This article is part of the Shopping List Feature in the Purchase Orders Module.  The R365 Purchasing Assistant is also used in creating Purchase Orders.  Click here for more information on Purchasing Assistant: Purchase Orders.



The Purchasing Assistant is a tool designed to help Users quickly and easily review and submit Purchase Orders from their established Shopping Lists.  Once the Shopping Lists have been reviewed and the quantities updated, the R365 Purchasing Assistant will create a separate PO record for each Vendor that was included on the Shopping List.  These POs can then be submitted directly to the Vendor for processing.


The Left Navigation of the Purchasing Assistant displays the four Purchasing Steps that must be completed by the User when working with Shopping Lists.  Users can navigate between steps by using the 'Next' and 'Back' buttons located in the bottom right of the screen.


If the User has access to multiple Location in R365, they will be able to switch between Locations using the selector in the top right corner.  By default, the User's default Location will be selected when the Purchasing Assistant loads.


Opening a Shopping List in the R365 Purchasing Assistant


Shopping Lists can be opened in the R365 Purchasing Assistant using the following methods:

  1. Open the Shopping List record, hover over the 'Action' menu and select 'Use'
  2. Hover over the 'Vendor' Menu, then the 'Purchasing' sub-menu and select 'Purchasing Assistant'.  This is the same process as with Purchase Orders in the Purchase Orders Module. Once selected, the Order Method prompt will ask the User which ordering method will be used with the Purchasing Assistant. Click 'Shopping Lists' to work with your Shopping Lists.

Step 1: Shopping Lists to Order



Select the Location where the Shopping List will be ordered for, then toggle each available Shopping List that will be ordered at this time.  Once a Shopping List has been toggled, the 'Print Order Guide' and 'Next' buttons will appear in the bottom right of the window:



The 'Print Order Guide' button will open the report viewer where you can view and print the Shopping List Order Guide:



Once all Shopping Lists that will be used are toggled, click the 'Next' button to advance.


Step 2: View and Edit



If you are working on multiple Shopping Lists, check the Shopping List selector in the top right of the window and set it to the correct List before proceeding.  Next review the selected Shopping List and update the 'Amount to Order' column for each Item on the Shopping List.  As you make the updates, the 'Est. Cost' column will also update based on the quantity entered, and the 'Amt. Each' price.  Additionally, the 'Total Est. Cost' at the bottom of the window will update as you add quantities to order.


When each Shopping List has been reviewed and updated with the proper quantities, click the 'Next' button to advance.


Step 3: POs to Submit



The R365 Purchasing Assistant will review all the Items that were included on Step 2 and who their 'Preferred Vendor/Preferred Vendor Item' is and then separate each into corresponding Purchase Orders.  These will be listed on this Step where you can determine if the PO will be submitted (the default toggle under each PO), or held until later (the 'Hold' toggle).  Additionally, you can click the trashcan icon to delete a particular PO if necessary.


You can click on each individual PO to open it for further review at this time.  When you are ready to Save/Submit the POs, click the 'Next' button to advance.


Step 4: Final Review and Submit



Each PO from Step 3 that was set to 'Submit' will be listed on Step 4 for further review and submission.  Select a PO in the 'Total PO Review' table to view the PO's 'Details Review' below.  


When each PO has been reviewed and they are ready to be Submitted you have the following options:


  1. Click 'Submit Orders' to electronically submit the POs to their Vendors via the settings found on the Vendor record (Vendor Additional Info tab). 
  2. If 'Submit' is not available to you, click 'Save and Close' to save each PO as a Purchase Order record.  These POs will then be listed in the 'Purchased Orders' list with a status of 'Open'.  A member of your team with 'Submit Purchase Order' privileges will then be able to review and submit each PO as needed.