# Procure to pay software

> Procure to pay in one flow: a request, sourcing, approval, a PO, a capped card, receipt and invoice match. Here's each step and what Atta does in it.

Updated 2026-11-06. Source: https://atta.sh/procure-to-pay

Procure to pay is the loop from a request to a paid invoice: request, source, approve, order, receive, match the invoice, pay. Atta runs it as one flow where the agent does the sourcing and ordering, and the approval and budget checks run in code before money moves.

## The loop, step by step

> **Hana, in WhatsApp:** need 10 USB-C docks for the design team
>
> **Atta:** Found a dock at $79 each from a store you allow, $790 total, arriving Thursday. That's over your limit, so Priya needs to approve it.
>
> **Priya approves from a button.**
>
> **Atta:** PO-2026-00103 issued. Ordered with a card capped at $790.
>
> Later: **Atta:** The invoice named PO-2026-00103 and matched the order total. Attached.

Each step is its own feature.

| Step | What happens | Page |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Request | A message in Slack, WhatsApp, ChatGPT, Claude or the browser, with an optional photo | AI shopping agent |
| Source | The agent searches the stores the workspace allows and filters out the ones it blocks | [Tail spend](https://atta.sh/tail-spend) |
| Approve | A policy and an approval chain decide who has to say yes | [Purchase approvals](https://atta.sh/purchase-approvals) |
| Reserve | Checkout reserves the amount against the budget | [Spend management](https://atta.sh/spend-management) |
| Order | PO number issued, order placed, single-use card capped at the total | [Purchase orders](https://atta.sh/purchase-orders) |
| Receive | Per line, with stock updated if the line links to an item | [Inventory](https://atta.sh/inventory-management) |
| Invoice | An e-invoice that names the PO attaches to the request | [E-invoicing](https://atta.sh/e-invoicing) |
| Pay | The card settles the order; the budget reservation becomes spend | [Virtual cards](https://atta.sh/virtual-cards) |

## What runs in code

Three checks sit in the path of every spend and none of them is a model's decision:

- **The policy.** `auto`, `ask` or `deny` from amount, role, budget and rules.
- **The approval binding.** The order is placed only for the amount and lines approved.
- **The budget.** Reserved at checkout, settled on payment, released on cancel.

## Where Atta differs from a suite

A source-to-pay suite routes the request and records the approval, and a person then buys. The step where the order is placed and paid is the one Atta's agent does. That means the controls on that step matter more, so they're the part to review: the policy table, the card cap, and the rule that a failed order isn't retried until a person says so.

## What it doesn't replace

Contract negotiation, RFPs and long-term supplier management are outside the loop above. It covers purchases from stores and suppliers where the agent can find the item and buy it.

## Getting started

Atta is in an invite-only beta and is free during it. Connect a store, set the limits and chains, invite the team, and decide whether to turn on a card program. Without one, the agent builds the cart and hands back the store's checkout link. Your approvals and budget still apply.

See AI procurement software for how this compares with other tools in the category.

## Questions

### What is procure to pay?

The end-to-end process from a purchase request to a paid invoice: requisition, approval, purchase order, receiving, invoice matching and payment.

### Which steps does the agent do?

Sourcing, building the cart, ordering and paying, within the approval rules. People approve what the rules send to them and mark deliveries received.

### How does the invoice match the order?

By the PO number the invoice names. Atta never matches by supplier alone.

### Can I use it without a card program?

Yes. The agent builds the cart and hands back the store's checkout link. Approvals and budgets still apply.