How do vendors approve a purchase order?
Last updated: November 3, 2026
Vendors approve or decline a purchase order through its web link. They don’t need to sign in to Cinderblock. If you require a signature, your vendor signs to approve.
Require a signature
By default, purchase orders don’t require a signature. Require signature is under Signature settings.
- For new purchase orders: Go to Company settings > Purchase Orders > General, turn on Require signature, and select Update.
- For an individual purchase order: Open the purchase order, select the settings icon (gear) on the right of the purchase order, turn on Require signature, and select Save changes.
How your vendor approves
- Your vendor opens the purchase order’s web link, from the purchase order email, a link you shared, or the purchase order PDF.
- They select Approve.
- They enter their Email. If the vendor has an email address on file, Email is filled in.
- If a signature is required, they also enter their Full name and select the checkbox to confirm they’re authorized to approve the purchase order and agree that their electronic signature is legally binding.
- They select Approve, or Sign & Approve if a signature is required, then Done.
The purchase order changes to Approved. If your vendor signed, the web link shows Signed & Approved, and the web link and PDF show the vendor’s signature, name, and the date and time they signed.
Open the web link from the PDF
If Display ‘view online’ banner is on, the purchase order PDF includes a button, the purchase order’s web link, and a QR code. The button is Approve PO on a Draft or Pending purchase order, and View PO otherwise. Each one opens the purchase order’s web link. Selecting Approve PO in the PDF doesn’t approve the purchase order by itself.
To turn the banner on or off, see Purchase Order settings.
How your vendor declines
Your vendor selects Decline on the web link, then Decline again to confirm. No signature, email, or reason is needed. The purchase order changes to Declined.
If your vendor changes their mind, you can change the purchase order’s status back to Pending. The Approve and Decline buttons reappear on the web link.
When your vendor can approve
Approve and Decline appear on a Draft or Pending purchase order.
- Approved: The web link shows Approved, or Signed & Approved if your vendor signed, with no buttons.
- Closed, Declined, or Canceled: The web link shows that status, with no buttons.
What you see when your vendor responds
- The purchase order’s status changes to Approved or Declined.
- A signed purchase order shows a Signed badge next to its status. Hover over it to see when the purchase order was signed and by whom.
- An approval without a signature shows only the Approved status.
- You can receive email, in-app, and push notifications when your vendor responds, depending on your notification preferences. Push notifications require in-app notifications to be on.
Mark a purchase order as approved yourself
If your vendor approves outside Cinderblock, select the status badge at the top right of Purchase Order details and choose Approved. This doesn’t add a vendor signature.
Edit an approved purchase order
Important: On a signed purchase order, saving changes to the Vendor, line items, Additional amount, Public note, Terms & Conditions, attachments, Purchase Order date, or Work date range removes the vendor’s signature and changes the status back to Pending. Your vendor must approve and sign the updated purchase order again.
Cinderblock doesn’t automatically notify your vendor. To let them know, send the purchase order again.
Changing the linked job doesn’t affect the signature or status. Editing an Approved purchase order that wasn’t signed doesn’t change its status.