What is the Purchase Orders Feature?

The Purchase Orders feature enables schools, colleges, and other educational institutions to upload and manage their purchase orders directly within the Exclaim.gg platform. Instead of handling payments upfront, institutions can upload a PO for their custom apparel order, ensuring that all financial documentation is verified and approved before production begins. This adds an extra layer of financial control and is particularly helpful for institutions that rely on administrative approval for larger purchases.

How Purchase Orders Work

The Purchase Orders feature is designed to integrate seamlessly with our MerchCraft system, providing a simple way to handle scholastic orders. Here's how it works:

1. Upload Purchase Orders: Once an order has been created in the system, schools or educational institutions can upload their PO document directly into the platform. This document acts as a commitment to pay for the merchandise once it is delivered.

2. Financial Verification: The system allows administrators or purchasing departments to verify that the purchase order matches the items in the order. This ensures that all orders are compliant with school budgets and procurement policies.

3. Order Approval: After the PO is verified, the order can move forward to the production stage. This ensures that no order proceeds without proper financial documentation, protecting both the school and the vendor.

4. Track Order Progress: Institutions can track the status of their order from the PO submission stage through to production and delivery, ensuring transparency and accountability throughout the process.

Benefits of Using Purchase Orders

The Purchase Orders feature offers several key advantages for educational institutions, allowing them to streamline their ordering processes while maintaining financial accountability:

• Simplified Procurement: Schools can easily upload POs to manage custom apparel orders without needing immediate payment, allowing for smoother procurement processes.
• Financial Accountability: All orders are aligned with institutional budgets and procurement policies, ensuring that the school's financial systems are respected and followed.
• Administrative Oversight: Purchase orders provide a layer of verification that ensures no order moves forward without proper approval from the school's business office.
• Transparency: Schools can track the status of their order from PO submission through delivery, ensuring that everything is processed in a timely and transparent manner.

Use Cases for Purchase Orders in Education

The Purchase Orders feature is specifically designed to meet the needs of educational institutions. Here are some common use cases:

1. School Uniforms and Spirit Wear

Schools that need to place bulk orders for uniforms, spirit wear, or team apparel can benefit from the Purchase Orders feature. Administrators can easily upload a PO, ensuring the order aligns with the school's financial system and budgeting requirements.

2. Event Merchandise for School Functions

Schools often need custom merchandise for events such as homecoming, graduation, or special academic functions. With Purchase Orders, schools can place large orders and ensure that the financial aspects are approved by the administrative or business office before the order is finalized.

3. College and University Esports Apparel

For universities and colleges with athletic programs, managing merchandise orders for sports teams requires a level of financial oversight. The Purchase Orders feature allows university administrators to manage bulk orders for sports apparel while ensuring the PO is aligned with institutional procurement policies.

Four Purchase Order Workflows

1. Prepared Order Workflow with Business Office Approval (Recommended)

This workflow involves the business office having direct access to the account, but with an added layer of control:

• The order entry person submits the order as a Prepared Order. This means the order is placed in the client's account but is not yet submitted to Exclaim.gg.
• The business office can then log in, upload the PO, and approve and submit the order.
• This workflow provides the flexibility to have an order prepared and reviewed before final submission, ensuring all financial approvals are in place before production begins.

2. The Business Office Has Direct Access to the Account

In this workflow, the third-party business office has access to the Exclaim.gg account:

• The business office can upload the PO directly into the platform, applying it to the saved cart.
• They have the option to either complete the checkout themselves or request that the account owner proceed through checkout.
• This workflow streamlines the process, allowing the business office to take full responsibility for the financial aspect of the order while still coordinating with the account owner.

3. The Business Office Emails the PO to the Account Owner

In this scenario, the third-party business office is not a user on the account, but instead of sending the PO to Exclaim.gg, they send it back to the account owner:

• The business office emails the PO to the account owner, who can upload the document to the Exclaim.gg platform.
• The account owner proceeds through checkout themselves, ensuring the order is completed with the appropriate documentation.
• This workflow gives the account owner full control over the process while incorporating the necessary approval from the business office.

4. The Business Office Emails the PO Directly to Exclaim.gg

In this workflow, the third-party business office is not a user on the Exclaim.gg account. The process works as follows:

• The business office emails the PO directly to Exclaim.gg.
• Our team at Exclaim.gg applies the PO to zero out the cart, preparing the order for order entry.
• However, the account owner or someone on their team must log in to submit the order by clicking the final submission button. This workflow ensures that the school or organization maintains control over the final submission while enabling the business office to handle payment processing.