🔄 Duplicate Order Detection & Warning
Growing teams often face the challenge of unintentionally placing the same order multiple times. The Duplicate Order Detection feature helps reduce this by alerting users if the item they’re about to purchase was recently ordered.
✅ What the Feature Does
When a user requests catalog or punchout items, the system automatically checks recent purchase history.
If the same item (or a very similar one) was purchased within the last 7 days, the user will see a warning before submitting their order.
🔎 How It Works
Scope of Check
Applies to catalog and punchout items (where item ID or supplier part # is available).
Uses item ID for exact matches.
Uses fuzzy matching (>90% similarity) on item descriptions for near-duplicates.
Excludes blanket orders; applies only to standard orders.
Timeframe
Looks at purchases made in the last 7 days.
Warning Message
If a match is found, a modal appears with a prompt like:
“It seems like you purchased these items in the last 7 days. Please make sure this is not a duplicate order.”The modal includes details such as:
Item number
Date of purchase
Buyer’s name
User Action
The user can acknowledge the warning and continue if the purchase is intentional.
Normal approval workflows and budget validations still apply.
🔧 Advanced Options
User-Specific Duplicate Detection:
By default, duplicate detection considers all orders across the organization.
Admins can enable a user-specific setting so duplicates are only flagged if the same user ordered the item in the last 7 days.
This setting is disabled by default.
⚠️ What’s Not Included
Attachments, receipts, notes, or approval history are not part of the duplicate check.
Blanket orders are excluded.
Suppliers do not see the duplicate warning — it’s an internal safeguard only.
⚙️ Enabling Duplicate Order Detection
By default, it is turned off, so no duplicate checks are run unless an admin enables it.
Steps for Admins:
Switch to the Admin view
Log in and make sure you are on the Admin side of the application.Go to Company Settings
Navigate to:
General Settings → Configurations → Company Settings → Purchase Order tabTurn on the feature
Check the box for “Enable Duplicate Order Warning.”
Click Save.
(Optional) Enable user-specific detection
After saving, return to the same section.
Check the box for “Enable User Specific Duplicate Order Detection.”
Save again to apply the change.
🙋 Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How are blanket orders excluded?
Blanket orders are intentionally left out to avoid false positives, since they cover multiple future deliveries under a single order. Only standard orders trigger duplicate checks.
Q: What happens if the same item is ordered by different people?
By default, the system checks across all users.
Q: Can I still submit the order if it’s a true need?
Yes. The warning is informational. Users can acknowledge the alert and proceed.
Q: Does this block the order?
No. It only prompts for confirmation — you remain in control of the purchase decision.
Q: What happens if the same item is ordered by different people?
By default, the system checks across all users. If the user-specific setting is enabled, duplicates are flagged only against the requesting user’s history.