Supplier chasing: expedite orders before they slip

Key takeaways

Expediting is the routine of confirming delivery dates with suppliers and chasing orders before they become late, not after. A simple schedule, confirm on order, check a week before, chase on the due date, catches most slips early enough to act. Logging each supplier's on-time rate gives you facts for the next negotiation.

• Confirm the date when the order is placed.
• Check again a few days before it is due.
• Warn sales or production the moment a date slips.
• Track each supplier's on-time rate monthly.

What is purchase order expediting?

Expediting means actively following up open purchase orders to secure the agreed delivery date, and acting early when it is at risk. It is different from chasing after a delivery is missed. The work is repetitive: the same check, the same message, the same log entry for every open order.

• How UK SMEs can use outsourcing to handle repetitive tasks
• Purchase order processing: raise, match and close POs

What does the routine look like?

Run a daily list of open POs by due date. Each order gets three touchpoints and a log entry. When a supplier gives a new date, the routine updates the PO and tells whoever depends on it.

• On order: confirm the date in writing.
• Before due: check progress and dispatch.
• On due date: chase if not received.
• New date: update the PO and warn dependants.
• Monthly: report on-time rate by supplier.

• Backorder management: keep customers informed, not chasing
• Delivery booking admin: slots, confirmations and changes

What does late stock cost?

In an illustrative example, a manufacturer has 120 open POs and 15% arrive late, with a third of those discovered only on the day. Each surprise costs rescheduled production or a missed customer date. Checking a week ahead turns most surprises into managed delays. These are example figures.

• Order to dispatch time: how fast should orders leave?
• Supplier statement reconciliation: catch missing invoices

When should chasing stay with buyers?

Keep it with buyers for strategic suppliers, critical shortages and any conversation about penalties or switching supplier. A support team handles the routine confirmations and chases, and escalates when a delay crosses an agreed threshold.

• Escalation paths for outsourced teams: fast, not chaotic

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see: the same two suppliers cause most late deliveries, but nobody has the data to raise it. A month of logging gives the buyer a clear on-time rate to discuss.

• See client work
• BPO Solutions for UK businesses

Expediting checklist

Run the routine with these points.

• Daily list of open POs by due date.
• Date confirmed in writing on order.
• Check before the due date.
• Dependants warned on any slip.
• Monthly on-time report by supplier.

• The weekly operations review that keeps a lean team on track

Next step

Send us how open orders are chased today. We will suggest a routine and say plainly what a team could take on.