Summary

Approved requisition line items can be used to create purchase orders in the Purchase Order module. Follow this process to approve requisitions.

To use the Requisition Approval process, your user account or the position on the employee record attached to your user account must be set up as a requisition clerk using the Role Maintenance window (SS> Security> Role).

Step by Step

1     Create a Requisition Approval batch.

• Select the Requisition Approval palette in PO> Requisition Approval. This will expand the Requisition Approval palette and display the steps in the batch process.
• Select New from the Requisition Approval batch number drop-down menu to create a new batch. This will open the New Batch window.
  • If there are open batches in the Requisition Approval process, you can create a new batch without affecting the open batches.
• Enter a Batch Month and Batch Year. These fields default to the current calendar period and are used for reference only.
• Click the Generate icon to populate the Batch Number field with the next available batch number. Batch numbers are limited to five digits and must be unique within the batch month of the batch year.
  • You can also manually create a new batch by entering a Batch Number and clicking the Save icon  .
• You can delete batches by selecting a batch and pressing DELETE.

2     Select the requisitions to approve.

• Open the Select Requisitions window (PO> Requisitions Approval> Select Requisitions).
• The Select Requisitions window will display all of the requisitions currently available for approval. If you do not see the desired requisitions, confirm that the requisition status has been set to Ready for Approval (PO> Requisitions> Requisitions> Requisition Status field).
• Check the Selected toggle for each of the requisitions you would like to approve.
• Click the Save icon when complete.

3     Approve Requisitions.

• Open the Requisitions Approval window (PO> Requisitions Approval> Requisitions).
• The Requisitions Approval window will display all the requisitions selected in the previous step.
  • Click the Expand button next to a requisition to display the requisition line items.
    • Click and drag the column headings to rearrange the information displayed for each line item.
    • Requisition line items that are attached to a PO will not display in the window.
• Highlight a requisition and click the Modify icon to edit the selected requisition.
  • Approvers are only allowed to modify requisitions if the Approvers can modify requisitions toggle is checked on the PO Setup window (PO> Utilities> Setup).
• Check the Reject toggle or click the Reject icon to reject a highlighted requisition.
  • This will return the requisition to the Requisitions process (PO> Requisitions> Requisitions). The requisition status will be changed from Ready for Approval to Returned. After the appropriate changes are made, the requisition can be resubmitted for approval.
  • Once resubmitted, the requisition can be approved in the original approval batch by running the Select Requisitions step again.
• Check the Void toggle or click the Void icon to void a highlighted requisition.
  • Once a requisition or requisition line item has been voided, it cannot be resubmitted.
• Click the Save icon when complete.

4     Print the Proof List.

• Open the Print Proof List window (PO> Requisitions Approval> Proof List).
• Specify if you would like the report to sort by requisition number or vendor number in the Report Order field.
• The Proof List will display the Line Item, Account, Item, Vendor, Task, Type, Description, Price, Quantity Unit, and Amount. Totals will be provided for each requisition and the entire report.
• Click the Print icon to process the report immediately or enter a date and time in the field next to the Print icon to schedule the report to generate at a later time. You can view the progress of the report on the Job Viewer window (SS> Utilities> Show Scheduled Jobs).
  • Click the Print icon drop-down menu and select Print Preview to preview the report before printing.
  • Click the Print icon drop-down menu and select Excel to export the report data to an Excel spreadsheet as unformatted data.
  • Click the Print icon drop-down menu and select Excel (Formatted) to export the report data to an Excel spreadsheet that includes much of the Springbrook formatting found on the printed version of the report.
  • Once the report is generated, you can also display the report using the View Reports window (SS> Utilities> View Report).

5     Generate Work Flows.

• The Generate Work Flows step applies if only certain employees are allowed to commit a Requisitions Approval batch. For example, if you are a department clerk, but only the department head is allowed to actually commit a Requisitions Approval batch, then run the Generate Work Flow step to notify the department head that a Requisitions Approval batch is ready to be committed. If you do not use work flow, skip to the Commit step and commit the batch.
• Select Generate Work Flows on the palette. This will open an information window asking you to confirm your selection. Press ENTER or click the Confirm icon to generate the work flows. This will create a job on the Jobs Viewer window.
• Once the job is complete, the work flow will be created.

6     Review Work Flows.

• The Review Work Flows step is used to view the requisitions before committing the batch and is used in conjunction with the Generate Work Flow step. For example, a department clerk runs the Generate Work Flow step to notify the department head that requisitions are ready to be approved. The department head receives an email that the batch is ready to be committed, so they go into the Requisitions Approval batch, review the requisitions, and then commit the batch.
• Open the Review Work Flows window to review the requisitions in the batch (PO> Requisitions Approval> Review Work Flows).
  • The work flow approver can also access the requisitions batch directly from the notification email or from the My Tasks window (My Tasks icon   on the application main menu).
  • Work flows are processed on the My Tasks window in the same manner as on the My Work Flows window (SS> Work Flows> My Work Flows).
• The Review Work Flow window displays the work flow generated by the Generate Work Flows step (PO> Requisitions Approval> Generate Work Flow).
• The Status column displays the status of the work flow. If the work flow is waiting to be approved, the Status will be New.
• The Author column displays the department clerk that created the work flow (this is the employee that ran the Generate Work Flow step). If the requisitions are rejected, this is the employee that will receive the notification email that the requisitions have been rejected.
• The type of work flow generated during the Generate Work Flow step determines what needs to be done to the requisitions before the batch can be committed.
  • If the workflow is set up as an action step on your role (SS> Work Flow> Work Flow Templates), you will have to approve or reject the requisitions in the batch before you can commit the batch.
  • If the workflow is set up as an information step on your role (SS> Work Flow> Work Flow Templates), the commit step will be enabled and the batch will be ready to commit. You will not be able to view the requisitions in the batch or view the requisitions detail. When the workflow is set up as an information step, skip the Review Work Flows step and commit the Requisitions Approval batch.
• If you have to approve or reject the requisitions in the batch, highlight the workflow in the Review Work Flow window and press ENTER. This will open the Work History Proof List, displaying all of the requisitions in the batch.
  • Review the requisitions. Click the Print icon to generate a printed copy of the report.
  • From the Work History Proof List, click either the Approve icon or the Reject icon.
    • If you select Accept, the Commit step on the Requisitions Approval batch will be enabled.
    • If you select Reject, the author of the requisitions (the department clerk that creates the requisitions) will get an email notification that the requisitions have been rejected. This will not reset the batch step of the Requisitions Approval process, but you will not be able to commit the batch (the Commit step will not be enabled). The department clerk will then go back into the Requisitions Approval batch, modify the requisitions, and run the Generate Work Flows step again.

7     Commit the Requisition Approval batch.

• The Commit step will not be enabled if the Generate Work Flows step creates an action work flow and the requisitions in the batch have either not been approved or the requisitions have been rejected.
• Select Commit on the Requisitions Approval batch. This will open an information window to commit the batch. Press ENTER or click the Confirm icon to commit. Use the Jobs Viewer window to view the progress of the Commit step.