5.1 Definition of expedition of orders
Expedition of orders, usually called expediting, is the follow-up a buyer carries out after an order has been placed to make sure the supplier delivers the right goods or services, in the right quantity and on time. It begins once the LPO or LSO has been accepted and continues until the order has been delivered in full, inspected and closed. Expediting is preventive as well as corrective: the buyer checks progress before the delivery date so that problems are found early, not only after a delivery is late. Example: a procurement officer in a furniture factory places an order for imported hinges with a six-week delivery period, and calls the supplier at the end of week two and week four to confirm that the goods have been shipped and are on schedule.
Meaning of key terms
- Expediting: the planned follow-up of open orders to secure delivery on the agreed date.
- Progress chasing: a term often used for the same activity, especially when the order is late or the supplier is being pressed to deliver.
- Open order: an order that has been issued but has not yet been fully delivered and closed.
- Due date: the date by which the supplier must deliver, taken from the order.
- Overdue order: an open order whose due date has passed without full delivery.
Levels of expediting
The effort put into expediting an order depends on how important it is and how likely it is to go wrong:
- Routine expediting: a reminder or confirmation request shortly before the due date, used for standard items from reliable suppliers.
- Close or intensive expediting: regular checks on progress through the order, used for critical, high-value or long lead time items, such as machine spare parts on which production depends.
- Emergency expediting: urgent action on an order that is already late or needed earlier than planned, which may include a site visit or escalation to senior management on both sides.
Who carries out expediting
In a small organisation the procurement officer who placed the order follows it up. Larger organisations may have an expediting officer or desk within the procurement function. The stores and the user department help by reporting what has or has not arrived, and the supplier is expected to report delays as soon as it knows of them.
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Create a free account 🔒5.2 Reasoning for expediting procurement orders
Placing an order does not guarantee delivery. Suppliers may run short of materials, give priority to other customers, face transport problems or simply forget. Expediting is done because late or wrong deliveries cost the buying organisation money and disrupt i…
🔒5.3 The steps in expediting orders
Expediting follows a planned cycle that starts when an order is dispatched and ends when it is closed. Working through the steps for every open order, rather than reacting only when a user complains, keeps deliveries under control and leaves a record of what w…
🔒5.4 Methods of expediting orders
Expediting methods are the ways a buyer contacts a supplier to check on an order and press for delivery. The curriculum names three: telephone calls, emails and site visits. The method is chosen according to how urgent and important the order is, how far away…
🔒5.5 Status report for pending orders is generated
A status report for pending orders is a list of all orders that have been issued but not yet fully delivered and closed, showing for each one where it stands and what is being done about it. It is generated regularly, for example weekly or monthly, from the pu…
