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purchase order provide vendor shipping instructions

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Posted on by dposey

Hello,

On the sales order you can put in Shipping Method - Shipping Agent, Service Type (Overnight, 2day, Ground, Etc).

How is this handled on Purchase Orders to let the vendor know how we would like our product shipped and it be present on the purchase order.

Thanks,

Dustin

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MahGah 15,529 on at

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This is the method that we use

In PO BC has Shipment Method. You can define a different code here and then enter the description for the code. The description shows up on top of the PO. Basically you can write a description like: ship 2nd day using UPS account XXXX.

I hope this help

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YUN ZHU 95,329 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

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Hi, Shipment Method Code also exists in the purchase order, but Agent and Agent Service do not. So you need to do a small customization if need.

Sales Order:

Purchase Order:

Hope this will help.

Thanks.

ZHU

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Johnathan 10 on at

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Hi Dustin,

Did you find a solution? I have a client running into a similar issue, and we are first suggesting the "Your Reference" field to be used as free text (e.g. UPS - GROUND). If consistency is required, I'm certain that a larger modification will be needed. Will need to add "Shipping Agent Service Code" to the Vendor Table and "Shipping Agent Code and Shipping Agent Service Code" to the Purchase Header and Purch. Inv. Header tables. Along with modifying the corresponding reports (Purchase Order, Purchase Receipt, and Purchase Invoice Reports).

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YUN ZHU 95,329 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

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I suggest you submit this idea to Microsoft.

Missing a feature? Post or vote for ideas on: aka.ms/BCIdeas

Thanks.

ZHU

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Mansi Soni 8,907 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

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Hello @dposey,

In Business Central, Purchase Orders do not have dedicated fields like Sales Orders for Shipping Agent or Service Type. However, you can communicate preferred shipping methods to vendors by using the Shipping Agent Code and Shipping Agent Service Code fields on the Purchasing FastTab of the Purchase Order but these are typically for internal logistics, not printed by default. To include this information on the printed purchase order, you can either customize the report layout to display these fields or add shipping instructions in the Vendor Shipment No. or Your Reference fields as a workaround or if you feel it as a standard functionality definitely you can submit this idea to Microsoft.

Hope this answer will help you as well!

Regards,
Mansi Soni

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Gerardo Rentería Ga... 25,157 Most Valuable Professional on at

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Hi

You might consider and analyze an extension that adds Shipping Agent and Agent Service fields to Purchase Orders, replicating the functionality of Sales Orders.

Best

Gr

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Jainam M. Kothari 15,631 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

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Hello,

Sales Orders allow specifying shipping methods and services, Purchase Orders also support this via the Shipping and Payment Fast Tab, where you can manually enter the Shipping Agent and Shipping Agent Service.

However, these fields may not appear on the printed PO by default, so you may need to Customize the report layout to include them.

Additionally, you can use the Vendor Shipment Method field or add specific shipping instructions in the comments section to clearly communicate preferences to vendors.

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Jeffrey Bulanadi 8,760 on at

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Hi Dustin,

Sales Orders offer more granular shipping controls (Shipping Agent, Service Type, etc.), while Purchase Orders in BC handle vendor shipping instructions a bit differently.

What’s Available Out of the Box

Shipment Method Code

This field exists on the Purchase Order Header and can be configured via the Shipment Methods page.

You can define codes like UPS2DAY, FOB, or SEA, and enter descriptive instructions (e.g., “Ship 2nd day using UPS account XXXX”).

The description appears on the printed PO and communicates your preferred shipping method to the vendor.

Vendor Card Defaults

You can assign a default Shipment Method Code on the Vendor Card, which auto-populates on new POs.

This helps standardize shipping expectations per vendor.

What’s Missing (Compared to Sales Orders)

Shipping Agent and Agent Service fields are not available on Purchase Orders by default.

These are typically used for outbound logistics and customer-facing delivery, not inbound vendor shipments.

Suggested Workarounds

Option 1: Customize the PO Page

Add fields for Shipping Agent and Service Type via a Page Extension.

These can be printed on the PO layout and used for internal tracking or vendor instructions.

Option 2: Use Extended Text or Comments

Add a Purchase Header Comment Line with specific shipping instructions.

This is a quick, no-code way to communicate preferences like “Use FedEx Overnight – Account 123456”.

Option 3: Use Transport Method Add-ons

Some ISV solutions (e.g., Purchase Order Management apps) allow you to define Transport Methods with lead times and handling logic.

These can be tied to vendors and locations for more advanced planning.

Helpful References
Set Up Shipment Methods – Microsoft Learn
Transport Method Setup – Usedynamics

If you find this helpful, feel free to mark this as the suggested or verified answer.

Cheers
Jeffrey

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