A purchasing request should reach the Approver with enough detail to decide who needs the purchase, what it will cost and when it is required. Use this process before a Buyer begins sourcing or prepares a direct order. The retained revision gives the next person a clear basis for acting.
The Requester creates a Draft request with its justification, department and cost center. Add the requested lines, including quantity, unit, estimated price, category and need-by date. Check that a service line describes an outcome the recipient can later accept.
The Requester checks the complete scope and submits it for review. The request becomes Submitted with its submission time and retained content revision. Corrections after submission need to return through the agreed revision process.
The applicable effective approval rule determines the amount band and tier. The pending step names an eligible Approver. If the assigned person is also the Requester, resolve an independent route before the decision. An approved delegate must be within the permitted period and scope.
The Approver approves or rejects the submitted scope and retains the decision. Approval establishes the amount and scope available for purchasing; rejection records what must be addressed. The Buyer then picks up an Approved request for the appropriate conversion path.
And how to keep it from happening.
Start free, then use Proto to change fields, steps and approvals before your team goes live.