Order guide

How to check a purchase order against your quotation before you accept it

For sales, contracts and project managers at engineered-equipment suppliers: what to compare, where the differences hide, and how to raise them before order acknowledgement.

By Ademola Afolabi, Founder, New Odyssey Ltd · Last reviewed: 2026-10-24

The short answer

To check a purchase order against your quotation, compare every PO clause and attachment with the quote, the agreed clarifications and the deviation list. Look for obligations the PO adds, deviations it silently rejects, and changes to scope, delivery, documents and payment. Raise each difference before you acknowledge the order.

Key Takeaways

The PO usually wins over your quote unless your acknowledgement says otherwise, so differences you miss become your obligations.
Read the attachments, not just the PO face: revised specs, datasheets and terms are where new requirements hide.
Check every deviation from your offer was accepted in writing, or is listed in the PO.
Put every difference in one list and agree it before you sign the acknowledgement.

Why the check matters

A purchase order is the buyer's offer to buy. When you acknowledge it, or start work, you usually accept its terms. If the PO references a newer specification than the one you quoted, drops a deviation you declared, or adds documents and tests, you can end up bound to them at your quoted price. That is why this check belongs before the acknowledgement, not after.

What to put side by side

The two sides of the check
Your side (what you sold)	Their side (what they ordered)
Quotation and price schedule	PO face: items, quantities, prices, delivery, Incoterms
Technical offer and datasheets	Attached specifications and datasheets, with revisions
Technical deviation list and clarifications	Statements about accepted or rejected deviations; the order of precedence clause
Answers to technical queries	Minutes of clarification meetings referenced in the PO
Your terms and validity	The buyer's general and special terms
Your document list	The vendor data requirements list (VDRL)

Step by step

List every document the PO names, with its revision. Check each one is the revision you quoted against.
Compare each PO line with your quote: item, tag, size, rating, material, quantity, unit price and delivery.
Read the order of precedence clause. Check whether your offer and deviation list are part of the order, and where they rank.
Check each deviation and clarification from your offer. Mark it accepted in writing, listed in the PO, rejected, or silent.
Read the attached specifications and terms for new obligations: extra tests, certificates, inspection, documents, spares, packing or warranty.
Check commercial terms: price, payment milestones, retention, liquidated damages, Incoterms, warranty and validity.
Write one list of every difference, with the PO clause and your quote reference, and agree it with the buyer.
Acknowledge the order only with the differences settled, or with an acknowledgement that lists them.

Where the differences hide

A specification attached at a later revision than the one you quoted.
A general statement such as "vendor shall comply with all attached specifications" that cancels your deviations unless they are listed.
Certificates upgraded, for example from EN 10204 3.1 to 3.2. See EN 10204 3.1 vs 3.2.
Witness tests or third-party inspection you did not price.
More documents on the VDRL, or earlier due dates.
Delivery counted from PO date when you quoted from drawing approval.
Payment tied to the final data book, or a retention you did not expect.

Silently rejected deviations

The hardest difference to see is the one that is not written down. If your offer declared a deviation, for example a cast body instead of forged, and the PO simply attaches the specification without listing the deviation, many buyers will treat the specification as governing. Ask for every agreed deviation to be listed in the PO or in a signed minute. Keep them in your deviation register (beta) through to the order. See also deviations and clarifications.

Handling scope change between quote and PO

If the PO asks for more than you quoted, you have three options: accept it at no cost, price it as a change, or ask the buyer to remove it. Do it in writing before acknowledgement, with the clause and your price or schedule impact. After acknowledgement, the same change usually needs a formal change order, which is slower and harder to win.

Doing it with OdysseyGPT

The Quotation-to-PO Review (beta) reads your quotation, clarifications and deviation register alongside the PO and its attachments. It reports obligations the PO added, deviations it rejected, and scope or commercial changes, each with a quote from both sides. Your sales, contracts or project team decides what to raise. It does not send anything to the buyer. After acceptance, the work moves into order engineering.

These tools are in beta

The Quotation-to-PO Review and the Deviation Register are in beta. You can request access, and we onboard each team ourselves. Every finding cites the page, sheet or cell it came from, and your engineers decide what to do with it.

Buyer questions

6 questions bid engineers, proposal engineers and buyers ask. Last reviewed: 2026-10-24

How do I check a purchase order against our quotation?

List every document the PO names, with revisions, and check each against what you quoted. Compare each PO line with your quote, then read the attachments for new obligations. Check each deviation from your offer was accepted or listed. Write every difference in one list, with the PO clause and your quote reference, and settle it before acknowledgement.

What should I look for when reviewing a purchase order?

Look for four kinds of difference: new obligations, such as extra tests, certificates or documents; deviations from your offer that the PO rejects or ignores; scope changes, such as different items, quantities or spares; and commercial changes, such as delivery basis, payment milestones, retention, liquidated damages and warranty. Each one changes cost, schedule or risk.

What if the PO does not mention a deviation we declared?

Treat it as a risk, not as acceptance. If the PO attaches the specification and says you must comply with it, the buyer may hold you to the original requirement. Ask for the agreed deviation to be listed in the PO or a signed minute before you acknowledge. Keep the written acceptance with the order file.

How do I handle scope change between the quote and the PO?

Write it down before you acknowledge the order. For each change, give the PO clause, what you quoted, and your price and schedule impact. Then accept it, price it, or ask the buyer to remove it. After acknowledgement, the same change usually needs a formal change order, which takes longer and is harder to agree.

Who should review a purchase order at an equipment supplier?

Usually the sales or contracts lead checks the commercial terms, and the proposal or project engineer checks the technical attachments. At smaller makers the project manager often does both. The person who wrote the technical offer should take part, because they know which deviations and clarifications were agreed and why.

Is there software to compare a PO with the quote and flag rejected deviations?

Yes. OdysseyGPT's Quotation-to-PO Review (beta) reads your quotation, clarifications and deviation register with the PO and its attachments. It reports new obligations, rejected deviations, and scope and commercial changes, each quoted from both sides. Accounts payable tools that match POs to invoices solve a different problem for the buyer.

Frequently asked questions

Does the PO override my quotation?

Often, yes. Once you acknowledge the PO or start work, its terms usually govern unless your acknowledgement lists exceptions or the PO makes your offer part of the contract. Take legal advice on your own terms; this guide covers the engineering check.

Is this the same as three-way matching in accounts payable?

No. Three-way matching compares a PO, a goods receipt and an invoice so the buyer pays the right amount. This check is the supplier comparing the PO with its own offer before it accepts the order.

References

Quotation-to-PO Review

OdysseyGPT

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