Purchase Requisition Workflow Explained: Steps, Challenges, and Best Practices
- Robert
- Sep 19
- 4 min read
Table of contents
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Procurement has undergone significant changes in recent years, but one aspect remains unchanged: the purchase requisition workflow. Far from being an outdated formality, it’s the backbone of spend control, compliance, and transparency inside modern organizations.
In this guide, we’ll break down what a purchase requisition workflow is, why it matters more than ever, the steps involved, common pitfalls, and how you can streamline it with technology.
What Is a Purchase Requisition Workflow?
A purchase requisition workflow is the structured process employees follow when they need to request goods or services for their department. It begins with filling out a requisition form and ends with approval, budget checks, and conversion into a purchase order (PO).
Think of it as the bridge between internal needs and external purchases. Unlike a purchase order - which is sent to a supplier - a requisition is internal. It’s a formal request that allows managers and procurement teams to evaluate if the purchase is justified, aligned with the budget, and compliant with company policies.
Without a requisition workflow, spending often becomes fragmented, undocumented, and vulnerable to errors or fraud.
Why a Purchase Requisition Workflow Matters
Some see requisitions as “extra paperwork,” but in practice, they provide:
Cost control – Every request goes through budget checks before funds are committed.
Compliance – By documenting approvals, the company ensures internal policies and external regulations are followed.
Transparency – With a clear trail, everyone can see who requested what, when, and why.
Accountability – Managers are responsible for approvals, which reduces maverick spending and shadow procurement.
When companies skip this step, they usually pay the price later - through overspending, unapproved supplier relationships, or weak audit trails.
The Steps in a Purchase Requisition Workflow
When designing your purchase requisition workflow, consider the following questions:
Which types of purchases require review?
Which purchases can be automatically approved based on predefined rules?
Who is responsible for reviewing requisitions? Is it a single individual or multiple stakeholders?
How does the workflow handle situations when a reviewer is unavailable?
Based on these questions, you can configure your workflow in two main ways:
Single Document for All Requested Goods or Services
Roles involved:
Requester: The individual who needs the goods or services. The requester can prepare the requisition themselves or delegate this to a preparer, who then manages it through the review process.
Reviewer: Responsible for examining the requisition for completeness and accuracy.
Requester’s Manager: Performs managerial and budgetary review to ensure the request is necessary and funds are available.
Workflow process:
The preparer submits the purchase requisition for review.
The reviewer receives a notification, checks the document, and may add missing information or return it to the preparer for completion. Once complete, the requisition advances to the next step.
The requester’s manager reviews the requisition and approves or rejects it, or sends it back for revisions if necessary.
Individual Document for Each Requested Good or Service
If multiple separate goods or services are requested, you can create individual requisitions for each. The workflow is similar to the single document process but involves additional roles and steps.
Roles involved:
Requester
Reviewer(s): One or more individuals who verify each requisition.
Requester’s Manager
Department Manager: Reviews overall spend, including money, time, and resources.
Group Manager: Holds signature authority and performs final approval, especially for higher-budget requests.
Workflow process:
1. The preparer submits each individual purchase requisition.
2. Reviewer(s) verify that all necessary information is filled in each document. They may either complete missing details or return the requisition for updates.
3. The requester’s manager reviews and approves or rejects each requisition.
4. The department manager conducts a spend review and approves the requisition, potentially involving multiple managers if needed.
5. The group manager provides final approval and can authorize larger budgets exceeding department limits.
Common Challenges in Purchase Requisition Workflows
Many organizations know the theory but stumble in practice. Some of the recurring challenges include:
Manual approvals that take days or weeks, leaving employees frustrated.
Maverick spending, where employees bypass requisitions entirely to buy directly.
Budget blind spots, especially when requisitions aren’t tied to real-time spend visibility.
Communication gaps between departments, leading to duplicated orders or delays.
These issues don’t just waste money -they damage trust in procurement. And now, when organizations are under pressure to be lean and data-driven, they can no longer afford them.
How to Streamline Your Purchase Requisition Workflow
Here’s where technology steps in. Modern tools make requisitions more than just approval chains; they turn them into intelligent workflows.
For example:
Automated routing ensures requisitions go to the right approver instantly, no chasing signatures.
AI-powered insights can detect unusual requests, flagging potential fraud or misaligned spend.
Mobile approvals let managers approve on the go, keeping processes fast and flexible.
ERP/finance integration links requisitions directly to budgets, so overspending is spotted early.
Instead of bottlenecks, requisitions become an enabler of smarter, faster procurement decisions.
Best Practices for an Effective Purchase Requisition Workflow
Successful companies treat requisitions not as paperwork but as a strategic control point. A few practices stand out:
Keep forms standardized so employees don’t waste time guessing what to fill in.
Define clear thresholds - small requests may need only one approval, while large ones trigger more rigorous checks.
Educate employees about why the process exists, reducing resistance and bypassing.
Use dashboards so procurement leaders can monitor requests in real time, spot bottlenecks, and measure cycle times.
Done right, the requisition workflow becomes a quiet but powerful driver of efficiency.
How Prokuria Can Help
This is where Prokuria steps in. Our purchase requisition software eliminates the headaches that usually come with approvals. Instead of chasing signatures or worrying about compliance, procurement teams configure automated approval chains, integrate with budgets, and gain full visibility from request to purchase order. The result is faster cycle times, fewer rogue purchases, and complete audit readiness.
In short: requisitions stop being a chore and start being a value driver.
Ready to see how it works in practice?