Purchases

Track supplier orders, deliveries and what you owe

Raise purchase orders to your suppliers, approve them before money is committed, receive each delivery straight into branch stock, and record what you pay against the order it settles. Shipping and clearing land in the cost of the goods, where they belong.

  • Approve before you commit
  • Receive in parts
  • Shipping in unit cost

From the Starter plan · Approvals and landed costs on Growth

Cartons of stock on tall warehouse racking

PO-0318

40 of 60 in

Partly received

Owed to suppliers

₦420,000

2 orders open
Why it matters

Why supplier management protects your margin

A price agreed on the phone and forgotten, a delivery that came short, freight nobody added to the cost. None of these show up until the profit does not, and by then the trail is cold.

Approved before it is spent

An order is submitted and then approved or rejected by someone allowed to, before any goods are received against it. A branch manager can prepare orders without approving their own spending.

Matched to what arrived

Deliveries are recorded line by line as they come in. Only what arrived goes into stock and onto what you owe, so a short delivery never becomes a full payment.

The cost, all of it

Shipping, clearing and transport on an order are spread across the goods, so each unit carries its real cost into your stock value and the profit on every later sale.

How it works

How purchasing works in Niimbu

01

Add your suppliers

Contacts, terms and bank details, whether they bank in Nigeria or abroad.

02

Raise the order

What you want, how many, at what price, and when you expect it.

03

Approve and receive

Approve the order, then record each delivery against it as it arrives.

04

Pay and close

Record payments against the order, and close it once it is settled.

The order

One purchase order, from order to last delivery

The order shows what was agreed, who approved it, what has arrived line by line, what has been billed and what has been paid. When the supplier calls about money, the answer is on one screen.

PO-0318

Adeyemi Textiles

Approved by Tunde · Expected Fri

Partly received

Kaftan, navy

40 of 60

Silk headwrap

120 of 120

Order total

₦1.38m

Billed so far

₦920k

Paid

₦500k

Received stock went straight onto the Ikeja shelf

Real cost

Shipping belongs in the price of the goods

Freight and clearing paid separately and booked as an expense make imported stock look more profitable than it is, and every price set afterwards inherits the mistake. An order can carry those costs, and they are spread across the goods it brought in.

  • Shipping and clearing on the order
  • Spread into each unit's cost
  • Carried into stock value and profit
See profit on real cost

Cost of goods

PO-0318

Goods

₦1,200,000

Shipping and clearing

₦180,000

Kaftan, navy, per unit

₦7,667 was ₦6,667

Margins are worked out on the real cost, shipping included

Suppliers

What you owe, as a figure rather than an argument

A supplier's balance is what received goods have billed you less what you have paid. Every payment is recorded against the order it settles, by transfer, cash, card, POS or cheque, and a mistaken payment is reversed with the reason kept rather than deleted.

  • Balance owed per supplier
  • Payments recorded against the order
  • Reversals kept with a reason
Pay suppliers from your account

Suppliers

Owed

Adeyemi Textiles

2 orders open

₦420,000

Kano Fabrics Ltd

Settled

₦0

Guangzhou Trims Co.

Bank details: SWIFT

₦1,860,000

Every payment is recorded against the order it settles

The difference

Supplier notebook vs supplier management software

The usual way

  • Orders placed on WhatsApp, prices remembered
  • A short delivery noticed when the shelf is empty
  • Freight booked as an expense, cost price understated
  • What you owe a supplier settled by argument
  • Branches buying without anyone approving

With Niimbu

  • Every order written down, with the agreed price
  • Deliveries received line by line against the order
  • Shipping inside the cost of each unit
  • A balance per supplier from received goods and payments
  • Orders approved before money is committed
Everything included

Supplier management features

Supplier records

Contacts, terms and Nigerian or international bank details.

Purchase orders

Lines, prices, expected dates, notes and terms.

Approvals

Submit, approve or reject, with who did it on record.

Partial receiving

Each delivery recorded against the lines it covers.

Straight into stock

Received goods go onto the receiving branch's shelf at cost.

Landed costs

Shipping and clearing spread across the goods.

Supplier payments

Transfer, cash, card, POS or cheque, against the order.

Reversals

A mistaken payment undone, with the reason kept.

Needs attention

Orders awaiting approval and deliveries running late.

A hand signing a supplier agreement at a desk
The idea behind it

Pay for what arrived, not for what was promised.

Most supplier disputes are about a delivery that did not match the order. Receiving against the order, line by line, settles them before they start.

Pricing

Purchase order pricing from the Starter plan

Keep suppliers on the free plan. Starter adds thirty purchase orders a month. Growth makes them unlimited and adds approvals, landed costs and stock that updates as goods arrive.

  • No setup fee
  • No charge per supplier from Starter
  • See plans on the pricing page
See pricing
Questions

Frequently asked questions

Which plan includes purchase orders?

Suppliers can be kept from the free plan. Purchase orders start on Starter with thirty a month. Growth makes them unlimited and adds approvals, landed costs and stock that updates as goods arrive.

Can I receive part of an order?

Yes. Each delivery is recorded against the lines it covers, and the order shows what has arrived and what is still to come. Only what arrived is added to stock and to what you owe.

Does receiving update my stock?

Yes, on plans with stock tracking. Received goods go onto the shelf of the branch that took them, at the cost on the order.

Can I pay a supplier from Niimbu?

Payments are recorded against the order they settle, by whatever method you used. You can send the transfer from your Niimbu business account, then record it against the order.

Can suppliers be outside Nigeria?

Yes. A supplier can carry Nigerian bank details or international ones, including IBAN, SWIFT, ACH, sort code and mobile money.

What happens if I record a payment by mistake?

You reverse it. The reversal is kept beside the original with the reason, so the supplier's balance is corrected and the history stays complete.

The simpler way to scale your business!

Start free and see it working today, or talk to us about pricing for teams and higher volumes.