Quotations and sales orders
Two optional documents before the invoice. They write no entry, but an order may reserve stock, and both convert to an invoice in one click.
On this page
When you need them
A retail shop writes the invoice directly. Anyone selling to companies or supplying against orders needs one or two steps first: a quotation sent to the customer, then an order that fixes the agreement and reserves goods, then the invoice at delivery. That is why both documents are hidden in simple mode until you enable them under Settings, then Features: "Quotations" and "Sales orders". See Features and simple mode.
The quotation
- Open Sales, then Quotations and click New quotation. The screen is the invoice screen.
- Add the customer and lines, and set Valid until.
- Save a draft, then Post. Posting here means confirming only: it assigns a number in the form
QT-26-01-000001and locks the quotation from editing. No effect on stock or the books. - Print it and send it to the customer.
When the customer accepts, use Convert to order or Convert to invoice directly.
The sales order
- From Sales, then Sales orders, create it new or convert it from a quotation.
- Set the Delivery date.
- Enable Reserve stock if you want its quantities counted as reserved.
- Post to confirm; its number is in the form
SO-26-01-000001.
What reserving stock does
A reservation does not reduce the balance or its value; it reduces only the available quantity: balance minus reserved. If you have 10 pieces and an order reserves 4, the cashier and the balances screen see 6 available. When the order is invoiced the reservation is released by the invoiced amount, and when it is cancelled it is released entirely. See Stock balances.
Full and partial conversion
The Convert button appears on a confirmed quotation or order and offers two choices:
- From list: copies all the remaining lines not yet invoiced.
- Selected quantities (partial conversion): you type, for each line, the quantity you deliver now. The rest stays on the order for a later conversion.
The resulting document is created as a draft dated today, carrying the customer, salesman, warehouse, price list, currency and header discount from the source, with a link to its origin. Review it and post it like any invoice; see The sales invoice.
After the invoice is posted the invoiced quantities on the order lines are updated and the Fulfillment column shows partial or fulfilled. Trying to convert a fully invoiced order gives "All lines are already invoiced".
The price is fixed in the quotation
Conversion copies the line price and discount as they were on the quotation, not from the current price list. You promised the customer a price, and it stays even if the list changed afterwards.
Cancelling and closing
A quotation or order in draft state is deleted permanently. A confirmed one is cancelled with a reason written on it; cancelling an order releases its reservations. Because neither document writes an entry there is no reversing entry here. And if an invoice issued from an order is cancelled, the uninvoiced quantities return to the order and its status becomes partial.
What happens in the books
Nothing. A quotation and an order create no entry and move no account. Receivables, revenue and cost are all written only when the resulting invoice is posted.
Online store orders
An order coming from the store or an external integration arrives as a sales order on the store or API channel in draft state; you confirm it and then convert it to an invoice on delivery. The Channel column in the list tells each document's source: panel, POS, store, or API.
Frequently asked questions
Does an expired quotation close automatically?
The "Valid until" field is for the customer and for reports. Conversion remains possible while the quotation is confirmed, so cancel it manually if you want to close it.
I converted the order partly. Where is the rest?
On the order itself with the status "Partial". Convert it again with the remaining quantities when you deliver the rest.
Why can I not see the Quotations and Orders lists?
Because you are in simple mode and have not enabled their features under Settings, then Features.