What are the main procurement documents?

Purchase requisition (internal request), RFQ or RFP (requests to suppliers), quotation (the supplier's offer), purchase order (the binding commitment), delivery order and goods received note (delivery and receipt), supplier invoice (request for payment), and credit note (corrections).

What is the difference between a delivery order and a goods received note?

The delivery order is the supplier's document stating what they delivered; the goods received note is the buyer's confirmation of what actually arrived and in what condition. Discrepancies between the two drive returns, credit notes and invoice disputes.

Which procurement documents are legally binding?

The purchase order, once accepted by the supplier, is a binding contract. Requisitions are internal and not binding; quotations bind the supplier's price only for their validity period and only once accepted.

Procurement Documents 101: PR, PO, RFQ, GRN, Invoice and More

By Lapasar Mall Editorial Team · 16 July 2026

Every document in the purchasing paper trail explained — purchase requisition, RFQ/RFP, purchase order, delivery order, GRN, invoice — and how they connect.

Procurement Documents 101: PR, PO, RFQ, GRN, Invoice and More

Quick answer: The core procurement documents are: the purchase requisition (internal request to buy), RFQ/RFP (requests to suppliers for prices or proposals), the purchase order (the binding commitment to a supplier), the delivery order and goods received note (proof of delivery and receipt), and the supplier invoice (the request for payment) — matched against the PO and GRN before payment.

Procurement runs on documents. Each one exists to enforce a specific control, and problems almost always trace back to a missing or mismatched document. Here is the full trail, in the order it happens.

Purchase requisition (PR)

The internal request: what is needed, how much it costs, which budget it draws from, and why. Not binding on anyone — it is the company approving itself to spend. Full guide: purchase requisition.

RFQ and RFP

Requests sent to suppliers. An RFQ (request for quotation) asks for a price on a defined specification; an RFP (request for proposal) asks for a proposed solution to a problem. Use the RFQ when you know exactly what you want, the RFP when you want suppliers to propose how. Full comparison: RFQ vs RFP.

Quotation

The supplier's priced offer in response to your RFQ — prices, lead time, validity period, terms. Not binding until you accept it, usually by issuing a purchase order.

Purchase order (PO)

The binding commitment: line items, quantities, agreed prices, delivery date and terms. Once the supplier accepts, it is a contract. The PO number becomes the thread that ties the rest of the trail together. Full guide: purchase orders.

Delivery order (DO) and goods received note (GRN)

The delivery order travels with the goods — the supplier's statement of what was delivered. The GRN is your side's confirmation of what actually arrived, in what condition. The difference between the two is where disputes live.

Supplier invoice

The request for payment. Before it is paid, it should be matched against the PO (what was ordered, at what price) and the GRN (what was received) — the classic three-way match. An invoice that fails the match gets queried, not paid.

Credit note

The supplier's correction document — issued for returns, short deliveries or billing errors, reducing what you owe.

How the trail fits together

PR → (RFQ → quotation) → PO → DO/GRN → invoice → payment. Each arrow is a control point: budget checked at the PR, price competition at the RFQ, commitment control at the PO, receipt verification at the GRN, and payment control at the match. When these live in one system, the trail assembles itself; when they live in emails and folders, every audit becomes an archaeology project.

Related guides

Frequently asked questions

What are the main procurement documents?: Purchase requisition (internal request), RFQ or RFP (requests to suppliers), quotation (the supplier's offer), purchase order (the binding commitment), delivery order and goods received note (delivery and receipt), supplier invoice (request for payment), and credit note (corrections).
What is the difference between a delivery order and a goods received note?: The delivery order is the supplier's document stating what they delivered; the goods received note is the buyer's confirmation of what actually arrived and in what condition. Discrepancies between the two drive returns, credit notes and invoice disputes.
Which procurement documents are legally binding?: The purchase order, once accepted by the supplier, is a binding contract. Requisitions are internal and not binding; quotations bind the supplier's price only for their validity period and only once accepted.