Creating Special Orders – Accolent ERP Help Documentation

Accolent ERP has extensive special order functionality. A special order links a sales order line item directly to a PO. The special order line item can be filled only from the linked PO which can be created automatically. When the linked sales order is moved to shipping, it is moved to a backorder and held until the linked PO is received. Note that all special Order items must be flagged as Inventory items since even if items are drop shipped, they must be notionally received into Inventory and then go out again. Unlike other inventory transactions that take the sales order cost from the Average Cost, special orders get the sales order cost directly from the linked PO.

Special Orders and PO Linking

A special order is a sales order that is linked with a PO
The linking is done line-by-line so that each sales order line is linked to a PO line
Once linked the sales order line can only be filled from that specific linked PO line
The sales order MUST be created first before the PO
Once the sales order is created there are two options to create the linked PO:

1. Auto PO – from the sales order there is a capability to automatically create the PO, or
2. Create PO and Link – after the sales order is created, a PO can be created separately and then from the PO Imports menus, the user can import either (i) Special Order Products or (ii) Special Orders for this Vendor

Special Order Automation

Once the sales order and PO are linked, moving the sales order to shipping automatically moves it to back order status where it remains until the linked PO is received
When the linked PO is received, the back order will automatically be moved to shipping and can then be filled
If the PO was a drop-ship, there will be an automatic prompt to Invoice the transactions after the PO has been notionally received
Unlike other inventory transactions in which the sales order GL cost is taken from the Average Cost for the product, special orders always take the GL cost directly from the PO

Creating a Special Order

Product B76779 has been set up as a Class-S item that is an inventory product

Inventory status shows a Q-Avail of B76779 of 2 EA
Alternate Cost is $2,200.00 and average cost is $2199.17
Create order 21127 to sell 3 of these items as a one-time special order to be drop-shipped to the customer
Because this is a Class-S sales item, check the Special Order checkbox to create a linked order and PO; if the product had been a Class-SP special order item, the Special Order checkbox would have been automatically checked
By checking the Special Order checkbox, 2 will be supplied from inventory and 1 item will be special ordered
To special order all 3 items, click the Edit BO checkbox to make 3 items rather than 1 item back ordered

When done, click Move to Shipping
This will bring up the screen to allow the Special Order to be assigned to an alternate vendor, if desired
Set up order as an SPO, with Drop Ship and Auto PO selected

Click Save, to move order to back order, create a Special Order and link the PO to the order

The transaction has been back ordered, and will remain as a BO until the PO is received
Note that because the Special Order and PO are linked, the BO can only be filled by this specific PO and not from inventory or any other PO

Viewing Special Orders

There are several ways Special Orders can be looked up and tracked
- From the Transaction Locate search on Special Orders
- From the Vendor using Views > Special Orders
- From the Product using the Views > Special Order History
- From the Purchase Order using Views > Special Orders
For example, from the Product, Views > Special Order History

Receiving Special Orders

Since this is a drop-ship, when the vendor confirms shipment, the PO can be “received”
Once the goods have been received, the receiver may be printed if desired