EDI 855 Purchase Order Acknowledgment | Electronic Data Interchange

In Electronic Document Interchange (EDI), an EDI 855 Purchase Order Acknowledgment is essentially an electronic version of a phone call or fax that informs the submitter of a purchase order the supplier will be filling the order as requested.

The EDI 855 informs the buyer that you will be filling the order and shipping the goods as requested by the date requested. If this is not the case, and the order can not be fulfilled as requested, then the EDI 855 is used to communicate to the buyer that the supplier will be unable to complete the order as-is. the order can be outright rejected, or accepted with changes in this case. An order can be rejected for any reason in this case, such as insufficient stock for the items specified or a disagreement with the terms of the Purchase Order.

EDI 855 Format

ISA*01*0000000000*01*0000000000*ZZ*ABCDEFGHIJKLMNO*ZZ*123456789012345*101127*1719*U*00400*000003438*0*P*>
GS*PR*4405197800*999999999*20110527*1719*1421*X*004010VICS
ST*855*1001
BAK*00*AC*ABC123*20000430*****20000430
DTM*067*20000507
N1*ST**21*HO1000A00
PO1*1*10*CA*72.95*CT*UK*50387698433528
ACK*IA*10*CA*067*20000507**UK*50387698433528
PO1*2*25*BX*15.75*CT*UK*30387698775411
ACK*IA*25*BX*067*20000507**UK*30387698775411
CTT*2
SE*10*1001
GE*1*1421
IEA*1*000004438

EDI 855 Purchase Order Acknowledgment Key Data

When it comes to an EDI 855 Purchase Order Acknowledgement, depending on the agreement between trading partners, there is typically a set of standard data that is included, such as:

Purchase order number
Estimated shipping and delivery dates
Unique product and service identifiers such as UPC/EAN/GTIN, as well as their respective quantities
Item status, such as accepted, rejected, accepted with changes, or back ordered

An EDI 855 Purchase Order Acknowledgment accepted with changes will likely include one of the following amendments to the original Purchase Order:

Header level changes. This can include line items accepted, changes in freight, or amendments to cash terms
Changes or rejection of one or more line items, without header-level changes
Header-level changes may be included along with one or more line items changed or rejected

Additional data may be included or required according to trading partner specifications. These data can include:

Vendor number
Item price
Additional item identifiers such as Buyer Item Number or Vendor Part Number
Item description

EDI 855 Purchase Order Acknowledgment Benefits

EDI 855 offers plenty of benefits to both the purchaser and the supplier. When implementing the use of a Purchase Order Acknowledgement, benefits can include:

Visibility into a supplier’s commitment to fulfilling an order
Quicker routing of acknowledgments and changes with automation
Improved organization of order information between suppliers and partners
Reduction of issues post-invoicing
Easy confirmation of supplier-fulfilled orders direct to end consumers

For more information on Encompass Solutions’ EDI offerings, read more about our Rapid EDI Implementation.

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers and Distributors. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of Industry.