The ultimate playbook for vetting purchase order software

Key takeaways

• Purchase order software should help you gain visibility and control over spend, not add more complexity.

• The right tool will fix broken workflows, speed up approvals, and make committed spend easier to track.

• Airwallex Spend connects purchase orders, bills, payments, and reconciliation in one place so finance teams can move faster and close with confidence.

You’re deep in spreadsheets. Month-end is closing in. And you’ve just found another invoice with no purchase order (PO), no context, and no sign of who approved it. Finance is left chasing people for answers while reporting deadlines stack up. At a certain point, what used to work starts holding you back. Approvals get delayed. Spend goes untracked. The process becomes harder to enforce, and even harder to explain.

This is where the right software makes a difference. Not just by digitising purchase orders, but by building a system that gives finance teams the visibility and control to stay ahead of spend.

Why your PO software decision matters more than you think

The wrong purchase order tool can create more problems than it solves, especially if it sits outside your broader procurement software stack. Some systems digitise approvals but leave everything else disconnected. The result is a mess of manual tasks: chasing approvals, matching documents by hand, and digging through inboxes for information at month-end.

These breakdowns come at a cost. Budgets get blown and forecasts drift off course. Finance teams end up spending more time correcting issues than preventing them.

A disconnected purchase order system creates blind spots that impact forecasting, cash flow planning, and accounting reconciliation. With no clear view of what’s already been approved or billed, it becomes harder to manage cash flow or identify risks in real time. Teams try to patch the gaps with spreadsheets and workarounds, but these add friction, not control.

This is why the decision carries weight. The right software gives finance teams the tools to manage spend from the source. It makes committed costs visible, keeps approvals on track, and sets the foundation for accurate reporting.

Step 1: Get clear on your goals and pain points

Before you even look at features, start by writing down what’s actually broken. The invoice with no PO. The last-minute rush to confirm approvals. The Slack messages from team leads asking, “Can you just push this one through?”

These moments are not just noise. They point to deeper issues. Often, they reveal where your current process is too slow, too manual, or too disconnected. A strong PO tool should directly address those gaps and make your workflows simpler, not more complicated.

For most finance teams, mapping these friction points makes the goals easy to spot:

• Make it easier to request and approve spend

• Route approvals based on department, amount, or currency

• Track what’s been approved, billed, and paid in one place

• Reduce the time spent matching invoices at month-end

• Keep everything synced with your accounting platform

The outcome you’re aiming for is clarity. A process you can rely on, not one you’re constantly fixing.

Step 2: Map your current PO workflow

Start with a whiteboard or a notebook when you’re trying to make sense of it all. Sketch out what actually happens today from request to reconciliation.

Where does a purchase request begin? Maybe someone fills in a form. Maybe they tag you in a Slack thread. Maybe they just say it out loud during a Monday standup. Then what? Who needs to approve it? What tools are involved? And how many of those steps live outside your finance system?

Once a PO is created, where does it go, and how is the supplier looped in? And when the invoice comes in, does it automatically match to the PO, or is your team cross-checking documents by hand?

You’ll quickly see where your purchase order process breaks down, especially when steps fall outside your integrated spend management tools. These are the pressure points to keep in mind as you compare tools. 

Step 3: Prioritise features that actually fix your process

With your pain points mapped out, now comes the hard part of finding the solution. This is where a clear checklist can help.

Start with the non-negotiables. These are the features that directly address the problems you’re trying to solve. If requests are getting lost, you’ll need automatic PO creation from purchase requests. If approvals are dragging, look for flexible workflows that route based on team, budget, or region. If the real issue is visibility, ensure your team all have access to the same platform view.

Integration is another deal-breaker. If your accounting team is still rekeying data into NetSuite, something’s gone wrong. A good PO tool will sync cleanly with your ERP, keep a full audit trail, and give role-based access across the business.

Other features such as OCR and AI-powered invoice parsing can be useful, but only if they support your process. Get the fundamentals right first. Then build from there.

Step 4: Get internal buy-in early

No matter how strong the business case is, you’ll struggle to fix the PO process without support from the people using it day-to-day. That means looping in more than just finance. Frequent requesters want clarity. Approvers want speed. Procurement and IT may care about system compatibility, while department leads will ask about budgets and visibility. Each of them brings a different lens, and a different reason to get behind the change.

Start by showing where things are falling short today. Bring examples everyone remembers – the surprise invoice from last quarter, the two-week delay getting a laptop ordered, or the PO that went missing in someone’s inbox. These moments make the pain real and help everyone see what needs fixing.

Then show the future state. How will the new process help them move faster, reduce rework, or avoid unnecessary back and forth? What'll they see, and when? Who needs to do what?

You’ll get better results if people feel involved in the decision. Invite frequent requesters and approvers to join demo sessions. Ask them to test workflows and flag confusion. When teams see that the new tool fits their needs, they’re more likely to use it properly and consistently.

Step 5: Think beyond the PO tool

PO software can fix the front end of your process, but that’s only one part of the workflow. The real problems often show up later. A PO might be approved, but finance still needs to track what’s been billed, what’s been paid, and what’s missing. If those steps happen in different systems, things get messy fast.

This is where many tools fall short. You might get a clean PO trail, but invoices still arrive by email. Matching happens manually, and payments go through a separate bank platform. The result is a disjointed picture of company spend, scattered across inboxes, spreadsheets, and logins. It’s harder to track partial billings, harder to report on accruals, and harder to answer a seemingly simple question like “how much have we actually spent?”

A stronger approach is to connect your purchase orders to a procure-to-pay process that spans approvals, invoice matching, and payment. When purchase orders, invoices, approvals, and payments all live in the same platform, every step supports the next. You get clearer visibility into commitments, faster reconciliation, and more confident reporting.

For example, in Airwallex Spend, Purchase Orders feed directly into Bill Pay, with invoices matched automatically. Payments can be made within the same system, with no need to switch tools, and everything syncs with your accounting platform. The workflow becomes simpler, the data becomes cleaner, and your team spends less time stitching it all together.

Step 6: Build your shortlist and scorecard

By now, you’ve got a clear picture of what needs fixing, which features to look for, and which teams to involve. The next step is narrowing your options. A shortlist helps focus the conversation. A scorecard helps you compare like-for-like.

Start with a few core criteria. Look at how much of your current workflow the tool can automate. Does it reduce the need for manual follow-ups? Does it route approvals based on your org chart or budget thresholds? Can you build workflows that reflect how your business actually operates?

Ease of use matters just as much. If requesters and approvers can’t use it without training, they’ll find ways around it. A good tool should make it obvious what’s needed, who needs to act, and what comes next.

Then go deeper. Check that the platform integrates cleanly with your accounting system. Look for real-time reporting features that give finance a live view of committed spend. And if your business operates across multiple entities or currencies, test for that too.

Finally, involve the people who will use the tool. Invite requesters to demo sessions. Let department heads walk through approval flows. Their feedback will highlight gaps you might miss, and their input will make rollout smoother later on.

The goal here is simple: find a purchase order tool that fits your process now and can keep up as things grow.

Here’s an example of evaluation criteria you should look for in a provider.

• Automation: Can it automate PO creation, approval routing, and matching?

• Ease of use: Is it intuitive for requesters and approvers? Can they use it without training?

• Accounting integration: Does it sync with your ERP or accounting platform (e.g. NetSuite)?

• Committed spend visibility: Can you see committed spend before approvals are finalised?

• Audit and control: Is there a clear approval trail? Can you set role-based access controls?

• Scalability: Can it support multi-entity setups, currencies, and teams as you grow?

• Vendor management: Is there a simple process for managing supplier details?

• Support and onboarding: What’s the implementation timeline? Will you get help configuring workflows?

Step 7: Dig into total cost of ownership

Licence fees are only part of the picture. To understand the true cost of a PO tool, you need to factor in everything from onboarding time to internal admin effort. 

Start with setup. How long will it take to get your workflows live and your team using the tool properly? Some platforms need custom development or IT involvement. Others can be configured quickly by finance and operations teams. 

Look at ongoing maintenance too. If you’re using different systems for POs, invoice approvals, payments, and reconciliation, each one brings extra overhead. Context gets lost. Time gets spent switching tabs, chasing approvals, and checking data across systems.

Then consider the time-to-value. A faster rollout means faster results. If you can consolidate vendors and reduce complexity, you free up internal resources. You spend less time managing systems and more time focusing on spend accuracy, forecasting, and reporting.

Step 8: Validate the fit with a real-world test

A demo can tell you what a tool does. A pilot shows you what it actually changes. If the option’s available, run a short test with real approvals, real users, and real data.

Start with a small group. Choose a department that raises frequent requests and has a mix of spend types. Give them access to the tool, set up typical workflows, and track what happens.

You’ll learn quickly where things improve. Are approvers moving faster? Are fewer invoices going unmatched? Are department leads clearer on what’s already been approved? These are the signals that matter – they show whether the tool fits your business and reduces the noise.

Don’t forget the experience outside of finance. Ask requesters how easy it is to submit a PO. Ask approvers whether the process makes sense. If the tool supports clarity and speed for the whole team, it will improve data quality, speed up business expenses approval, and reduce end-of-month stress.

Final thoughts: choose a system that grows with you

This guide started with a missing PO and a messy spreadsheet. It ends with a bigger opportunity. The right purchase order software gives finance the visibility to lead, not just react. It creates order in the process and clarity in the numbers, and is especially essential as businesses scale.

But this only works when your PO tool connects to the rest of your spend infrastructure. Point solutions often patch one problem while creating new ones elsewhere. You end up with siloed data, extra admin, and a reconciliation backlog that never quite goes away.

A better approach is to bring every step together in one place. With Airwallex Spend's Purchase Orders, these feed directly into approvals, invoice matching, and payments. Everything syncs with your accounting tools. You can see what’s been committed, what’s been paid, and what’s left to action – all from a single platform.

If your goal is clarity and control from request to reconciliation, this is where to start.

FAQs

What is a purchase order tool and how does it help finance teams?

A purchase order tool lets you create, approve, and track purchase orders in one place. It helps finance teams manage committed spend, reduce manual approval steps, and maintain a clear audit trail for every purchase.

How is a purchase order system different from procurement software?

Procurement software typically covers the full sourcing process, from supplier selection to contract management. A purchase order system focuses on what happens after a request is made – approvals, budget checks, and tracking spend through to payment.

Why choose an integrated spend management platform over a standalone PO tool?

An integrated spend management platform connects your purchase order tool with invoice approvals, payments, and accounting. That means fewer systems to manage, better data visibility, and faster month-end close.

What features should I look for in modern purchase order software?

Look for automation, custom approval flows, and ERP integration. The best tools make it easy for non-finance users to submit requests and give finance real-time visibility into budgets and approvals.