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Administrator Guide
Last Updated: 2026-03-13
Create Change Orders

Create Change Orders

  • Define the
    Change Order
     business process and security policy.
  • If your organization uses supplier invoice match processing, include the
    Initiate Supplier Accounts Match Event for related Supplier Invoices
     service step. You can do this after the completion step in the
    Change Order
    business process.
  • If your organization prepays supplier invoices, configure the
    Prepaid Spend Amortization Event
     business process.
    • Define the
      Prepaid Spend Amortization Schedule Event
       business process for scheduled prepaid release types.
    • Configure the
      Receipt
       business process to include the
      Create Supplier Invoice from Receipt
       action step for receipt prepaid release types.
You can create change orders for purchase orders in
Issued
 status, except when:
  • The supplier doesn't accept change orders. You can control the ability of a supplier to accept change orders when creating a supplier. You can't create change orders for a supplier if you've selected the
    Disable Change Order
     option in the
    Procurement Options
     tab of the
    Create Supplier
     task.
  • You are mass closing procurement documents that include the purchase order or related requisition. The mass close event must be completed or canceled to create a change order.
  • A change order can also be generated automatically from a Purchase Order Acknowledgment (POA) with an approved item substitution. Workday prevents automatic change order for item substitution when downstream documents exist in non-cancelled/denied status.
You can substitute procurement items directly on existing change order lines.
  1. Access the
    Create Change Order
     task.
  2. Update these header sections as necessary:
    • Summary
    • Terms and Taxes
    • Contact Information
    Also in the header, select:
    • A supplier contract in the
      Supplier Contract
      field.
    • The
      Apply header changes to all lines on Save or Submit
       check box to apply header modifications to all the goods and service lines.
  3. Add a supplier contract.
    When you select the
    Enable Consolidation of Requisitions Across Supplier Contracts
     check box on the
    Edit Tenant Setup - Financials
     task, Workday restricts the
    Supplier Contract
     field on the purchase order line only when:
    • A catalog item exists and is enterable.
    • A contract exists and the item is not enterable due to:
      • Active downstream documents.
      • Originating documents with supplier contract or cart line allocations.
      • Consignment or bill-only purchase order types.
      • Line splits.
  4. Modify information in lines tabs:
    • Contingent Worker Lines
    • Goods Lines
    • Service Lines
  5. Access the
    Line Details
     tab to:
    • Search and select a different procurement item directly within an existing goods line. Use the substitutes for ordered item search folder to find valid replacements when the item substitutes table is configured.
    • Change information on existing lines such as amounts, prices, and the prepaid statuses. For ad hoc items, you can change the item description and spend category when no active supplier invoice exists against the line.
    • Cancel purchase order lines by selecting the
      Cancel PO Line
       check box.
    • Add new purchase order lines.
    When you enable multicompany for purchase orders, you can:
    • View
      Company
       on pre-existing lines.
    • Set a line company on new lines.
    • Pick any line company that has an intercompany relationship with the purchase order header company.
  6. Click
    Submit
    .
  • Workday processes the change order as you defined in the
    Change Order
     business process.
  • Workday appends a version number to the purchase order number so you and your supplier can track change orders separately from related purchase orders.
    Example: If your original purchase order number is
    PO-3005
    , the first change order number is
    3005-1
    .
  • If you canceled line items, they're crossed out and display with zero values for
    Quantity
     and
    Price
     in the
    Goods Line
     section.
  • Once the change order is approved, you can't edit the document. You can access the
    Create Change Order
     task to make a second edit.
  • Issue the change order. When a buyer creates a change order, the issue option for the change order is defaulted from the supplier record. If the supplier doesn't define any alternative issue option, the default issue option is set to the original purchase order issue option from the previous version.
  • Access the
    View Purchase Order
     task and select the
    Version History
     tab to see the original purchase order and the change order.
  • If matching change orders to supplier invoices, configure the
    Supplier Accounts Match Event
     business process.
  • To control the item substitution process, configure warnings and custom validations using these report fields:
    • Change Order Lines with Item Substitution
    • Change Order Line has Invalid Substitute Item
    • Change Order Line has Invalid Inventory Site for Substitute Item