Requisitions

A Requester starts with the business reason for a purchase. Each line describes the item or service, quantity, unit of measure, estimated price and need-by date. The department and cost center identify who owns the expense. Category and account details let the Buyer understand how the purchase should move through sourcing and approval.

The request remains Draft while its owner gathers the details. Submission establishes the revision that the Approver reviews. A Buyer can then distinguish a request waiting for a decision from an Approved request ready for sourcing. The conversion path records whether the approved need becomes a direct purchase order, a supplier quotation request or a release against an agreement.

• Request ownership. The Requester records the justification and maintains the draft lines. A suggested supplier helps the Buyer investigate an option without settling the award before review. Routine, Expedited and Emergency priorities describe urgency for the people handling the request.
• Funding and scope. Department, cost center and category connect the need to approval policy. Quantities and estimated prices establish the amount to review. The Approver needs the complete request, including lines that might otherwise be raised separately.
• Conversion evidence. The Buyer chooses the approved route and keeps the generated order, quotation request or release linked to the original need. The conversion event gives the team a record to consult when someone asks whether purchasing has already acted.

Agree who can raise requests for each department and how people map to the purchasing directory. Choose the cost centers and categories used in the pilot. Define who checks descriptions, units and account codes before a request reaches approval, especially for services that do not use a catalog item.

Set expectations for urgent work. An Emergency priority should bring the need to the right person’s attention while leaving its approval responsibility clear. Agree how to prepare a corrected Draft request while retaining the rejected request and its decision. Agree which purchases use a negotiated agreement and which require supplier comparison.

A maintenance Requester needs replacement pumps and installation service before a shutdown. Enter separate lines so the equipment quantity and service scope can be reviewed clearly. Give each line its required date and category, then submit the completed request.

The Approver checks the justification and funding. After approval, the Buyer checks whether the pumps have an applicable contract rate and whether the service needs a quotation. Follow the selected conversion route and confirm that the resulting purchasing record points back to this request. Reopening the request should make its Converted state and destination understandable to the Requester.

Also rehearse a rejected request. The owner should see the reason and know what needs correction before purchasing starts. A purchasing conversation in email should not leave an unrelated draft looking ready to order.

• My requisitions — Requests belonging to the current person, with submission state and the selected conversion path.
• Requisition review — Submitted needs with justification, funding and amount ready for the Approver’s decision.

Continue with request approval and sourcing and issuance.