Originally written by Paul Barnes on Small Business
Understanding the legal implications of purchase orders is important. After all, if faced with a client refusing to pay an invoice, or you receive an invoice for twice the amount stated on a purchase order (PO), you need to understand your position.
So, is a PO legally binding? And above and beyond the legal ramifications, are there other advantages to raising POs? Here, Paul Barnes, MD of MAP, an outsourced finance function for digital creative agencies, provides his purchase order insights.
Purchase orders are a legal contract
If you issue or receive a PO, it’s a legally binding document once accepted. In essence, it’s a contract between the buyer and the seller. As a supplier, if you raise a PO and send it to your customer, this is notifying them of their legal obligations to pay you the agreed amount. As a customer, you need to be aware that when you receive a PO, this is obliging you to pay the amount on the purchase order. If the amount is incorrect, this must be disputed immediately and a new PO issued. Failure to dispute a PO at the time of issuing will place you in a