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Purchases

One purchase-side path from supplier record to bill, credit and payment

Invoice Crowd keeps vendors, purchase orders, bills, vendor credits and payments made in connected workflows. Each document retains its own lifecycle and permissions, while the vendor portal gives suppliers a read-only view of selected records.

  • Vendors, POs and bills connected
  • Credits and payments remain distinct
  • Read-only vendor portal

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The Invoice Crowd Purchases overview linking vendors, purchase orders, bills, vendor credits and payments made.

How it works

A purchase workflow made of explicit documents, not one hidden state machine

Start with the supplier, authorize the order, record the bill and settle it with a payment or eligible vendor credit. The separation keeps the factual document and the settlement evidence clear.

Before the bill

Supplier identity and the purchase commitment.

Invoice Crowd Purchases overview with a populated vendor record connected to purchase documents.

Keep one vendor record for the relationship

Store the supplier's contact and tax details, use it across purchase documents and control whether that vendor receives a portal invite.

Raise and approve a purchase order

Create a PO in the document editor, send or mark it approved and convert the approved order into a draft bill. The PO is a commitment record, not a payment.

Record what is owed

Bills carry due dates, balances and purchase-side accounting context.

Invoice Crowd purchase workflow showing an approved purchase order converted into a draft bill.

Enter the vendor bill and its due date

Bills keep the vendor, lines, taxes, date, due date, status and balance together. A converted PO becomes a separate bill draft that can still be reviewed.

Use credits and payments as separate settlements

A vendor credit reduces what the supplier owes back; Payments Made records money the business sent. Both can affect a bill, but they preserve different evidence and actions.

Share and review

Portal access and bank review remain deliberate.

Invoice Crowd Vendor Portal navigation showing Bills, Purchase Orders, Vendor Credits and Payments Made.

Give the supplier a read-only portal

Choose whether an accepted vendor can see eligible bills, purchase orders, credits and payments made. The portal does not expose internal create, edit or delete actions.

Reconcile the cash movement separately

A recorded vendor payment can feed the accounting reports, while Bank Reconciliation compares the recorded entry with the external statement. Recording and reconciling are not the same step.

Built in

The purchase-side toolkit

Every core surface and the boundary it owns, linked into one navigable hub.

  • Keep one vendor record for the relationship

    Store the supplier's contact and tax details, use it across purchase documents and control whether that vendor receives a portal invite.

  • Raise and approve a purchase order

    Create a PO in the document editor, send or mark it approved and convert the approved order into a draft bill. The PO is a commitment record, not a payment.

  • Enter the vendor bill and its due date

    Bills keep the vendor, lines, taxes, date, due date, status and balance together. A converted PO becomes a separate bill draft that can still be reviewed.

  • Use credits and payments as separate settlements

    A vendor credit reduces what the supplier owes back; Payments Made records money the business sent. Both can affect a bill, but they preserve different evidence and actions.

  • Give the supplier a read-only portal

    Choose whether an accepted vendor can see eligible bills, purchase orders, credits and payments made. The portal does not expose internal create, edit or delete actions.

  • Reconcile the cash movement separately

    A recorded vendor payment can feed the accounting reports, while Bank Reconciliation compares the recorded entry with the external statement. Recording and reconciling are not the same step.

  • Vendors

    The supplier record used across purchase documents.

  • Purchase Orders

    Authorize and convert supplier commitments.

  • Bills

    Record what is owed and when it is due.

  • Vendor Credits

    Apply or refund supplier credits.

  • Payments Made

    Record and allocate outgoing vendor payments.

  • Vendor Portal

    Give the supplier a read-only view.

Questions

Purchases, answered

What purchase workflows are included in Invoice Crowd?

Invoice Crowd connects vendor records, purchase orders, bills, vendor credits, payments made and a read-only vendor portal. Each surface retains its own lifecycle and permissions.

Does approving a purchase order pay the vendor?

No. An approved purchase order is a commitment document. Invoice Crowd can convert it into a draft bill, but payment is recorded separately through Payments Made or an eligible vendor-credit application.

What is the difference between a vendor credit and Payments Made?

A vendor credit represents value the supplier owes back to the business. Payments Made records money the business sent to a vendor and how much of it was allocated to a bill.

Can vendors edit purchase documents through the portal?

No. Invoice Crowd's Vendor Portal is a read-only projection of the enabled bills, purchase orders, vendor credits and payments made for that supplier.

Does recording a payment reconcile it with the bank?

No. Payments Made records the vendor settlement. Bank Reconciliation is the separate workflow that compares recorded activity with a bank statement or imported feed rows.

Can I use bills without first creating a purchase order?

Yes. Invoice Crowd can create a vendor bill directly or from an approved purchase order. The source route is kept explicit in the document workflow.

Bring the whole supplier-side workflow into one account

Move from vendor to purchase order, bill, credit and payment without losing which document owns each decision.

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