> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://hub.equipme.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://hub.equipme.io/pro/procurement.md).

# Purchasing at a glance

Purchasing in Equipme Pro: how order proposals arise from customer orders and minimum stock, how you trigger supplier orders, and how goods reach the warehouse via goods receipt.

**Path:** Sidebar → **"Purchasing"**

In Purchasing you procure the physical products you provision for your customers: from your own suppliers, distributors or manufacturers. Equipme Pro automatically calculates what's missing from the customer orders and your minimum stock levels and suggests suitable orders to you.

| Page                                                              | Purpose                                                                                                                                                  |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| ["Order proposals"](/pro/procurement/order-proposals.md)          | What needs to be purchased: for your warehouse ("Stock purchase") and for direct deliveries to customers ("Dropshipping"). You trigger orders from here. |
| ["Orders"](/pro/procurement/purchase-orders.md)                   | All orders with your suppliers, including status, shipping data, financing and "Items in transit".                                                       |
| ["Financing agreements"](/pro/procurement/financing-contracts.md) | Leasing, hire purchase and other financing frameworks to which you assign orders or individual devices.                                                  |

## The flow from customer order to warehouse

```
Customer orders  ──►  Order confirmed    ──►  Demand arises     ──►  Order proposal    ──►  Order with        ──►  Goods receipt  ──►  Picking
in the portal         ("Order Inbox")         per stock product      ("Purchasing")         the supplier            ("Warehouse")       ("Fulfillment")
```

1. **Customer orders.** A customer orders a service that contains physical products (e.g. a notebook bundle).
2. **Order confirmed.** As soon as you confirm the order in the [Order Inbox](/pro/sales/order-reception.md) (or automatic order confirmation applies), a **purchase demand** arises for each product it contains. Unconfirmed orders don't generate any demand yet.
3. **Demand is covered.**
   * If suitable goods are freely available in the [stock warehouse](/pro/warehouse/stock-warehouse.md), equipme automatically reserves them for the order. No purchasing is needed.
   * If nothing is in stock, the demand appears as an [order proposal](/pro/procurement/order-proposals.md). The customer's item shows "Awaiting purchase" in the open positions.
   * For services with **dropshipping**, the demand always remains open until you trigger a dropshipping order. The supplier then delivers directly to the customer.
4. **Order with the supplier.** You order from the proposal. In doing so, you assign the order to the customer orders it should cover. The customer item changes to "Awaiting goods receipt".
5. **Goods receipt.** When the goods arrive, you book them in [Goods receipt](/pro/warehouse/receiving.md). Devices assigned to a customer order become "Reserved", all others "Stored". The customer item becomes "Ready for picking".
6. **Picking and shipping** take place in [Fulfillment](/pro/fulfillment/picking-production-shipping.md).

{% hint style="info" %}
A product is only procured via stock purchase if it is marked as a **"Stock item"** in the [product master data](/pro/portfolio/products.md). There you also set the **"Minimum stock"** and the default supplier with purchase price.
{% endhint %}

## Stock purchase or dropshipping?

|                        | Stock purchase                       | Dropshipping                                                                          |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Delivery to            | your warehouse                       | directly to the customer (or the delivery address of the customer item)               |
| Trigger                | customer demand and/or minimum stock | only customer demand from services for which dropshipping is enabled for provisioning |
| Goods receipt in Pro   | yes, via "Goods receipt"             | no, you maintain the order's delivery status via "Change status"                      |
| Order type in the list | "Stock order"                        | "Dropshipping"                                                                        |

## Who can do what?

| Role                        | Purchasing                                                                      |
| --------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **"Purchasing Manager"**    | Order from order proposals, edit and cancel orders, manage financing agreements |
| **"Purchasing Controller"** | Only view order proposals, orders and financing agreements                      |
| **"Administrator"**         | Full access                                                                     |

Without read permission for purchasing, the "Purchasing" menu item isn't shown. You assign roles under [Roles and rights](/pro/administration/roles-and-permissions.md).

## What does the customer see?

The customer doesn't see your purchasing. They only see the status of their item or service, e.g. "In progress", "In delivery (outgoing)" or "Active" (see the customer guide, "Tracking orders").

## Frequently asked questions

**Why doesn't a customer order appear in the order proposals?**

Either the order hasn't been confirmed yet, the product isn't a "Stock item", or suitable goods were in stock and were reserved automatically.

**Can I create an order without an order proposal?**

No. Orders with suppliers are always created from an order proposal in Equipme Pro. If you want to bring goods into the warehouse without an order, use ["Book inventory"](/pro/warehouse/stock-warehouse.md#book-inventory).


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