Procurement FAQ
Answers to common setup and operating questions about Procurement.
For what the app is and how to set it up from scratch, see the
Procurement Overview.
Setup
Do I need to create an approval workflow before anyone can submit a requisition?
No. Requisitions can be submitted without any workflows configured. If no workflow matches a requisition and no default workflow exists, the requisition skips multi-level approval. Whether it still requires manager sign-off depends on the Require Manager Approval for Requisitions toggle and the Auto-approval Threshold in Settings. Both are on and $500 by default, so requisitions under $500 auto-approve and those at or above $500 route to a manager.
Which roles can create requisitions, and where do I change that?
By default every role can create requisitions: Member, Manager, Admin, and Super Admin. To restrict it, go to Settings → Permissions → Roles Allowed to Create Requisitions and uncheck the roles you want to exclude. Anyone whose role is unchecked sees an error when they try to create a requisition.
What needs to be set up before supply ordering works?
Supply ordering is on by default. For employees to order from the catalog, you need at least one inventory item with quantity on hand. If your tenant uses Stations, create the stations first — they link each cost center to a delivery location so those fields are set automatically on every order. If you want to pull items from an external vendor catalog, set up a vendor integration (Staples, Grainger, or a manual CSV provider) under Setup → Vendor Integrations.
Permissions and access
Who can see a requisition besides the person who submitted it?
Admins and Procurement app admins see all requisitions. A manager sees requisitions from their direct reports and their own. An approver assigned to a requisition can view it. A member sees only their own requisitions. The same scoping applies to the requisition list and CSV exports.
Who can manage purchase orders?
By default only Admin and Super Admin roles can create, edit, approve, and issue purchase orders. To change that, update Settings → Permissions → Roles Allowed to Approve Purchase Orders. Procurement app admins can always manage purchase orders regardless of the role list.
Who can access the fulfillment queue?
Admins, Procurement app admins, and any additional roles your organization has been configured to give fulfillment access. The Inventory tab under Receiving is admin-only even for users with fulfillment access.
Day-to-day
How does the approval flow actually work once a requisition is submitted?
When a requisition is submitted, the system finds the first active workflow whose conditions match (by amount range, department, or item category). If no specific workflow matches, the default workflow is used. Each workflow has ordered approval levels. A level can require approvers by role, by specific users, by budget owner, department head, or the requester’s manager. Each level can require all approvers or a minimum number, and can escalate to a backup approver. The requisition advances level by level until all levels are satisfied, then it is marked approved. A rejection at any level rejects the entire requisition.
Can an admin approve a requisition even if they are not a designated approver?
Yes. Any user with Admin or Super Admin role, or a Procurement app admin, can approve a requisition that is pending approval, even when they are not a designated approver on the current level.
What happens when someone delegates their approval authority?
The delegator picks a delegate, a date range, and optionally scopes the delegation to a maximum dollar amount, specific departments, or item categories. During that date range the delegate receives and can act on approvals that would go to the delegator. Delegations cannot overlap for the same delegator, and you cannot delegate to yourself. They auto-deactivate when the end date passes.
What does “Auto-create PO from Approved Requisition” do?
When this setting is on, approving a standard requisition (not a supply order) automatically creates a draft purchase order with the same line items and vendor. The requisition status changes to Converted to PO and you can find the new PO from the requisition detail page.
When something looks wrong
My requisition was submitted but nobody got an approval notification
Check three things. First, the Enable Email Notifications master toggle in Settings must be on. Second, Approval Pending email must be enabled under that master toggle. Third, the requisition amount must be at or above the auto-approval threshold (default $500). Requisitions below that threshold auto-approve without routing to anyone.
I submitted a requisition and it was immediately approved — why?
The requisition’s total was below the auto-approval threshold. The default is $500. You can raise it in Settings → Approval Workflow → Auto-approval Threshold.
I’m trying to submit a requisition but it’s blocked with a budget error
The cost center’s budget has hard stop enabled, and the requisition amount exceeds the available budget. The error message names the budget and shows how much is available. Either reduce the order, increase the budget allocation, or turn off the hard-stop flag on that budget.
Why does my invoice show “Discrepancy Found” after I approved it?
When an invoice is linked to a purchase order, the system runs a three-way match comparing the invoice total against the PO total and receipt status. If the variance exceeds the tolerance (default 5%) or the PO has not been received, the match status is set to Discrepancy Found. You can approve the variance from the invoice match detail, or reject it.
I can’t find the fulfillment queue — where is it?
The Receiving tab (which contains the fulfillment queue) appears only for admins, Procurement app admins, and users whose role is in the fulfillment roles list. If you don’t see it, ask your admin to add your role.
An employee says they can’t order a supply item — it doesn’t appear in their catalog
Two things can hide an item. First, if the item has eligibility tags set, the employee’s matching user attribute (configured in Settings → Eligibility User Attribute, which defaults to practice level) must include one of those tags. Second, if the employee is ordering from a Station and that station has per-item limits, they may have already hit the maximum quantity for the current period.
Budgets
How do budget reservations work?
When a requisition with a budget is submitted, the requested amount is reserved against that budget. On approval the reservation moves from reserved to committed. On rejection or cancellation the reservation is released back to available funds. Reservations expire after 30 days if not committed. If the budget has hard stop enabled, submitting a requisition that would exceed the available amount is blocked outright.
What are the default budget alert thresholds?
Every budget starts with three alert thresholds: 75%, 90%, and 100% utilization. When utilization crosses a threshold, the system creates an alert and notifies the budget owner. Alerts are suppressed for 24 hours after firing to avoid duplicates.
Licensing and limits
Does Procurement require a licence?
Yes. Procurement requires a licence and must be enabled by an admin from the Apps Marketplace before it is available to users.
What currencies are supported?
The default currency is USD. The supported currencies in the currency picker are USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, and AUD. The default can be changed in Settings → Document Numbering → Default Currency.
What payment methods can I record?
Check, Wire Transfer, ACH, Credit Card, and Other. The default payment terms on an invoice are 30 days.
More help
- Procurement Overview
- Ask AI — the assistant answers Procurement questions from these articles.