Expense Tracking for Consulting: Purchase Orders That Work
In consulting, every dollar you spend should be traceable, from request to reconciliation. Think of a purchase order (PO) as a larger, pre-approved form of an expense: it sets intent, locks scope and price, and tells Finance what is coming before anyone uploads a receipt. When expense tracking and POs live in the same system, leaders get cleaner approvals, fewer surprises, and faster billing.
Purchase orders vs expenses: same job, different scale
- Expenses capture the after-the-fact details for items like travel, tools, and small services.
- Purchase orders are the before-you-spend commitment for bigger or repeat costs, often tied to a supplier, project, and delivery timeline.
Used together, they give you real expense management: POs create a committed view of spend, while expenses close the loop with actuals, receipts, and tax.
How Projectworks handles POs inside your expense tracking flow
Projectworks is a Project Intelligence Platform for consulting firms. Time, expenses, resourcing, and invoicing connect in one place so commercial decisions are based on the same truth. Here is how purchase orders work when you need to dispatch them to suppliers.
Email POs directly from the system
Just like invoices, you can email a Purchase Order PDF to a supplier from the Purchase Orders screen. Open the PO, use the three-dot menu on the PO line, and enter your recipients. Projectworks sends the document and records the action so your team knows when goods or services are expected.
Supplier email source
If you integrate with an accounting system like Xero or Quickbooks, Projectworks can use the supplier’s default email from that system. Tick Supplier contact inside the PO so the address is considered automatically.
Bulk dispatch in one go
Need to send several POs at once? Select them on the list view and choose the bulk Email action. If the option is missing, it usually means one or more selected POs do not have a supplier email available or Supplier contact is not ticked. Add the email or update the contact and the bulk action will enable.
Clear status for the team
Once the email is sent successfully, the PO gains an Emailed label in the list, so Delivery, Finance, and Project Managers share the same status without chasing Slack threads.
Why this matters for expense tracking
- Control before spend: POs set expectations on supplier, scope, price, currency, and tax so managers approve the commitment, not just the receipt.
- Cleaner reconciliation: When invoices arrive, they match to the PO. Your expense tracking stays accurate across billable and non-billable categories.
- Faster cash: Projectworks connects POs and expenses to projects, so costs flow to WIP and project invoicing cleanly. No rekeying.
- Portfolio visibility: Planned costs from POs and actuals from expenses give leaders a real-time view of burn and margin, not a month-end surprise.
A simple PO workflow in Projectworks
- Create PO on the project with supplier, amounts, and dates.
- Tick Supplier contact to pull the default email from your accounting system or enter addresses manually.
- Email the PO from the line menu. For many at once, use Bulk dispatch.
- Track status with the Emailed label and receive goods or services.
- Match actuals when supplier invoices arrive. Expenses and POs stay connected to the same project and budget.
Expense Tracking best practices for consulting firms
- Use purchase orders for larger or recurring services such as subcontractors, software, and travel blocks.
- Keep smaller items in normal expense tracking with receipt upload for easy audit.
- Classify items as billable or non-billable so client invoices and internal cost reports stay honest.
- If you operate globally, apply the correct multi-currency and tax settings at the project or entity level.
Expense and Purchase Order FAQs
How are purchase orders different from expenses in Projectworks?
POs represent pre-approved commitments tied to projects and suppliers. Expenses record the actual spend and receipts. Together they provide full expense management from commitment to actual.
Can we email multiple POs at once?
Yes. Use the list view and choose the bulk email action. If it is disabled, add or tick a supplier email on each PO.
Where does the supplier email come from?
From your accounting system’s supplier record when Supplier contact is ticked, or you can enter addresses manually.
How do POs help billing?
POs align supplier costs to projects early. When the supplier invoice arrives, matching is fast and downstream project invoicing is cleaner.
Ready to tie purchase orders and expenses into one clear flow? See how consulting firms use Projectworks to control spend and speed up billing. Book a demo when you're ready.
Related Articles
Time Tracking Software For Consulting: Make Timesheets Stick
When it comes to time tracking, no-one needs another “where to click” tutorial. The real challenge is creating a daily habit that gives you clean, connected data – so you staff smarter, bill faster, and catch risk early. Here’s a practical approach to consulting time tracking used by high-performing firms, with examples of how teams run it in Projectworks.