Odoo 17's Purchase app runs procurement as one chain: a request for quotation goes out to a vendor, becomes a purchase order when you confirm it, creates a receipt in Inventory, and drafts a vendor bill in Accounting. Vendor price lists, lead times and reordering rules let Odoo raise those orders on its own. Purchase is part of Odoo 17 Community.
To get started:
Go to Apps → Install "Purchase"
Once installed, the Purchase module appears in your sidebar. This app connects directly with Inventory, Accounting, and Vendor Contacts.
Adding and Managing Vendors
You can manage supplier data in:
Purchase → Vendors → Create
Each vendor profile can include:
- Company name and contact info
- Tax ID and payment terms
- Default currency and pricelist
- Preferred delivery methods and lead times
You can also link vendor documents like contracts or agreements using the Documents module.
Creating Requests for Quotation (RFQs)
To request pricing from vendors:
Purchase → Requests for Quotation → Create
Add the vendor, select the products, set delivery dates, and submit. Odoo supports:
- Multi-line product RFQs
- Terms and conditions on each order
- Batch RFQs for multiple vendors at once
Vendors can respond by email or through a shared portal (if integrated).
Converting RFQs to Purchase Orders
Once a quote is accepted, click "Confirm Order" to convert it into a purchase order (PO). This will:
- Trigger a receipt/delivery in Inventory
- Generate a draft vendor bill in Accounting (optional)
- Log the purchase in product movement and cost records
You can split or cancel lines, backorder undelivered items, and track vendor fulfillment performance.
Using Vendor Pricelists and Lead Times
Odoo supports dynamic purchasing based on vendor-specific data:
- 📈 Purchase pricelists per product, quantity, or season
- 📆 Lead time tracking to schedule stock arrivals properly
- 📦 Multiple vendors per product with priority ranking
When reordering, Odoo picks the best vendor based on cost, availability, and past performance.
Automating Purchases with Reordering Rules
Odoo allows full automation of the purchasing workflow using:
- Minimum stock rules – trigger purchase orders automatically when stock drops below threshold
- Make to Order (MTO) – automatically generate a PO when a sales order is placed
- Dropshipping – send PO directly to vendor who ships to the customer
This ensures you maintain healthy stock levels without overordering.
Conclusion
With Odoo 17, managing procurement and vendors becomes an efficient, paperless, and data-driven process. You can go from RFQ to PO in a few clicks — while maintaining total visibility into costs, timing, and supplier relationships.
Need help configuring purchasing workflows or integrating vendors into Odoo? Let our team simplify your procurement process.
Questions we get asked
What is the difference between an RFQ and a purchase order in Odoo 17?
They are one record at two stages. A request for quotation is the draft you send a vendor to ask for price and availability; confirming it turns the same document into a purchase order, which is the commitment. Confirmation is what creates the incoming receipt in Inventory and makes the order billable, so nothing moves in stock or accounting until you confirm.
Can Odoo 17 raise purchase orders automatically?
Yes, in three ways. Reordering rules on a product create a draft order when forecasted stock falls below the minimum you set. The Make to Order route buys against each sales order instead of from stock. Dropshipping sends the goods straight from the vendor to your customer. All three take the vendor, price and lead time from the product's vendor list.
How does Odoo 17 choose which vendor to buy from?
From the Purchase tab of the product, where you list vendors in order of preference with their price, minimum quantity, currency and delivery lead time. When a rule or a user creates an order, Odoo takes the first vendor whose conditions the quantity and date satisfy, and prices the line accordingly. You can always override the vendor on the order itself.
Can I make sure I only pay for what arrived in Odoo 17?
The product's control policy decides. Set to ordered quantities, the whole order becomes billable; set to received quantities, only what Inventory recorded as received can be billed, so undelivered lines never reach a vendor bill. Full three-way matching, which blocks payment until order, receipt and bill agree, is a separate module in Odoo 17 Enterprise.