Purchase Order Amendments
After a purchase order (PO) is approved, business reality often changes: vendors adjust prices, quantities need to go up or down, or terms must be updated. Amendments let you record those changes formally, route them through approval, and apply them to the PO only after authorization—so finance and audit always see a clear before-and-after trail.
Why amendments exist
Editing an approved PO directly would blur accountability. Waqti treats amendments as controlled change requests:
- Quantities and prices can be corrected or renegotiated after approval.
- Line items can be added or removed when scope changes.
- Terms can be documented when delivery, payment, or other conditions change.
- Cancellations can be proposed as structured amendments when a PO must be voided through the same governance as the original commitment.
Each amendment is numbered (for example, tied to the PO number) and tracks who requested it, who approved or rejected it, and the financial impact (original total vs. new total, including VAT).
When you can amend a PO
Amendments are available only for POs in executable states, such as approved, sent, received, or partially received. Draft or purely internal states are handled by editing the PO itself, not amendments.
You cannot start a new amendment while another amendment for the same PO is still open—until the in-flight amendment is applied, rejected, or cancelled. If the system blocks creation, resolve or cancel the pending amendment first.
You need permission to update the purchase order to create amendments, and permission to approve the PO to approve or reject amendment requests.
Amendment types
When you create an amendment, you choose a type that describes the intent. The type guides reviewers; you still specify concrete line changes in the form.
| Type | Typical use |
|---|---|
| Quantity change | More or fewer units on existing lines |
| Price change | Unit price updates after negotiation |
| Add items | New products or services on the PO |
| Remove items | Lines no longer required |
| Terms change | Documented changes to non-line terms |
| Cancel | Formal proposal to cancel the PO |
| Other | Changes that do not fit the categories above |
Creating an amendment
- Open the purchase order you need to change.
- Go to the Amendments area for that PO (list of past amendments and a way to add a new one).
- Choose Create amendment if the PO is eligible.
On the create screen you will:
- Select the amendment type.
- Enter a reason (required). This is the business justification approvers see first.
- Optionally add a longer description for context.
- Define line changes: for each change, specify whether you are adding, modifying, or removing a line, with quantities, unit prices, item text, unit of measure, and notes as needed.
The system calculates line totals and a new PO total (subtotal and VAT at the PO’s VAT rate, commonly 15%). After save, you land on the amendment detail page.
Amendment lifecycle and statuses
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Draft | Created but not yet submitted; only the creator can edit the flow forward via submit |
| Pending approval | Submitted; approvers with PO approval rights can approve or reject |
| Approved | Approved on paper; PO is not updated until someone applies the amendment |
| Rejected | Declined with a recorded rejection reason |
| Applied | Changes have been written to the PO; record is final for that amendment |
| Cancelled | Withdrawn before application; PO unchanged by this amendment |
Submitting for approval
From the amendment detail page, when the amendment is in draft, use Submit for approval. The request enters the same governance mindset as the original PO: authorized approvers must consent to the new totals and line composition.
Approving or rejecting
Users who can approve the underlying purchase order can:
- Approve the amendment. If the approver has a signature on file, it may be attached to the approval record.
- Reject the amendment. A rejection reason is required so the requester knows what to fix or why the change is denied.
Applying an approved amendment
Approval alone does not change the PO. A user with update rights on the PO must explicitly apply the amendment. That action updates the purchase order to match the approved changes and completes the amendment as applied. You are typically redirected back to the PO after a successful apply.
Cancelling an amendment
If the amendment should not proceed (wrong numbers, duplicate request, or scope dropped), a user with update on the PO can cancel the amendment while it is still cancellable in workflow terms. Cancelled amendments do not alter the PO.
Permissions summary
| Action | Typical permission |
|---|---|
| View amendments | View the purchase order |
| Create / submit / cancel | Update the purchase order |
| Approve / reject | Approve the purchase order |
| Apply approved amendment | Update the purchase order |
Practical tips
- One open amendment per PO keeps approval queues and totals unambiguous. Finish or cancel before starting another.
- Reason and description are your audit trail—write them for someone who was not in the meeting.
- Review the computed new total before submit; surprises at approval stage slow everyone down.
- After apply, treat the PO as the source of truth; the amendment record remains for history.
Related topics
- Purchase orders — creating and approving the original PO
- Approvals — how approval rights work in Waqti