Configure Oracle Order Management to fulfill a purchase request via a drop supplier by linking sales orders to procurement offerings.

Outline (brief)

• Core idea: For a purchase request fulfilled by a drop supplier, the single must-have setup is selecting “customer Sales order fulfillment” in Procurement offerings.

• Why this matters: It creates the direct link between a customer demand and the procurement flow, enabling true drop-shipping.

• How the flow looks: Customer order triggers a sales order; OM signals procurement to create a PO to the supplier; supplier ships to customer.

• Why the other options don’t establish the essential link.

• A practical how-to: where to find the setting and what to verify.

• Pitfalls and quick fixes, plus a relatable analogy.

• Takeaway: This setting is the linchpin for smooth drop-ship fulfillment.

Let’s decode the key setup for drop-ship success

Here’s the thing about drop shipping in Oracle Order Management (OM): you don’t stock the item yourself. Instead, the supplier ships directly to the customer. That flow sounds simple, but it hinges on one critical configuration in Procurement Offerings. If you want a purchase request that’s fulfilled by a drop supplier, you must select “customer Sales order fulfillment” in Procurement offerings. This choice is the glue that ties customer demand to the procurement action.

What does that setup actually do?

Think of a sales order as the customer’s request. When you enable customer sales order fulfillment, OM is signaling, in no uncertain terms, that the purchase requests generated to satisfy that order should come from the procurement side, and should be aimed at suppliers who can drop-ship. In practical terms, this means:

• A direct linkage: The sales order line is the trigger. The procurement engine interprets it as a customer-demand-driven PO to a supplier who can ship straight to the customer.

• Streamlined PO flow: Instead of creating stock POs for a warehouse pick, the system creates POs aligned with the drop-ship model. The supplier is the ship-to party, and the goods go directly to the end customer.

• Alignment of data: Customer details, order quantities, promised dates, and invoice routes all align between the sales side and the supplier side. This minimizes back-and-forth and reduces the risk of mis-shipments.

• Reduced handling: Since the vendor doesn’t stock the item in your warehouse, you avoid extra touches, extra costs, and extra risk of delayed shipments.

So, why is this the setup that matters most? Because it operationalizes the core idea of drop shipping: the customer’s demand drives not only a purchase, but the exact supply path. It’s the missing link between “someone bought it” and “the supplier ships it.” Without this linkage, you’re left juggling orders and POs in a way that can create delays, miscommunications, and fragmented data.

Why the other options don’t seal the deal

• A. Select “Use customer sales order” in blanket purchase agreement

This is a different lane. Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs) are useful for recurring purchases and for establishing terms with suppliers, but they don’t by themselves establish the direct sales-to-procurement linkage that drop shipments require. They’re important in many contexts, yet not the mandatory setup for drop-ship fulfillment tied to a customer sales order.

• B. Specify preparer name in OM parameters

That’s more about who is responsible for the record, not about the flow of demand into procurement or the drop-ship path. It’s administratively useful, but it doesn’t configure the essential linkage between a customer order and supplier fulfillment.

• D. Define a sourcing rule with a supplier

Sourcing rules are critical for selecting suppliers and managing how POs are created, but they don’t inherently establish the customer-to-purchase flow for drop shipping. They’re part of the procurement optimization picture, not the one-step link that triggers drop-ship behavior from a customer sales order.

So, the one setting that truly makes the drop-ship path explicit is option C: select customer Sales order fulfillment in Procurement offerings. It’s the knob you turn to ensure the order management world and the procurement world are singing from the same hymn sheet.

A practical view of the flow in action

Let’s walk through a typical scenario, just to anchor this in reality.

• A customer places an order for a product. The sales order is created in OM.

• Because customer Sales order fulfillment is enabled in Procurement offerings, OM recognizes this is a customer-demand scenario that should be fulfilled through procurement, not from your own stock.

• A purchase order is generated to the drop supplier, with the customer as the ultimate recipient. The supplier ships directly to the customer’s address.

• Invoices, receipts, and shipment notifications flow back through the system to keep everyone in the loop—your finance team sees the PO receipt, the customer sees the shipment, and you can trace every step.

• The order is fulfilled without you ever touching the inventory in your own warehouse. That reduces handling, speeds delivery, and can improve customer satisfaction when done right.

That’s the crux: a clean, end-to-end signal that the customer’s demand should trigger a procurement path that ends with a drop shipment.

A quick, practical how-to touchpoints

If you’re configuring this in Oracle, here are the touchpoints you’ll likely encounter. The exact screens can vary a bit by version and any customizations, but the core idea stays the same.

• Navigate to Procurement Offerings.

• Look for the option labeled “Customer Sales Order Fulfillment” and enable it.

• Verify the link to the sales order in the setup so that the procurement engine knows to pull from customer demand rather than stock levels.

• Ensure the supplier is ready for drop shipping in the supplier master (shipping to customer, correct addresses, and terms).

• Check the flow for a sample order: confirm that OM creates the sales order, translates it into a customer-demand-driven PO, and sends the PO to the drop supplier with the customer as the ship-to party.

• Test a few edge cases: partial shipments, backorders, and substitutions. Each should still route through the same linkage.

Common snags you might run into (and how to handle them)

• Mismatched ship-to addresses

If the customer address and supplier address data aren’t aligned, shipments can get misrouted. Make sure ship-to data is consistently sourced from the sales order and carried into the purchase order.

• Delays in PO creation

Timing matters. If the procurement side isn’t recognizing the sales order quickly enough, the customer may face delays. Ensure the integration points between OM and Purchasing are healthy and that any workflow automation is active.

• Incomplete supplier setup for drop shipping

Not all suppliers are set up for direct-to-customer shipping. Confirm the supplier profile includes drop-ship capabilities, the correct ship-to party, and appropriate terms.

• Data duplication or misalignment

If the same order shows up as both a stock PO and a drop-ship PO, you’re likely missing a clean linkage in the setup. Revisit the procurement offerings and ensure the customer sales order fulfillment flag is consistently applied.

A relatable analogy to seal the idea

If you’ve ever ordered a book from a publisher who ships directly to you, you’ve felt the magic of drop shipping. You didn’t go through a warehouse, you didn’t handle the book in a store, you simply got exactly what you ordered delivered to your doorstep. In Oracle OM terms, opting for customer Sales order fulfillment in Procurement offerings is the digital equivalent of telling the system, “When the customer buys this, send the order straight to the supplier who can ship to the customer.” That one instruction unlocks a lot of the manual juggling we’d otherwise have to endure.

A final thought to keep in mind

This setting isn’t just a checkbox. It’s a strategic alignment that makes the person-on-the-other-end of the line—the customer—happen sooner, with fewer hiccups. It reduces inventory clutter, speeds delivery, and improves visibility across order and purchase workflows. And because drop shipping hinges on speed and accuracy, having this linkage in place is often the difference between a wow-worthy delivery and a missable one.

Takeaway

If you’re setting up a purchase request that’s fulfilled by a drop supplier, the essential move is clear: enable customer Sales order fulfillment in Procurement offerings. It’s the fundamental link that connects demand to procurement, enabling the drop-ship model to operate smoothly and predictably. Other options play their parts in the broader procurement strategy, but they don’t establish the critical link that drop shipping relies on. Once you’ve got this in place, you’ll see a cleaner flow from order to supplier to customer—and a happier customer as a result.