Purchase Order Example: Contractor Materials Order

About this example

This example is a purchase order from an electrical contractor to the distributor that supplies its materials. The contractor has won a job to retrofit a parking garage with LED lighting and six EV chargers, and orders everything the crew needs: fixtures, chargers, a load center, breakers, conduit, wire, boxes and strut, delivered to the job site in two drops timed to the work.

A purchase order protects the buyer when it is specific, so this one says exactly where and when to deliver, who signs for the goods, how the packing slips and invoices must quote the PO number, and what happens if a line is late, wrong or back ordered. The prices match the supplier's quote and carry no sales tax, because a Washington contractor buys these materials for resale. The terms of purchase rule out substitutions without approval and keep the risk with the supplier until the goods are unloaded. It is the purchase order behind our electrical contractor invoice example, which bills the same job to the customer.

Who it is for

Contractors and trade businesses who order materials from suppliers for a job they have won, and want deliveries, prices and paperwork to match the job.