Purchasing: asking to buy, and getting it approved

An engineer asks to buy two things: one is approved by the rules and ordered at once, the other waits for a manager to approve it.

What's in this video

1. In this video, Owen, one of our engineers, asks to buy two things. One is approved by the rules straight away, and the other waits for an approver. This is Owen's Purchasing home page. Click Request to buy.
2. What's it for: a short title, so everyone knows what this is. Needed by: the date you need it.
3. Under Add from your price list, start typing, and pick the item. The price comes from your price list, and so does the supplier.
4. We need four, so change the quantity to four. The total updates as you go.
5. Why it's needed is optional, but it helps whoever approves. Then click Send request.
6. Approved by your rules. The order goes to the supplier now, with no one in the office touching it. Each tick is a rule it passed: an active supplier, within budget, and under the amount the rules approve by themselves.
7. Now something bigger. A new circulation pump isn't on the price list, so Owen types it in: what it is, the quantity, the price from the supplier's quote, and why it's needed.
8. Click Send request. This time it says Sent for approval, and why: it's over the amount your rules approve by themselves.
9. Owen can follow both under My requests. Click All to see them all. The filters say Ordered, and the pump says Waiting for approval.
10. Now Graham, our manager, signs in. His role has Approve. At the top, it says one to approve. Click Approvals.
11. Approvals only shows what the rules couldn't decide by themselves. It tells Graham why it needs him: it's over the automatic amount. And it shows what did pass, like the supplier and the budget.
12. He can see the item, the price, and Owen's reason. To approve, click Approve. To turn it down, he has to write a comment first, so Owen knows why.
13. Approved. The request becomes a purchase order, and it goes to Kestrel straight away. Here it is, under Purchase orders, next to the filters.
14. Two things to know. Nobody can approve their own request, not even a manager: someone else always decides. And if a request isn't needed any more, open it and click Cancel request, rather than leaving it waiting for someone.
15. In the next video, we'll follow the orders out to the suppliers, and take in a delivery on the phone.