Bill Control Policies in Odoo 18 (Enterprise)
Introduction
Efficient vendor billing is a critical component of any procurement process. In Odoo, the Bill Control Policy plays a vital role in determining how and when vendor bills are created based on either ordered or received quantities. Configuring the right policy ensures billing accuracy, aligns with your internal controls, and avoids payment discrepancies. This blog explores the functionality of Bill Control Policies in Odoo and provides a detailed walkthrough to help users implement it correctly.
Purpose
The primary purpose of the Bill Control Policy in Odoo is to define the trigger point for generating vendor bills. Organizations can choose between two policies:
Ordered Quantities – Bill can be created as soon as the purchase order is confirmed.Received Quantities – Bill can be created only after goods are received.
By applying the appropriate control policy, businesses can:
Avoid premature billingAlign accounting with inventory transactions
Maintain cleaner financial records
Streamline procurement workflows
Step 1: Configure the Default Bill Control Policy
Navigate to Purchase > Configuration > Settings.
Under the Invoicing section, choose the default Bill Control Policy (ordered quantities or received quantities).
Save the changes. This setting will be applied to all newly created products.
Step 2: Set Control Policy on Product
Go to Purchase > Products > Products.
Select or create a product.
Under the Purchase tab, choose either:
Save the product.
Control Policy: On Ordered Quantities
Control Policy: On Received Quantities
Scenario 1: Bill Based on Ordered Quantities
Go to Purchase > Requests for Quotation (RFQ) and create a new RFQ.
Add the product with “Ordered Quantities” as its control policy.
Confirm the RFQ to convert it into a Purchase Order (PO).
4. You can now immediately create a Vendor Bill without receiving the product.
5. The draft bill will reflect the ordered quantity from the PO.
Scenario 2: Bill Based on Received Quantities
6. Create a new RFQ with a product set to “Received Quantities” as its control policy.
7. Confirm the RFQ to convert it into a Purchase Order.
8. Attempting to create a bill before receiving the product will trigger a popup warning.
9. Click the Receipt button from the PO and validate the receipt of goods.
10. Once the product is received, return to the PO and create the Vendor Bill.
11. The bill will now be generated based on the received quantity.
Conclusion
Bill Control Policies in Odoo empower businesses with precise control over when vendor bills are generated. Whether billing upon order confirmation or after goods receipt, this functionality ensures that financial operations are tightly integrated with procurement and inventory processes. By selecting the appropriate control policy and following the correct workflow, companies can improve accuracy, compliance, and operational efficiency within their purchasing lifecycle.