A non-PO invoice is an invoice submitted without a related purchase order. Some categories or obligations may legitimately follow an approved non-PO process, while others may signal that procurement controls were bypassed. Treatment should be defined by policy and can require coding, evidence, ownership, budget validation, approval, supplier verification, and exception reporting before payment readiness.
In plain English
It is an invoice that does not reference an approved purchase order.
Illustrative example
At Northstar Industrial Systems, a regulated utility invoice follows an approved non-PO path, while an unapproved consulting invoice routes as an exception for investigation.
- Related terms
- Purchase order; Invoice matching; Exception handling; Maverick spend
- Lifecycle stages
- Invoice; Approve; Reconcile
- Stakeholders
- Finance; Procurement; Approver; Supplier