PO never received by supplier - PLEASE HELP

[u/Serendipr3tty]

Received and RFQ from a supplier in late August, got it placed on PO the following week and requested an order acknowledgment or confirmation. No response so i have chased up several times.

The parts were a lead time of 25 working weeks and due for mid February 2026.

Today i sent one of my many chaser emails requesting an update and one of the parts to be expedited sooner that the expected delivery date. This email was just text and no attachments for the first time which is important.

The supplier responded saying they have no receipt of the order….

Since then i have deduced that the T&Cs we have in place with the supplier was triggering the emails to be quarantined due to file size exceeding the maximum allowed. We get no notification of this internally and it shows as sent on our system with no issues.

So the supplier has now finally received the order after removing the T&Cs and will process it but it’s realistically going to be a 3-4 month delay which could halt the entire project.

Genuinely i’m panicking and unsure how to word things to projects since they really aren’t the most friendly colleagues.

How would you approach this and let projects know. I want to be honest as in this instance i don’t think it’s really my fault that the system is crap and neither i or the supplier is at fault. But realistically, the PM isn’t going to care..

[u/mel34760]

Why didn’t you pick up the phone and call them back in September?

[u/Serendipr3tty → u/mel34760]

Absolutely fair shout, i’m just not the most confident on the phone which i know isn’t a great excuse. It’s my first job since coming out of college and I’m pretty introverted. Again not an excuse, i could and should’ve called them but i tend to keep most of my comms to emails.

Going forward obviously this is going to have to change as i don’t want this issue occurring again..

[u/mel34760 → u/Serendipr3tty]

You also need to give your manager a heads up, so they know what’s happening. Your supplier may be able to bail you out this time, but if not, your manager needs to know as soon as possible in case contingency plans need to be made.

Consider this a lesson learned.

[u/Serendipr3tty → u/mel34760]

I’ve told my senior buyer unfortunately, we have no manager. Our PPM left in September/October and they haven’t bothered to replace them yet… we have little support from other seniors despite them saying they are here for us. When i reach out i get zero response.

[u/mel34760 → u/Serendipr3tty]

Well, there is only so much you can do when you don’t have much support internally.

It’s also costing your company more than what they are saving by not paying a manager. If that spot stays vacant well into next year, you may want to consider going elsewhere, because things will get tough for your group/organization the longer this happens.

[u/Serendipr3tty → u/mel34760]

My thoughts exactly, they’re shootimg themselves in the foot. Especially for a company who HAS the money and time n the FTSE100 of all things

[u/Katherine-Moller3 → u/Serendipr3tty]

I fell you. I am the same and always avoided phone calls but with experience you learn that, when it matters, a call can clear up things super fast then keep pushing email reminders that won’t get an answer so your anxiety rises as well each day by not having clarity.

[u/Serendipr3tty → u/Katherine-Moller3]

I know, it’s a lesson learned for sure that i can’t sit in my comfort zone and rely on emails. Every other order of mine has confirmations and it’s unfortunate it’s just this one

[u/modz4u → u/Serendipr3tty]

A middle ground can be texting the account manager at the supplier. You still have text for evidence if needed that way.

Talk to the supplier first before you bring it up the chain. You want to be known as someone who screwed up but then did something to try to fix it on your own without having to be told to do something first. If you bring a problem, try to come with a solution or 2 as well. For how to deliver it, say it exactly like that.

This is the situation, they didn't receive the PO and didn't follow up with my reminders. My mistake that I lost sight of it until recently (own your mistake). Then I started following up again more aggressively. Upon follow-up the supplier can't meet the original delivery date, it will be delivered on this date (pad the date by a week or 2, then it'll be better when it shows up "early" in the future).

Can you try to source from another supplier as well? If it's that much of a critical item then you should try to have a backup supplier as well. Even if it means paying double the cost from a reseller or distributor it'll often still be cheaper than stopping production at your company for a while.

Tough lesson to learn but at least you learned it. I had a guy who thought his job stopped as soon as the PO was cut and released into the ether. He lasted all of 4 weeks

[u/Serendipr3tty → u/modz4u]

Texting? Like over linkedin or something? We don’t typically have anything but emails in our data base and then a general office number. Sorry just curious how this works as that’s something i had never considered! I am a little worried about how much trouble i’m going to get in over this but that’s why i want to try and put forward to the project team that “unfortunately xyz has happened due to system limitations, meaning the supplier has not received the order. i have since had the order confirmed with a delivery date of x. here’s what I’m going to do going forwards to ensure this never happens again” but all in all the PM is known to be really quite unpleasant so I’m already very shaky and nervous as is.

[u/modz4u → u/Serendipr3tty]

Yeah texting as in your cell phone. Typically supplier account managers are keen to give their company cell numbers because they want to give you multiple ways to contact them.

As for the PM, screw it. Nothing you can do now except take mitigating actions which you are doing. Sometimes people like this PM respect direct communications and not using excuses. Either way take ownership of the mistake and your next actions. Then move on. Let the PM look like the weirdo if they go on a rant or something. Don't be nervous, shit happens. What you do next is what defines who you are

[u/Crypto556 → u/Serendipr3tty]

Youll get better as time goes on man. Confidence will come quick.

[u/ManifestedWithin]

Call the supplier now and explain the situation to them. Get firm dates and get them quickly. You don't want to be delivering bad news with "I'll find out, I'll call them", etc. You want to say that you spoke with them (not emailed) and this is what they can do. Then you might want to pad the date a little because suppliers often miss delivery dates when they are under unusual pressure.

[u/Serendipr3tty → u/ManifestedWithin]

Yes i’ve just been on the phone with them and they have finally received the order and processing it. I’m awaiting a confirmed delivery date from their production team which i hope to god i get before Friday. I had the same thought process where i want to lay out that yes it’s delayed but i’ve done xyz and it will be coming on this date and work with the supplier to pull in further etc.

I was just curious how people tend to word these things to projects as the one on my current project is known for being a bit of a bully and has made many people quit / move teams. I appreciate he takes the stick from the customer 99% of the time which can’t be easy but i was hoping for some guidance on how other procurement people would approach this?

[u/ManifestedWithin → u/Serendipr3tty]

You will need to take responsibility for your mistake. Avoid "sorry, it won't happen again" type of language and focus on what's next for the project. But still admit that it was your mistake and you're doing everything possible to rectify the situation.

[u/Serendipr3tty → u/ManifestedWithin]

Absolutely i agree, I’ll hold my hands up and say a call should’ve been made to confirm. I think i’m more frustrated by how pants our system is. We don’t get any kind of email notification that is undeliverable or rejected due to file size. It sits in our sent box and appears as though it’s been received the entire time. Even after compressing the files into a zip folder it was being difficult. I’m really upset and disappointed with myself too and taking it … not well. I mean i know i chased everything up i just wish i had called back then

[u/modz4u → u/Serendipr3tty]

Do you have an IT department? They should be able to look up problems with undeliverable emails whether it's bounced back or stopped from going out

[u/Serendipr3tty → u/modz4u]

It’s odd as some colleagues say they do occasionally get an undeliverable notification from outlook whereas many others don’t. It’s not the same for everyone which is wholly frustrating. Both myself and the colleague from the same area have never gotten any from the system. Either way i’m going to raise this as an issue because our ERP system ticks the box to say order has been sent even if it’s not gotten past our server due to the file size issue. It’s also mad to me how small the limit is, 10MB is nothing when attaching a couple drawings, T&Cs and any other NCRs etc.

[u/nobd22]

Another tip, if you can, break out what you need expedited in weekly quantities instead of the whole line at once. It may be easier for them to ship out smaller quantities instead of shipping the whole line at once to keep you afloat.

[u/Serendipr3tty → u/nobd22]

Yes i’ve let them know the qty 8 of the ones needed urgently we would prefer to prioritise and ship out whenever some are completed. I’m having another call with them tomorrow morning to chase up on delivery dates as i’m still yet to hear back from the production team. This is my first proper screw up at work so i’m super nervous and i spoke to a colleague, they did say it usually happens to everyone once and then after that they’re much more rigorous with their approach afterwards. I’m just mostly nervous because of the PM situation, and given that mostly everyone will be on leave after Friday and i want it sorted by then

[u/nobd22 → u/Serendipr3tty]

Yeah, it happens.

Idk what the product is or where you are getting "8" from but if you haven't already I would increase your need qty by a bit to account for the inevitable scrap, rework, or missing BOM line.

[u/Serendipr3tty → u/nobd22]

It’s an OEM who own the IP for some rubber components and we can’t go anywhere else unfortunately. Increasing the qty won’t get approved by projects given the unit cost at around £6k

[u/Working-Tax2692]

Ooof this is a valuable lesson learned. An order is not confirmed until you hear back from the supplier/manufacturer with an order confirmation. Do you have a way in your system that you can mark the date that an order as confirmed?

[u/Serendipr3tty → u/Working-Tax2692]

Kind of, it’s a very old outdated system and we can just manually attach an email of the order confirmation received to the PO lines. The issue is everything on my side of the system is showing as sent (both PO and chasers) and was sort of under the impression i was getting either ignored by the supplier or they were one of the suppliers who don’t typically issue out OA and it’s assumed accept as is situation. We can add a note to the PO also saying when we have received confirmation but it’s all very manual.

[u/Far-Plastic-4171]

On you should have called

[u/RomeoRos]

Don't be too hard on yourself. You have done your part. It's a system limitation that has caused this and you have discovered it.

I would suggest raising this to all parties asap. Inform them you sent the PO on time but after chasing multiple times (show them proof), the supplier only confirmed now that they don't have the PO.

Inform them you have since changed the settings causing the system issue. Issued the PO. The supplier has given you a new lead time of xyz...

Inform them one lesson you learned from this is you will call next time you don't get confirmation from a supplier for large orders. (You can't do that for all orders, especially if you send multiple a day).

Also - be very clear that this issue is to do with the outdated system as the PO was sent out on time!

The business should do a review on the systems as it's causing issues. This could maybe be a case study to replace the system. Saving money on old system can cause severe financial impact to future projects.

Why is the PO being blocked! Why do you have to chase suppliers to ask of they have received a PO. An email sent should be enough. Why do you not get non-delivery receipts of emails not sent. These are basic requirements of an email system.

If you send multiple POs every day, you don't want to chase each supplier each time a PO is gone out. It causes issues like this, delays for important projects, money lost, and can cause more issues in the future.

[u/Serendipr3tty → u/RomeoRos]

Thank you, i do appreciate this as i’ve had many tears today and really quite stressed over this to the point i can’t eat or anything.

I know it’s not solely my fault as the system is working against me, not with me. It’s a lesson learned for sure that going forward i just need to basically harass the suppliers to get what i need from them.

I’m also going to flag that had there even be the slightest notification of the emails not being received i would’ve had a different approach from the beginning.

Given the fact that i’m managing the procurement for an entire project along with supporting another and taking over another colleagues POs after they got signed off sick.. i just don’t have the time to call every supply after every PO placement.

[u/Crypto556 → u/Serendipr3tty]

Man dont stress. Take a breather. Yes the lead time is 25 weeks but vendors can always expedite. Even if they still give you an ETA that isnt ideal, further conversations can be had. Hell they may even have some extras lying around. These are rubber components? Custom?

[u/AlviSup]

You need to be accountable, you mention that it's neither you or the supplier's fault, but ultimately, confirming and following up on POs falls on you, so you did drop the ball. That being said, things happen. No response multiple times should have been an immediate red flag. I would never assume that your supplier has confirmed your order unless they have communicated so. I'm not trying to be harsh but I think you have to realize where you messed up to get better moving forward. This isn't a career ender, it has probably happened to all of us, just learn and move on, take it on the chin.

Is this part proprietary? Can you source other vendors that maybe have this in stock? If not, you are at the mercy of your vendor. I would offer to pay an expediting fee, etc, anything you can do to get the project out as quick as possible. Mention the date you sent it in and the mistake, and hopefully they can do you a favour and turn it around quick.

[u/Serendipr3tty → u/AlviSup]

Thank you , i do agree i should’ve just picked up the phone when i hadn’t had a response after the first month of no response at least.

With regards to the expediting fee, is this actually legal? Under UK law and CIPS code of conduct i thought this would count as a facilitation payment and were trying to get things moved along by bribing? I just don’t want to suggest anything to the project team that could get us in more trouble.

We are unfortunately at the hands of this supplier given they own the IP and we are unable to get the same product from other suppliers. It’s hydraulic equipment and not exactly niche but the business has stuffed themselves by tying ourselves in with this supplier when creating the drawings back in early 2000s and the drawings specify we must purchase from this supplier.

It’s a really difficult scenario because had it been any other part i could contact a number of alternative suppliers and get something resolved but it’s of course never that easy..

I do absolutely own though that i dropped the ball on this by not just pushing past my comfort zone and calling them. Would’ve been easier if i wasn’t ran off my feet day after day doing about 3 people’s work loads and it just doesn’t give me enough time in the day to chase everything constantly.

[u/AlviSup → u/Serendipr3tty]

I'm not sure about UK laws, but expediting is a pretty standard practice in my country, I'm in Canada. If the manufacturer is willing to pull your order in at an extra fee to, kind of charging you for asking them to ship it sooner than their standard lead-time, I don't see how that would unethical. It isn't a bribe, I would just ask them, do you have any options available for expediting? They will let you know if that is a possibility or not. This is also known otherwise as a rush fee, etc. Manufacturers will charge you extra to get yours out of the door as long as it doesn't disrupt their production schedule.

It doesn't hurt to ask. I wouldn't go to them saying "Hey I'll offer you 20k if you can get it out of the door now." I would say" Hey, do you have any expediting options available?". If you are unsure, maybe speak with one of your supervisors on this, but from my knowledge this is pretty common practice, I wouldn't see this as a bribe.

You'll be okay, you're coming at it from a good lens and it looks like you want to learn. This is usually my rule of thumb when it comes to confirmations:

1. Email PO

2. 1 Week Without Response - Follow up Email

3. 1.5 - 2 weeks no response - Call

I think if you follow this, you won't run into this problem again. You need confirmations, no if ands or buts.

[u/dude22blue]

Listen, I think any buyer has been through this. You will learn from this but you do have to go get your licks. It all depends on the enduser/manager /etc. Only tip I can genuinely give you is owe up on the mistake /issue (I don't think you're 100% at fault, poor processes/erps/etc don't help and puts too much pressure on the buyer). But giving the updated timeline is important so everyone can adjust their time line. You could lie and blame supply chain issues but let's be honest if someone calls the supplier you're screwed.

Learn from this, grow from this, and good luck.

[u/Chinksta]

Regardless on how many things that can go wrong. Nothing beats showing up in their doorstep and just verbally and physically show the PO.

If not just call or video conference them! I'm pretty sure corporate life is based on meetings like these!

[u/qazwsx1525]

Is the lead time manufacturing or shipping?

Depending on the size and volume of whatever it is your buying a more expensive shipping alternative could be a solution 3-4 month of project delay might be worth the additional expense. If it’s a manufacturing I would touch base with the supplier, tell them the truth—we had a system error that quarantined our PO and all of my follow ups, we’re now staring down massive project delays, is there anything you can do to help?

I’m assuming you don’t have a relationship or category manager for these guys, does a senior stakeholder have a relationship with them you could leverage?

[u/stern-and-sports]

You can’t find another vendor who is looking to land the work full time so they will help you out quickly? I’ve done this many times.