Enhancing cost visibility and accounting precision in multi-step purchase flows.
Project Size
3 people: 1 developer, 1 project manger, 1 QA specialist
Timeline
4 weeks
Used Technologies
NetSuite SuiteScript 2.1, NetSuite Custom Records & Fields, Landed Cost Native Features.
WeLink needed a reliable way to manage landed costs, freight, taxes, and duties, within their NetSuite-based purchasing flow. The new system had to track and allocate these charges accurately across multiple Purchase Orders, Item Receipts, and Vendor Bills, ensuring clear GL impact and full traceability, while remaining flexible enough to support different vendor and shipment structures.
Challenge
As WeLink expanded its purchasing operations, visibility into true product costs became increasingly critical. The existing workflow lacked dynamic allocation of landed costs across items and transactions, leading to manual corrections, mismatched records, and unclear profitability projections.
Requirements
Record and apply Landed Costs (shipping, duty, tax) across Purchase Order, Item Receipt, and Vendor Bill transactions.
Distribute tax amounts proportionally across item lines in receipts.
Allow a separate Vendor Bill for freight, linked back to the same Purchase Order flow.
Centralize the Vendor Bills as the source of truth.
Automatically update related records’ landed cost when Vendor Bills are edited.
Solution
We designed a multi-scenario solution built around NetSuite’s native Landed Cost capabilities, enhanced through scripting and custom fields to support dynamic interaction between records.
Key Features:
Flexible Transaction Flow: Supports billing from Purchase Orders, Item Receipts, or a dedicated Shipping Bill.
Automated Record Sync: Vendor Bill edits update all related records.
Line-Level Cost Allocation: Tax and duty amounts are proportionally distributed per item on each Item Receipt.
Custom Fields and Scripts: To store and sync landed cost data across the full transaction set.
Shipping Bill Support: Enables a dedicated bill from third-party logistics vendors.
Other Charge Items: Representing landed cost in Vendor Bills.
Results
✅ Fully auditable landed cost application across purchasing flows
✅ 100% automatic updates between transactions, reducing manual edits
✅ GL impact now reflects true landed costs per item
✅ Clear handling of separate freight vendors
✅ Maintains flexibility for phased item deliveries and multiple bills
Conclusion
This solution has empowered WeLink to streamline its procurement accounting process, providing full visibility into the true cost of inventory while maintaining system integrity and reducing manual intervention. The centralized Vendor Bill logic ensures that adjustments are reflected immediately across all related records, minimizing errors and boosting operational confidence.
