An AI missing PO resolution agent searches PO records, contracts, past invoices and approvals for an order or requester that fits the invoice, using vendor, amount, description and dates.
Finds an invoice with no usable PO.
Looks for open orders by vendor, amount and items.
Sends a short question with the invoice details.
Names the order, or says none exists.
Links the PO or sends the case to PO creation.
It presents likely matches or likely owners with its reasoning, and asks the owner to confirm what was bought and whether it was approved.
It prepares the chosen route, such as a retroactive PO request or a return note to the supplier, for a person to approve and send.
Once an invoice arrives without a PO, someone has to work out what was bought and by whom, and the answer usually lives in somebody's inbox.
The invoice shows only a company name.
It could be closed, mistyped or under another vendor record.
The supplier expects payment for something delivered.
Enforcing no-PO, no-pay clashes with paying for genuine work.
They fix the paperwork but not the cause.
Looks for open, closed or similar POs and contracts by vendor, amount, dates and description.
Uses past approvals, cost centres and email contacts to suggest who requested the spend.
Prepares a short request to the likely owner asking what was ordered and whether it was approved.
Sets out retroactive PO, exception approval or return to supplier, with policy notes.
Drafts the chosen request or supplier note and records the outcome.
Bring a small sample and watch Flo work through it.
| Aspect | By hand | With the agent |
|---|---|---|
| Searching | AP browses open orders by hand. | Candidate orders are shortlisted with reasons. |
| Asking | Emails to requesters go unanswered. | A short question carries invoice and candidate details. |
| Follow-up | Chasing depends on memory. | Unanswered questions are re-sent and aged. |
| Regularising | Retrospective POs are raised inconsistently. | A routed request follows the same path each time. |
| Insight | No one knows why POs are missing. | Reasons are recorded and counted. |
| If | Then | Who decides |
|---|---|---|
| A single open order fits the invoice | Suggests it and asks the requester to confirm | Requester |
| Several open orders fit | Lists them with the differences | Requester |
| No order fits | Asks if one was ever raised | Requester |
| Requester confirms no PO exists | Sends a retrospective PO request | Budget owner and buyer |
| Requester does not respond | Sends a reminder and ages the case | AP specialist |
| Spend is outside policy | Notifies procurement | Procurement lead |
The agent searches by vendor, cost centre and contact. The AP specialist picks the person if the search is uncertain.
The agent flags the gap on matching. The buyer amends or the owner approves the difference.
The agent proposes the framework reference or call-off. The buyer decides how to link it.
The agent notes the timing and routes for retrospective approval. The budget owner decides.
Talk it through with the team. We will map it to your steps and show where a person stays in control.
Start with one frequent no-PO vendor.
Let the agent propose candidates and draft questions.
Route confirmed no-PO cases to PO creation.
Review reasons and fix the top ones with requesters.
Long times often mean the owner is hard to find. Review how many are resolved by retroactive PO and how many are returned.
Quick answers to what people ask most about missing PO resolution.
Book a demoIt is the process of handling invoices that have no valid purchase order: finding the requester, deciding whether the spend was approved and choosing between a retroactive PO, an exception or a return.
It is a PO raised after the goods or services were ordered or delivered. Many policies allow it only with approval and a recorded reason.
It can prepare the request. A person with authority approves and the PO is raised through your normal process.
Detection finds and classifies invoices without POs. Resolution is the follow-on work of finding the cause and reaching a decision.
What is invoice exception routing?
→What is invoice dispute management?
→What is invoice exception handling?
→What is supplier query response?
→Bring a small sample of real items. We will show what Flo handles on its own and where it hands over to your team.
