blanket order

A blanket order, blanket purchase agreement or call-off order is a purchase order which a customer places with its supplier to allow multiple delivery dates over a period of time, often negotiated to take advantage of predetermined pricing. It is normally used when there is a recurring need for expendable goods. Blanket orders are often used when a customer buys large quantities and has obtained special discounts. Based on the blanket order, sales orders ('blanket releases' or 'release orders') and invoice items can be created as needed until the contract is fulfilled, the end of the order period is reached or a pre-determined maximum order value is reached. Benefits Issuing a blanket order allows a customer not to hold more stock than necessary at any time, and avoids the administrative expense of processing frequent purchase orders, while favoring discount pricing through volume commitments or price-breaks. On the supplier's side, a blanket order may provide the benefit of guaranteeing ongoing business and also help suppliers better predict future cash flows and orders. A blanket order is set at a fixed priced contract for a period of time. The buyer looks for the best pricing among competing supplier bids. After the best one is chosen, the prices of goods are fixed, and also quantities of each product are given to the supplier to prepare stock for on requested delivery. Forecasted quantity is provided by the buyer as full usage quantity recorded historically a few years or as needed for quantitative analysis. The supplier may give a condition of quantity to supply for this [contract]. For example, 80% of the forecast quantity must be bought at the end of the contract, which may be one or two years.