What is a purchase requisition?
A purchase requisition is an internal request asking permission to buy something. It names the item, the quantity and the estimated cost, and it goes for approval. Once approved it can become a purchase order sent to the supplier.
Example
Lena in operations needs 4 standing desks for a new team. She raises a requisition: 4 desks, estimated $420 each, $1,680 total, needed by the 20th, charged to the Facilities budget. Her manager approves it, and procurement turns it into a PO to the chosen supplier.
The requisition is the question "may I buy this?" The PO is the commitment to the supplier.
In Atta
A requisition is a request. It can start from a chat with the agent, from a form, or from Slack or WhatsApp, and it carries the items, the amount and who asked. Rules for the workspace turn the amount into an approval chain, and the same chain is built whichever way the request arrived.
Who may move a request to each status is a table in code. Approving, checking out and cancelling each have their own requirement, enforced on the server. A request opened from a private chat keeps the privacy of that chat, but its amount stays visible.
Clearing the last approval step queues the order, which is placed under the requester's scope for the approved amount and lines.
What a good one contains
The item or a link to it, the quantity, the cost estimate, the budget or cost center, the date it's needed by and a reason when the amount is unusual. Approvers answer faster when the requisition says "needed Friday, replaces a broken unit" than when it says "desks".
Questions
What is the difference between a requisition and a purchase order?
A requisition asks for permission inside the company. A purchase order is the document sent to a supplier after approval.
Related
- What is a purchase order?A purchase order is a document a buyer sends a supplier listing what is being bought, the quantity and the agreed price. Definition and example.
- What is an approval chain?An approval chain is the ordered list of people who must approve a purchase before it goes ahead. Definition with a worked example and how Atta runs it.
- Purchase order softwareEach approved request gets a PO number, the order carries it, receipts are recorded per line, and an invoice that names the PO attaches to the request.