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Administrator Guide
Last Updated: 2026-03-13
Concept: Supplier Backorders

Concept: Supplier Backorders

Supplier Backorders Work Area

Workday enables you to search for backordered PO lines in the
Supplier Backorders Work Area
 and view:
  • PO line item information, including:
    • Spend category.
    • Quantity.
    • UOM.
    • Due Date.
  • Purchase Order Acknowledgement (POA) line item information, including:
    • Acknowledgement status.
    • Backordered quantity.
    • Expected ship date,
    • Supplier memo.
You can then decide whether you need to take further action.
You don't need a POA to search for PO lines. POA information displays when a PO line is associated with a POA.

Manage Supplier Backorders

To act on selected backordered PO lines, click
Manage
 in the
Supplier Backorders Work Area
.
You can:
  • Update the item quantity.
  • Change the quantity.
  • Cancel the PO line, which automatically generates a change order.
If you decide not to amend or cancel a PO line, you can:
  • Add a follow-up note.
  • Add a follow-up date, which buyers can use as a search filter in the
    Supplier Backorders Work Area
    .
  • Source replacement items, for which Workday will automatically generate a new PO.
  • Report on and evaluate your suppliers performance.
If the backordered PO line was associated with a requisition line, then the replacement item on the new PO will link to the original requisition line.

Expected Ship Dates and EDI 855

You can update the expected ship date manually during the POA process or automatically through the EDI 855 integration. The integration populates the
Expected Ship Date
 field from the ACK05 segment for these line statuses:
  • Accepted
  • Accepted with Changes
  • Full Quantity Backordered
  • Partial Quantity Backordered
Workday displays the most recent expected ship date from the POA line on related purchase orders and change order lines.

Examples of Usage:

Scenario
Action
You receive a POA with a fully backordered line. You want to source a replacement for the items and inform other buyers to take action on the backordered line at a later date.
You select an alternate supplier who can provide the same item for the requested due date from the
Source Replacement
 grid. You set a follow-up date, and include a
Follow Up Note
 in the
Follow Up Information
 section. The follow-up note and date display in the
Supplier Backorders Work Area
.
You receive a POA with 1 fully backordered and 1 partially backordered line. You want to cancel the first line, update the second, and source replacements for both from the same supplier.
For the fully backordered line, you select
Cancel PO Line
 on the
Update Purchase Order Line
 grid. You select items from the same supplier using the
Supplier
 search prompt on the
Supplier
 tab of the
Source Replacement Item
 grid.
For the partially backordered line, you change the quantity in the
Update Purchase Order Line
 grid and source alternative items from the same supplier. Workday automatically generates a change order and a new POA with new items on the same PO.
You receive a list of backordered POs from your supplier and you want to update some lines and cancel others.
From the related actions menu of the PO, you select the
Manage Supplier Backorders
 task to make the changes and source replacement items, if needed.