Your views on purchase orders

[davetza]

For what it's worth when I first started freelancing I was self employed I used POs.

These made sure that a budget was authorised. If it had ever come to the crunch I had a signed bit of paper to wave around.

Thanks for all the replies. This makes a lot of sense.

[Contreras]

If they have chaotic admin then politely insist on a PO.

In a small organisation it will often be a single individual responsible for issuing POs and for processing invoices.

By asking for a PO you are forcing the project instigator to seek authority from whoever has the purse strings and progress things as far as a piece of paper sitting on the desk of someone who will pay you.

In short: just do it. More here.

[Sysman]

For what it's worth when I first started freelancing I was self employed I used POs.

These made sure that a budget was authorised. If it had ever come to the crunch I had a signed bit of paper to wave around.

[TheFaQQer]

If you have an email authorising you to do the work at an agreed rate, what does a purchase order add?

Psychological advantage? They might realise that there is something more formal that they have to respond to.

Maybe someone else would be responsible for completing the PO, and they would be better at remembering to pay at the right time?

That's the best I can come up with, though - I don't think a PO would add much to the situation, and possibly take something away from it.

[mudskipper]

If you have an email authorising you to do the work at an agreed rate, what does a purchase order add?

[v8gaz]

If you are less that 100% happy with their payment record, the a PO is a perfectly sensible idea. The alternative is a full blown contract - now that would be overkill. Remind them of that if they complain.

[SueEllen]

If they have chaotic admin raising a purchase order won't make any difference.

[davetza]

I've got an existing relationship with a charity that I do small bits and pieces of work for every now and then at an extremely discounted rate. Normally I'll just send them an email with with what my cost is going to be and invoice them once the work is completed. I've never had any problems being paid but the last time I invoiced them it took me longer than I would have liked to be paid due to some disorganisation on their part. This lead me to think that maybe I should be a bit more professional on my part and issue a formal quote and ask for a PO to be raised before I start the work.

Does anyone have any views on this? The amounts concerned are very small and I don't want to ask them to be raising extra paperwork for something that is not 100% necessary.

Thanks