Purchase Request Demo -Video

The purchase request process is used by organizations to place and track orders for supplies.  These could be anything from stationary to office furniture or more.  This process allows end users to place an order, receive supervisor approval and most importantly, allow external vendors or suppliers to submit prices for quotes without the need for them to be registered as ProcessMaker users.

To begin, the end user logs into ProcessMaker and begins a case in the purchase request process.  Some of the information about the user is automatically filled in.  However in the initial form there are two dependant fields shown – ‘Category’ and ‘Item’.  The Category drop down field is for the user to select the category of item they wish to request and the item drop down field will change its available options depending on the category chosen.  They select the item, quantity and give a brief description before the case moves for supervisor approval.

When the supervisor receives the case in the purchase request process, they can review all of the information submitted by the originating user.  The supervisor now simply selects whether this is approved or not.  If it is not approved, a comments box appears for them to enter a reason for the decision and the originator will be informed via email of this decision.  If the supervisor does give approval however, the case will move to the warehouse manager (Or inventory controller) for a quote request from the vendors.

In task 3, the warehouse manager can review the information and move forward for a quote request.  Here they can insert as many rows as they wish – 1 for each vendor.  They select which vendor they wish to receive quotes from and the information regarding their contact at that supplier is automatically filled in.  An email will be sent to each specified vendor asking for the price of the item in question.

This task is known as ‘External User Entry’.  Each vendor selected in the previous task receives an email with a link to a form.  The beauty of this is that the vendors have access to this form even though they are not ProcessMaker users.  Each vendor’s form is customized for them, featuring the name of the company and the details of the request.  The vendor simply reviews the request and enters a price with comments.  This form is 100% customizable, so it’s also possible to include more information about the item and even an upload button for the vendor to attach an official quote document.

The case is now residing with the originators manager, who has the final say on which item is purchased.  The manager can now see the information which was supplied by the external vendors and make an informed decision on which item to proceed with the purchase.  This form is designed so that only 1 item can be selected with the use of the check boxes.  The manager then confirms with a yes/no drop down to proceed with the purchase and enters any comments he or she feels is necessary.  At this point the order is placed manually, however ProcessMaker can also be programmed to send another email back to the chosen vendor to confirm a purchase and request an invoice.  In our demonstration process however, ProcessMaker will simply produce a purchasing document with the information about the item.

The final task is handled by the warehouse manager once again who waits to confirm reception of the goods requested.  The warehouse manager can review the purchasing document if he or she wishes with a click on a link provided in the form.  Once the item is received, the warehouse manager will confirm receipt with a drop down field and the case will come to an end.  This fantastic process allows organizations to track requests for items and guides them through the purchasing process from initial order all the way to item delivery and is simple and extremely effective.

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