The quick answer
Open the item's Supply tab in Planning Workbench and check Firm on the planned work order you want to keep. Then run Transactions > Supply Planning > Refresh Planning Repository with a Scoped Refresh of the supply plan, follow the Supply Planning Event Log until Material Requirements Planning is Complete and open the new results. The firmed order persists. Unfirmed planned orders are replaced, usually with new numbers. Firming does not release the order or create a work order.
The screenshots show sample data. Person and company names are fictional. Your order numbers, dates and quantities will differ.
Before you start
In this example, a supply planner reviews the planned work orders for Bench Vise Assembly BV-60 at Dayton in the Vise assembly plan. The plan is calculated and Planning Workbench shows its results. The planner wants one reviewed order kept when the plan runs again.
A planned work order is a recommendation, not a work order. Each time the supply plan runs, MRP removes the unfirmed planned orders and creates new ones, so an order you reviewed can change number, quantity or dates. A firmed order is not deleted by the run. Supply Planning and Material Requirements Planning have to be enabled. The assembly needs Material Requirements Planning as its replenishment method, a place in the plan's item scope and a bill of materials. You need a role that can view the results and edit planned orders. To create the work order later you also need the Work Orders feature and access to Mass Create Work Orders. Menu labels can differ by release and role.
01. Review the planned work orders
Go to Transactions > Supply Planning > Supply Plan Definitions and select View Results on Vise assembly plan. In Results Summary, select the Supply count for Bench Vise Assembly BV-60. The Supply tab lists On-Hand Quantity 4 Ea and three planned work orders: #3301 for 10 Ea (11/09/2026 to 11/12/2026), #3302 for 20 Ea (11/16/2026 to 11/19/2026) and #3303 for 11 Ea (11/27/2026 to 11/30/2026). Firm is cleared on every one, so the next run can replace all three.
02. Firm the order you want to keep
Check the Firm box in the #3302 row. In this account the box saved as soon as it was checked, with no Save button. If your page shows a Save action, use it. To confirm, select Refresh data above the grid. The box on #3302 stays checked, and #3301 and #3303 are unchanged. Firming is separate from releasing. No work order exists yet, and no component is committed. To create the work order later, release the planned order, wait for the release to finish and use Mass Create Work Orders.
03. Run the plan again
Firming alone keeps the order through the next run. This example refreshes the repository first, as you would after planning inputs changed, so the new run starts from current data. Go to Transactions > Supply Planning > Refresh Planning Repository. Select Scoped Refresh, choose Vise assembly plan in Supply Plan Definitions and select Refresh data. A scoped refresh covers the items and locations in the selected plan, and selecting the plan launches it after the refresh succeeds. Check the date range and transaction coverage before you submit, because the scope options can differ by account and release.
NetSuite opens the Supply Planning Event Log. Select Refresh until the repository and planning rows read Complete with 0 Errors. Here that is Planning Repository Initialization, Planning Repository Refresh, MRP Initialization, Material Requirements Planning, MRP Pegging and MRP Pegging Analysis, and your account can list different jobs. Confirm that the Material Requirements Planning row completed before you read the results. Then scroll right to the Planning Workbench column and select View Results on that row.
04. Compare the new results
Open the Supply tab for Bench Vise Assembly BV-60 again. #3302 is still listed for 20 Ea, 11/16/2026 to 11/19/2026, with Firm checked. #3301 and #3303 are gone. The run replaced them with #3304 for 10 Ea (11/09/2026 to 11/12/2026) and #3305 for 11 Ea (11/27/2026 to 11/30/2026), each with Firm cleared. Nothing else changed between the two runs here, so #3302 kept its quantity and dates. Identify a kept order by its Firm box together with its item, location, quantity and dates, not by its number. The replacement numbers are only what this example produced.
Common questions
What does the Firm box do on a planned order?
It prevents a later supply planning run from deleting the planned order. Unfirmed planned orders are removed and recreated by the next run, so they can get new numbers, quantities and dates. A firmed order stays in the supply plan. Firming does not create or authorize a transaction.
Is firming the same as releasing?
No. Firming only keeps the recommendation. A firmed planned work order is still a planned order, with no work order and no committed components. To create the work order, release the planned order and use Mass Create Work Orders.
Will a firmed order never change?
MRP does not delete or automatically reschedule a firmed planned order. That does not make the record unchangeable. Depending on its state and your permissions, you may be able to edit, release, cancel or delete it, and MRP can still show recommendations about firm supply, such as a reschedule, that you handle by changing the supply yourself.
Can I clear Firm later?
Do not count on it. Clearing Firm on a planned order that a supply plan created generally cannot be done by clearing the box, and the save can fail with a Record not saved message. If you no longer need the planned order, use your account's supported way to cancel or delete it. Check the behavior in your account before you firm a recommendation you might not keep.
Does a scoped refresh always rerun MRP?
Not necessarily. A repository refresh and an MRP run are separate processes. Selecting a supply plan definition on the refresh form launches that plan after the refresh succeeds, and refreshing without selecting one may only update the repository. Check that the Supply Planning Event Log shows Material Requirements Planning as Complete before you read the results.
Why do the replacement order numbers differ from mine?
The numbers are assigned when each run creates new recommendations. They are not predictable, so do not build a process around a specific number.