Why does Fishbowl say "Purchase order cannot be loaded. It need to be issued first."?

The PO is in draft or unissued status—Fishbowl blocks Receive until it's formally issued. Receiving requires a locked PO document to match inventory against, but unissued POs are still tentative commitments. Open the PO and click Issue to approve it, then Receive will work. If this PO shouldn't exist (it's a rejected quote or bid), delete it and create a new PO that you issue before receiving.

Fishbowl: 'Purchase order cannot be loaded' — Issue the PO first

What triggers it

You’re trying to click Receive on a purchase order that is still in draft or unissued status. The PO shows no Issued date in the header, and there’s no record yet that formally commits the purchase.

Why Fishbowl blocks it

Receiving creates an inventory receipt and matches it to a formal PO document. Fishbowl requires the PO to be officially issued first so there’s a locked, unchangeable document to receive against. Unissued POs are still drafts or estimates, not yet commitments, and Fishbowl will not allow you to receive inventory into stock against them.

What to do

Open the PO in edit mode.
Click Issue.
Confirm the issue. The status header will now show “Issued” and include a date.
Close and reopen the PO, or navigate back to the Receive screen. The Receive button will now be active and you can proceed.

If the PO was never meant to be issued—for example, a quote you discarded or a bid that didn’t go through—delete it and create a new PO, then issue it before receiving goods.