Blanket Orders (BOs) allow buyers to purchase goods and services repeatedly from a single supplier. Without creating a new Purchase Order for each transaction. This is useful for pre-authorizing estimated amounts for ongoing needs or services where the final cost is unknown upfront (e.g., mechanical repairs).
To enable Blanket Orders, your community must contact a Unimarket Customer Success Manager.
Community Administrators can control which buyers are enabled to create BOs for specific suppliers by referring to the "Editing a Supplier" help article.
Initiation
Once the feature is enabled, users with the Create Blanket Order role can begin the process:
Navigation: Marketplace module > select dropdown in Create icon > click Blanket Order.
Create Blanket Order Screen Fields
The Create Blanket Order screen is divided into sections requiring specific details:
A. Order Details Section
This section defines the core parameters of the blanket commitment. Fields marked with a red asterisk are required.
| Field | Description | Key Details |
|---|---|---|
| Description | The name of the Blanket Order. | - |
| Details | Optional details about the products or services. | - |
| Supplier | The designated supplier for the BO. Only suppliers enabled by Community Administrators will appear. | - |
| Amount | The maximum monetary value approved for the goods or services. | This amount can be withheld from the supplier using a notification setting, where an Alert Amount can be set. |
| Valid From | The date the order becomes effective. | - |
| Valid To | The closing date of the Blanket Order, after which users cannot draw down funds. | An Alert Date can be set in the Notifications section. |
| Default Account Code | The default account code all Release Orders will use. | This can be split between multiple account codes if enabled for the community. |
| Allow Release Order Coding | Allows Release Orders to use different account codes than the default one. | This checkbox enables coding flexibility. |
| Bill To and Ship To Locations | Where the order is billed to and shipped to. | - |
| Available To | The users authorized to create Release Orders and approve invoices against the Blanket Order. |
Available To users can view the blanket/release orders on the Orders screen. Note: Users who are not listed as an Available To and share the same org unit assigned to the blanket order. Can view the blanket/release orders from the Orders screen. |
B. Notifications Section
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Send to Supplier | If checked, an email notification is sent to the supplier upon approval. If unchecked, only Available To users are emailed, but the supplier can still find the order via the Supplier Portal. |
| Hide Amount from Supplier | If checked, the supplier is unable to see the total BO amount and remaining funds. |
| Alert Amount | The buyer receives an email notification when the available funds drop below this specified amount. |
| Alert Date |
A notification is sent to the Buyer on this date to remind them of the Valid To (Expiry) Date. Leaving it blank disables the notification.
|
C. Justification Section
This section is required based on your community's configuration.
Justification field: Insert desired text.
Justification Type field: Select the applicable justification form.
Justification Attachments: Add supporting documents by selecting Browse.
Note: Justification notes and attachments do not go to the supplier and remain internal to the Blanket Order for the approval process.
D. Approvals Section
Organization Unit: The organizational unit the buyer is making the BO for, used to group transactions.
Approval Chain: The workflow used to route the Blanket Order for approval.
Submission and Completion
Click the Create icon at the bottom of the screen. The Blanket Requisition will enter the Pending state and be sent for approval using the standard community workflow.
Once approved, the Blanket Requisition becomes a Blanket Order and can be viewed on the View Orders screen by filtering for Order Type: Blanket.
Save Option
Due to the high amount of information required, you can Save your work during creation. Saved Blanket Orders can be completed later from the View Requisitions screen and will generate an Incomplete Requisition task.
Note on Supplier Notifications: The email notification for Blanket Orders is sent separately to the supplier due to the options available (like hiding the amount). Buyers always receive the full version, while the supplier only receives what the buyer configured them to see.
What's Next/Related
You can view the short video on how to create a blanket order: