---
title: "Local purchase order"
description: "What is a local purchase order (LPO)? The Gulf name for a purchase order sent to a supplier. See what it shows and how it differs from a local purchase request."
url: https://1flux.ai/glossary/local-purchase-order
last_updated: 2026-10-10
---

[Procurement and inventory](https://1flux.ai/glossary#procurement-and-inventory)

# Local purchase order

What is a local purchase order, and is an LPO any different from a PO?

Glossary Updated 10 October 2026

Definition

A local purchase order (LPO) is the name commonly used in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the wider Gulf for a purchase order issued to a supplier.

## What is a local purchase order used for?

LPO is a regional term. In practice an LPO and a [purchase order](https://1flux.ai/glossary/purchase-order) are the same document. Some companies keep “LPO” for orders to suppliers in the same country and “PO” for imports; many simply call every purchase order an LPO, and many government and project buyers use the term on all orders. Suppliers often won’t deliver, or won’t be paid, without a valid LPO number.

Example: a fit-out contractor in Dubai issues LPO 0931 for AED 18,900 of gypsum board; the supplier quotes that number on its delivery note and [tax invoice](https://1flux.ai/glossary/tax-invoice).

Don’t confuse an LPO with an LPR, a [local purchase request](https://1flux.ai/glossary/local-purchase-request), which is a request to buy rather than an order. Read more in [LPO, PO or LPR?](https://1flux.ai/blog/lpo-vs-purchase-order-vs-lpr)

In 1flux

A priced purchase order prints as a “Local purchase order” with your entity’s letterhead and tax registrations and the supplier’s tax number. [See purchase orders](https://1flux.ai/products/purchasing/purchase-orders)

Related

## Keep exploring

### [Purchase order](https://1flux.ai/glossary/purchase-order)

A buyer's formal, numbered order to a supplier.

### [Local purchase request](https://1flux.ai/glossary/local-purchase-request)

A quick request to buy locally that converts straight to an order.

### [Customer purchase order](https://1flux.ai/glossary/customer-purchase-order)

The buyer's formal order to you, usually after your quotation.

### [Purchase orders (LPO)](https://1flux.ai/products/purchasing/purchase-orders)

Priced or unpriced orders, VAT per line, revisions with reasons and a report of what's due.

Last updated 10 October 2026