Release Purchase Order(PO) Strategy and Cancelling PO Release in SAP MM

Releasing a purchasing document means approving it. For this, our MM consultant can create release procedures to be used. There is a vast number of options that can be used for controlling the release of the documents.

Important information to know is that a purchasing document cannot be changed after it is released. That means that only the final version should be released. Unreleased documents (RFQ – request for quotation, PO – purchase order, scheduling agreement, contract) cannot be processed further (convert RFQ to quotation, PO to goods receipt, invoice verification).

Process flow of PO Release in SAP MM:

Create Purchase Order With Reference to Existing Document

Purchase order with reference

Purchase orders can be created with reference to a purchase requisition, RFQ, quotation, another purchase order, contract, sales order etc. To reference a PO to a previous document you can use the appropriate function.

You can create a PO referencing a previous document in 2 ways

1. Using ME58
2. Using ME21N

Referencing through ME58

In our case if we want to create a PO for a purchase requisition, we can use the transaction code ME58.

I will demonstrate the process starting from ME58 as it calls the ME21N and you can see that actually we create a PO in ME21N anyway.

Step 1)

1. Enter t-code ME58.
2. Choose Vendor and purchasing organization and
3. Select document types.
4. Execute.

How to Create Purchase Order in SAP MM Process

Purchase orders are used for a number of processes in procurement. They can be used for internal procurement (from one plant to another), external procurement of goods (direct consumption or stock) and services. It can also be used for subcontracting, third-party and consignment processes.

Purchase order processing is shown in the following diagram.

Purchase orders can be created with reference to a purchase requisition, RFQ, quotation, another purchase order, contract, sales order.

How to create a Purchase Order

Purchase orders are created by using standard transaction ME21N (or ME21 – the old instance of the transaction).

Step 1)

1. Enter transaction code ME21N.
2. Enter vendor.
3. Enter material number that needs to be procured.
4. Enter the quantity and unit of measure (optional – system uses UoM from purchase info record).
5. Press ENTER to confirm the data entered.

How to Select or Reject Quotation in SAP MM

Step 1)

1. Select the quotation that’s favourable (you want to process it further as it’s having the best conditions).
2. Choose the Edit Quotation button on the toolbar.

Step 2) Now you are in the ME47 transaction. Here you can choose the item and go to the item details screen.

1. Select the item.
2. Click on the item details icon.

How to Create Source List in SAP MM

You can create a sourcelist in ME05 transaction. A source list is a list of possible sources for a material. If a source list requirement exists for the material, you must create a source list to proceed with the ordering.

1. Execute t-code ME05.
2. Enter material, or material list/range.
3. Enter plant.
4. Untick the test run check box to perform the transaction instead of using the test mode.
5. Execute the transaction.

How to Perform Price Comparison Among Different Quotation in SAP MM

After your quotations are entered, you can compare them to select the best available offer at this moment. We can compare the quotations in transaction code ME49.

We can select which quotations will be compared by using the collective number we addressed before to be an important field that is maintained on RFQ (or directly on the quotation).

If we forget to enter the collective number, we will have to supply all the quotation numbers in the selection field “Quotation”.

Step 1) In transaction ME49, Enter

1. Purchasing organization (e.g. 0001).
2. Collective RFQ (we have used 190123).
3. Execute the transaction.

Create Quotations in SAP MM Procure to Pay Process

Using transaction code ME47, we can create a quotation based on a request for quotation.

Step 1)

1. Transaction code for quotation maintenance – ME47.
2. RFQ: request for quotation that we are using as a reference document.
3. Press ENTER.

Step 2)

1. RFQ quantity
2. Delivery date
3. Net price per unit of measure
4. Storage Location