Requisitions: making the request visible
A requisition lets employees ask for goods or services in a structured way, with description, quantity, estimated cost, and justification. It creates a record before commitment, so approvers and buyers can act. Make requisitions easy to submit, with catalogs or templates for common items, because difficult processes encourage workarounds such as paying personally and claiming later.
- Catalogs and templates for common purchases.
- Cost center and project coding at request time.
- Attachments for quotes and supporting documents.
Approval rules by value, category and budget
Approval limits should reflect risk. Low-value routine purchases need light approval, while large or unusual commitments need senior review and sometimes multiple approvers. Rules can vary by department, category, and project. Budget checks warn or block when a request would exceed the allocation, so overspending is discussed before it happens. Include escalation and delegation so approvals are not held up by absences.
NetSuite workflows vs SuiteScript →Vendor onboarding and preferred suppliers
New suppliers should be vetted before the first order, covering identity, banking details, tax information, insurance, and any compliance documents your organization requires. Maintain preferred suppliers and contracted pricing, and direct buyers toward them. Capturing negotiated terms in the system lets orders and bills be checked against them. Confirm your documentation requirements with your accountants and legal advisors.
Purchase orders, receiving and matching
Approved requisitions become purchase orders sent to suppliers. Receiving confirms that goods or services were delivered, which allows matching with the vendor bill later. Services are harder to receive than goods, so define how completion is confirmed, such as by the requester or a project manager. Partial deliveries, back-orders, and changes to orders should update the purchase order rather than living in email.
Accounts payable automation →Controlling off-contract and emergency spend
Some purchases are urgent and cannot wait for a full process. Define an emergency route with after-the-fact review, rather than letting people avoid the system. Track purchases without a purchase order, and review them monthly with department heads. Reporting on spend by vendor and category shows where consolidating suppliers or renegotiating could save money.
Spend visibility and supplier performance
Dashboards should show open commitments, spend against budget, top suppliers, and purchase order aging. Track supplier performance on delivery, quality, and price variance, and use it in sourcing decisions. Visibility of commitments, not only invoices, gives a truer view of cash needs and budget position.
Reporting and dashboards →Making it stick
Communicate the process to the people who buy. Short guides, a few worked examples, and a visible contact for questions prevent most workarounds. Explain why the controls exist, in terms of budget visibility and better supplier terms, not only compliance. Review feedback after the first quarter, and simplify any step that people consistently find confusing, because a process that is understood is followed far more reliably than one that is merely mandated.
Decisions to settle before configuration starts
- Approval matrix. Agree limits by role, category, and project.
- Policy on no purchase order. Define what must have an order and what may not.
- Receiving method. Decide how services and goods are confirmed.
- Vendor onboarding. Specify the documents and checks required.
A realistic first 90 days
- Days 1 to 30. Analyze current spend, define policy, approval limits, and vendor onboarding checks.
- Days 31 to 60. Configure requisitions, approvals, and purchase orders, and pilot with two departments.
- Days 61 to 90. Add receiving and budget checks, roll out widely, and begin spend reporting.
Pitfalls to avoid
- Over-engineering approvals. Heavy processes drive workarounds. Match control to risk.
- No emergency route. People bypass the system when urgent needs arise.
- Ignoring services. Services are bought by the thousands without receipts. Define receiving.
- Reporting only on invoices. Look at commitments, not just paid spend.
