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Review Pending POs / Subcontracts

Modified: 23 Sep 2026 Viewpoint Financial Controls Purchase Orders Subcontracts Help

After a user has submitted pending purchase orders (PO) or subcontracts (SL), users assigned in the Vista WF Workflow Process will be able to review and approve / reject these documents in the portal.

Reviewers must be assigned Pending PO/SL permissions in User Access order to access the Pending PO / SL Review page.

The Vista Web PO Pending / Subcontract Review strictly follows the purchase order / subcontract approval workflow as it is set up in Vista. Before you can begin using PO Pending in the portal, your System Admin must have fully configured all necessary Vista and Vista Web settings.

  1. Select Approval > Pending PO / SL Review.
    If you have items to review, you will see a badge with a number next to Approval in the portal navigation bar.
  2. For pending POs only: If you have permissions to view the full details or make edits, select the drop-down arrow on the far right and choose Edit / View Detail.
    Note: If you modify the pending PO, it will be removed from your approval grid and return to the submitter, who will have to re-submit it.

    You cannot edit subcontracts in the web portal. Make all modifications in Vista, then route the subcontract for approval via the portal.

  3. To add a comment to a pending PO / subcontract before approval or rejection, select the drop-down arrow on the far right and choose Add Comment.
  4. To view the next step in the process for pending PO / subcontract review, select the drop-down arrow on the far right and choose View Workflow.

    The Workflow popup provides information such as the name of the next approver in the review process.

  5. To download a PDF or DOC of a Pending PO, select the drop-down arrow to the far right and choose Print (PDF) or Print (DOC).
  6. Approve pending POs or subcontracts:
    1. To approve a singe pending PO item or subcontract, select the checkmark button on the far right. To approve multiple items at once, select the corresponding box on the left for each PO item or subcontract you want to include, and then select Approve.
      Optionally, enter notes before you confirm the approval.
    2. For pending POs only: If you have permissions to approve purchase orders at the header level, select the Approve by Header checkbox to show only the PO header information. Select the checkbox for each PO header you want to approve and select Approve.

      To view purchase order item details, select the dropdown arrow next to each PO number. You can still approve or reject line items as needed.

  7. Reject pending POs or subcontracts:
    1. To reject a single pending PO item or subcontract, select the x button on the far right. To reject multiple items at once, select the corresponding box on the left for each pending PO or subcontract you would like to include, and then select Reject.
    2. Enter notes, then confirm the rejection. Notes are required when rejecting a pending PO / SL.

      These notes are recorded in Vista PO Pending Purchase Order on the Notes tab.

    3. For pending POs only: If you have permissions to approve purchase orders at the header level, select the Approve by Header checkbox to show only the PO header information. Select the checkbox for each PO header you want to approve and select Reject. Enter notes and confirm the rejection.
  8. For pending POs only: After a pending PO has been approved (either by going through the full workflow or receiving approval from the highest level approver), users with access can see the purchase order by going to PO Dashboard > Pending Purchase Orders. Select the approved PO and select Process.

    You cannot view approved subcontracts in the web portal.

After you submit the pending PO or subcontract, a reviewer must approve it. When your PO or subcontract has been approved, it will either auto-process, or you can select Process to send it to a batch in Vista PM Interface. Once the batch is posted and processed in Vista, the system makes all necessary transaction updates to the relevant accounting modules:
  • For purchase orders: Transaction updates impact the Purchase Order, Accounts Payable, and Job Cost modules. Once an invoice is created in AP, purchase order information can be linked to the invoice for matching and payment.
  • For subcontracts: Transaction updates impact the Subcontract Ledger module, with financial processing in Accounts Payable and cost tracking in Job Costs. Once an invoice is created in AP, the invoice can be linked to the corresponding subcontract for payment tracking and managing retainage.
Note: If you do not want pending POs to be auto-processed, an admin must enable the portal setting Restrict Pending PO Processing to PO Admins to prevent auto-processing by non-admins.

Troubleshooting Tip:

If you are not seeing pending POs or subcontracts to approve in the portal, your profile may not be set up correctly. Contact your admin and have them verify that your Vista VA User Profile has your PR Company, Employee number, and email address entered.

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