Planner · WTR 1998
Staff holiday planner
A leave record per person with entitlement, carry-over and every request approved, a team planner a quarter per page, and the 2026 and 2027 bank holidays by nation. As a PDF, Word and an Excel workbook.
Free download · Editable PDF
Free purchase order template
A purchase order puts a named approval between deciding to spend and committing the money, and gives the invoice something to be matched against. This one is built for a trade or construction firm, with the job reference and cost code on it, as an editable PDF and a Word document, free to use and reuse.
- Format
- Editable PDF
- Pages
- 2
- Built on
- HMRC VAT Notice 700/21
- Cost
- Free, always
What is in the purchase order template
2 pagesThe order
The order number, supplier and account number, where to deliver and who to ring on site, the job or project reference, the cost code, the date raised and the date the delivery is needed by.
The items
One line per item with the quantity, the unit, the description including the supplier’s own code, the unit price and the total, then the subtotal, the VAT treatment and the total.
The approval
Who raised the order and who approved it, with a signature and date. Nobody orders on the firm’s account without a named approver.
The guidance page
The three-way match of order, goods received note and invoice, what a VAT invoice must show before it is paid, when the reverse charge applies, and how long the records are kept.
What HMRC says about invoices and records
Checked against the sourceA valid VAT invoice
A VAT invoice must show a unique number, the date, the supplier’s name, address and VAT number, your name and address, a description of the goods or services, the quantity, the unit price and amount without VAT for each line, the VAT rate, any discount, and the totals.
HMRC VAT Notice 700/21The reverse charge
For most construction services between VAT-registered businesses within the Construction Industry Scheme, the customer accounts for the VAT. The supplier’s invoice must state that the reverse charge applies and must not charge the VAT.
HMRC VAT Notice 735Keeping the records
VAT records, which include orders, delivery notes and invoices, are kept for six years.
GOV.UK, VAT record keepingHow to use it
Raise it before the money is committed
An order raised after the goods arrived is a receipt, not a control. Raise it when the decision is made, against the job it belongs to, and have it approved before it goes to the supplier.
Quote the number everywhere
Tell the supplier the order number must appear on the delivery note and the invoice. An invoice with no order number cannot be matched and goes back.
Match before you pay
The order says what was authorised, the goods received note says what arrived, and the invoice says what is claimed. In Unibuild the three are matched on the purchase orders record, and committed cost lands on the job the moment the order is approved.
Asked most often
Questions about
Questions about
this template.
Is this purchase order template free?
Yes. It is free to download, use and reuse, including on paid work and for clients, with no sign-up and no email address. Download the editable PDF or the Word version with your own letterhead.
What should a purchase order include?
A unique order number, the supplier, where and when to deliver, the job it is for, each item with its quantity and price, the VAT treatment, and who approved it. The job reference and cost code are what make it useful to a trade firm: without them the invoice is coded to whichever job seems likely.
Is a purchase order legally binding?
It can be. An order accepted by the supplier, by confirming it or by delivering against it, forms a contract on the terms the order and the supplier’s acceptance set out. That is why the order should carry the price, the delivery date and the terms you are relying on, and why it is approved before it is sent.
What is the three-way match?
The invoice is paid only when it matches the order and the goods received note: the right items, the right quantities, the right prices. A difference is a query to the supplier, not a rounding to let through. It is the simplest control there is on what a firm pays for.
Does the reverse charge apply to a purchase order?
Only where the order is for construction services between VAT-registered businesses within the Construction Industry Scheme, and you are not an end user or intermediary supplier. Materials supplied on their own are outside it. Tell the supplier your VAT and CIS status before they invoice, and check the invoice says the reverse charge applies where it should.
How long should purchase orders be kept?
Six years. Orders, delivery notes and invoices are VAT records, and GOV.UK requires VAT records to be kept for six years.
Can I use this for subcontract orders?
For materials and plant, yes. A subcontract order for labour carries payment terms the Construction Act governs, and a specific subcontract order with the due date, the final date for payment and the notice periods is the better document. The subcontractor portal issues those.
How does Unibuild handle purchase orders?
Orders are raised against the job on the phone or in the office, approved by value band by a named person, sent to the supplier, booked in with a goods received note on delivery and matched to the supplier invoice. Committed cost lands on the job the moment an order is approved. The purchase orders page shows it.
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Next step
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The same records,
without the paper.
On the platform these stop being sheets. The check, the person, the date, the signature and the action that followed are recorded as the work runs and retrieved by site.