Procurement
Part of Procurement management software
Comparing purchase request and supplier approval features
Separate purchase approval from supplier approval and check imports, rejections and supplier changes against your policy.
A purchase request asks whether the organisation should buy something. Supplier approval asks whether it may buy from a particular supplier. Compare the two gates separately, then check what happens when one passes and the other does not.
Define the decisions
Map who enters and changes supplier details, who approves the supplier and who approves the spend. Repeat the route for a new supplier and an existing one.
Case / Outcome to require in your process
- Approved supplier, routine request
- The request follows its spend approval route.
- New supplier, valid request
- Supplier review is visible before an order can proceed.
- Sensitive supplier change
- The change receives the review your policy requires.
- Rejected supplier or request
- The record shows the decision and a correction route.
These are evaluation criteria, not claims that every platform enforces them.
Key Policy Alignment Checks for Supplier and Purchase Approvals
- Ensure new supplier entries trigger approvalVerify that supplier addition via form, CSV, or API triggers the correct approval workflow.
- Confirm sensitive field changes trigger reapprovalCheck that changes to ABN, bank details, or supplier name require fresh approval.
- Validate rejection paths are documentedEnsure rejected requests and suppliers show decision records and correction routes.
- Assign ownership to non-software gatesDesignate an owner for supplier entry methods outside the software’s approval gate (e.g., manual imports).
- Test multi-stage workflowsConfirm that both purchase and supplier approvals must pass before ordering proceeds.
Compare the documented controls
Procurify documents request approval routing by department, category or value. Vendor approval is enabled separately. Its guidance states that vendors added by CSV import or direct integration bypass vendor approval, so those entry routes need their own control.
Procurify also says an established approval flow cannot be directly overridden; the documented delete-and-resubmit route applies before any part of the order has been approved. Check both behaviours in the proposed configuration.
Precoro documents approval steps by document type, fields and thresholds. When its supplier approval workflow is configured, documents cannot be confirmed unless the supplier has approved status.
Its guidance says changes to supplier name, unique code and specified banking and identity fields trigger reapproval, while phone number, PO condition and note do not. Check whether those triggers match your policy and whether assigned approvers have the required roles and access.
Purchase Request vs Supplier Approval: Key Differences in Controls
- Approval Focus
- Spend amount, department, category or value threshold
- Approval Trigger
- Purchase request submission
- Control Method
- Configurable routing by department, category or value
- Vendor Approval Status Requirement
- Not required for purchase requests unless vendor approval is enabled
- Exception Handling
- CSV import and direct integration bypass vendor approval; require separate controls
- Override Policy
- No direct override of established approval flow; delete and resubmit required
- Approval Focus
- Supplier validity, identity, banking details, and compliance status
- Approval Trigger
- Supplier creation or change to sensitive fields
- Control Method
- Document type, field-level triggers, and thresholds
- Supplier Approval Status Requirement
- Required before any order can be confirmed
- Field Change Triggers Reapproval
- Supplier name, unique code, banking details, identity fields
- Field Changes That Do Not Require Reapproval
- Phone number, PO condition, notes
Exercise the exceptions
In a demonstration, create a fictional request for a new supplier. Reject the supplier, correct its details, approve it, then reject the purchase for a separate reason. Record each decision, approver and status.
Repeat with an imported supplier and, if relevant, an integration-created supplier. Change a sensitive supplier field after approval and check whether purchasing can continue during review.
Choose the workflow whose gates cover your actual supplier entry and change routes. Assign an owner to any route outside the software's approval gate.
Testing Exception Scenarios in Purchase and Supplier Approval Workflows
- Create a new supplier requestSubmit a fictional purchase request for a new supplier via the platform interface.
- Reject the supplierReject the supplier during approval review. Record approver, decision reason, and status.
- Correct supplier detailsUpdate the supplier's name, bank account, or ABN. Ensure changes trigger reapproval if policy requires.
- Approve the supplierRe-submit for approval and confirm successful validation.
- Reject the purchase requestAfter supplier approval, reject the purchase request for a different reason (e.g., budget overrun). Document the decision.
- Test imported and integrated suppliersRepeat steps with a supplier added via CSV import or system integration. Confirm whether vendor approval is bypassed and whether alternative controls are enforced.
