edit inherited PO number: subscription renewal Cannot edit PO number: each subscription billing period,

You can manually edit an inherited PO number for projects, tickets, tasks and issues, and charges and expenses. You cannot manually change an inherited PO number on a labor item or on contract services and bundles, setup fees, or milestones.

NOTE   If you manually edit an inherited PO number where allowed, the new PO number will not update automatically if the original entity's PO number changes. For example, if a ticket has a default PO number inherited from a contract, and you manually change the ticket's PO number, the ticket's PO number will not update if you later change the contract's PO number.

NOTE  If you remove a contract from a ticket, and the ticket has a PO number that was inherited from the contract, the PO number will be removed from the ticket. If the ticket's PO number was edited or manually added, it will not be removed.

NOTE  When a PO number is manually added to an item, Autotask assumes it was added intentionally and does not automatically update or remove it.

If you update the PO number on a contract, project, ticket or task, Autotask checks all incomplete associated projects (for contracts only), tickets, tasks, and unposted charges and expenses. If the PO number of any of these items matches the original (before update) PO number, a message gives you three options: you can choose to update all non-complete associated items to the new PO number, to update all associated items to the new PO number, or choose not to update. When you choose to update, that update will include all items at all levels that inherited the original PO number, except for approved and posted time entries.

EXAMPLE   If you update the PO number on a contract with associated tickets, and you choose to update all associated tickets with a PO number that matches the contract's original PO number, Autotask also updates all unposted charges and expenses associated with the tickets if their PO number matches the original contract PO number.

There is no update of the PO number inherited by a contract, project, or ticket charge created by the Won Opportunity Wizard if you change the PO number on the original Quote.

The purchase order number carries through to approve and post and billing. In Approve and Post, you can search by PO Number. The PO number appears in the detail view of items waiting to be approved. You cannot edit a PO number at this level.

The PO number appears on invoices. A separate invoice is created for each PO number. If an organization has multiple billing items that are assigned to different PO numbers, Autotask will generate multiple invoices for that organization.

Purchase order numbers also appear on the invoice when your billing setting is set to Bill on Timesheet Approval and Bill Immediately. Each purchase order number generates a separate invoice.