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Setting up spend limit approvals

Set spending limits for PO line items and totals, apply them to user roles, and let restricted users request approval from an admin.

Ensure that certain users can't produce or send out Purchase Orders (POs) that exceed certain thresholds without approval from an admin user.

The thresholds that can be set are:

  • Total value for a line item (i.e. one product x its quantity)

  • Total PO value

Users can email an admin user from within the PO to request for approval.

Set up

Create the Limits

Configure -> Purchase Orders-> Internal Approvals Settings

Create a rule group and add the limits:

Internal Approval Settings page showing a Junior rule group with Total Net 500.00 and Line Item Net 100.00 threshold rules

Apply the Limits to a Role

  • Cog -> Manage User Accounts -> Manage Roles

  • Create or select a role (system roles of User and Admin can't be edited)

  • Set the PO approval to the limits

Users that are to be restricted should be set to use the role with these limits, in this example, the role is called 'Junior Sales' and the Approval setting for Purchase Orders is set to the 'Junior' limits previously set up.

Purchase Orders permissions panel with all options checked and the Approval Setting dropdown set to Junior

Follow these steps to set up the approvals.

User form with the Role dropdown circled, set to Junior Sales, between Cell Phone Number and Landing Page fields

Working with Approvals

Purchase Order warning that an item's total net exceeds the approved threshold, with the orange Request Approval button

On clicking the 'Request Approval' button, the user can select someone with the appropriate permissions to approve this and email them directly from the system. All the admin users are listed in the receipts dropdown. The email has a link to the purchase order, which the manager can click on to check and approve quickly.

Request Approval email dialog for a purchase order with To, Email Template and Title fields, message with PO link, and Send button

The request is logged in the Internal comments:

Internal comments log with Timestamp, Email and Message columns showing an approval request sent entry, timestamp highlighted

The request email can be configured by the sender with the default version here:

Default purchase order approval request email asking the approver to approve a linked PO needed by tomorrow end of day

The approver will click on the link and be taken straight to the Purchase Order:

Purchase Order warning banner showing an item exceeding the approved spend threshold, with Approve and Reject buttons

The originator can then be notified when it has been approved, or the approver can give the rejection reasons:

Send Notification window for a rejected purchase order, with an editable message body for rejection reasons and a Send button

If rejected, the PO stays in that state, so it cannot be sent or downloaded until changed to fall within the permitted limits.

If approved, the originator can now send or download the PO.

Learn more: approvals in Zigaflow

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