Purchase order acknowledgement

A purchase order acknowledgement is a supplier's response confirming receipt or acceptance of a purchase order. It may identify changes to price, quantity or delivery date, which the buyer should resolve before assuming the order matches the original request.

An acknowledgement may confirm the order exactly or propose changes, such as a substitute item, revised quantity or later date. The buyer should distinguish a message saying only that an order was received from one accepting its commercial terms. Automated acknowledgements can be useful but do not remove the need to check exceptions.

For example, a buyer orders 100 units for Friday delivery and the supplier acknowledges 80 for Friday with 20 to follow. That creates a partial fulfilment arrangement only if the parties agree to it. Checking the acknowledgement against the purchase order helps avoid discovering the discrepancy when the delivery is already underway.