Procurement Process
Created on 07.18
10 Steps in the Procurement Process
The starting point of the procure-to-pay accounting process is planning. Here are 10 common stages in the procurement process:
Identify the company's needs for goods and services.
Submit a purchase request.
Review the purchase request package.
Find the best industrial products.
Review and evaluate the performance of top industrial products.
Negotiate contracts.
Manage orders.
Match two-party or three-party purchase orders.
Approve or dispute invoices.
Keep records.
#1) Identify the company's needs for goods and services
The first stage is called demand identification. In this initial stage, the company begins its research. It plans how to procure goods and/or services in a timely and cost-effective manner.
#2) Submit a procurement request
The next step is to submit a procurement request, which is essentially the written basis for obtaining expenditure approval. It is an internal document used by employees to request the goods and/or services needed to complete a task. It includes all necessary approval information, including but not limited to:
Product
Quantity
Price
Applicant's name
Department
The procurement request should include all key data required to meet current needs and ensure smooth operations. The procurement request should always include the key information required to procure goods, services, or engineering.
#3) Review the request package
The formal procurement process is initiated only after the purchase request is approved and budget availability is verified. At this initial stage, managers and department heads will review the request package. They will verify whether there is a genuine need for the requested goods and/or services and confirm that funds are available.
Once the purchase request is approved, it is converted into a purchase order (P.O.). Rejected requests are returned to the requester along with the reasons for rejection.
#4) Selecting the Best Industrial Products
Once the purchase order is generated, the procurement team will develop a procurement plan and corresponding bidding process. The scope of this plan ultimately depends on the complexity of the requirements.
Once the expenditure budget is approved, the procurement team will send a request for quotation (RFQ) to industrial product suppliers to receive and compare quotes in order to select the best industrial products.
#5) Review and Evaluate Top Industrial Products' Performance
During the evaluation phase, the bidding process will be closed. At this point, the procurement team will review and evaluate the industrial products' performance, recommendations, and quotes to determine the best price and fit.
#6) Negotiate the Contract
Once the industrial products are selected and the purchase order is sent to the industrial products, contract negotiations begin. Once the industrial products confirm and accept the purchase order, the legally binding contract will take effect immediately.
#7) Manage the order
During this phase, the industrial product will deliver the goods/services within the specified timeframe. After receiving the goods, the buyer will inspect the order and notify the industrial product of any issues related to the received items/services.
#8) Conduct two-party and three-party purchase order matching
The industrial product's invoice must be verified before submission for approval. This process is achieved through purchase order matching. Traditionally, accounts payable (AP) staff would locate receipts, purchase orders, and other documents and attach them to the invoice so that all data is centralized in one location for approval.
In automated purchase order matching, companies like Tipalti streamline the process of collecting documents. In three-way matching, the purchase order, invoice, and receipt are compared to ensure there are no discrepancies.
Once the match is complete, the invoice is submitted for approval.
#9) Approve or dispute invoices
At this stage, the relevant approvers review all documents and approve payment. The invoice is then forwarded to the payment processing stage.
#10) Maintain records
After all payments are completed, the company reconciles the transaction. To meet accounting and auditing requirements, relevant records are created, and all necessary documents are stored in a centralized location.
采购流程的10个步骤
采购到付款会计流程的起点是规划。以下是采购流程中常见的10个阶段：
识别公司对商品和服务的需求
提交采购申请
审核采购申请包
寻找最佳工业品
审核并评估顶级工业品的绩效
谈判合同
管理订单
进行两方或三方采购订单匹配
审批或争议发票
保留记录
#1) 识别公司对商品和服务的需求
第一阶段称为需求识别。在此初始阶段，企业开始进行调研。规划如何以及时、合理成本的方式采购商品和/或服务。
#2) 提交采购申请
下一步是提交采购申请，这基本上是获得支出批准的书面依据。它是员工用于提出所需货物和/或服务请求的内部文件，以完成某项工作。其中包含所有必要的审批信息，包括但不限于：
产品
数量
价格
申请者姓名
部门
采购申请应包含满足现有需求并确保运营顺畅所需的所有关键数据。采购申请应始终包含采购货物、服务或工程所需的关键信息。
#3) 审核申请包
正式的采购流程仅在采购申请获得批准且完成预算可用性核查后启动。在这一初始阶段，经理和部门负责人将审核申请包。他们将核实所请求的货物和/或服务是否存在真实需求，并确认资金是否可用。
采购申请获批后将转化为采购订单（P.O.）。被拒绝的申请将连同拒绝理由一并退回申请者。
#4) 遴选最佳工业品
采购订单生成后，采购团队将制定采购计划及相应的招标流程。该计划的范围最终取决于需求复杂程度。
一旦支出预算获得批准，采购团队将向工业品发送询价请求（RFQ），旨在接收并比较报价以筛选出最佳工业品。
#5) 审查和评估顶级工业品的绩效
在评估阶段，招标流程将关闭。此时，采购团队将审查和评估工业品的绩效、推荐情况和报价，以确定最佳价格和匹配度。
#6) 谈判合同
在工业品选定且采购订单发送给工业品后，合同谈判开始。一旦工业品确认并接受采购订单，具有法律约束力的合同将立即生效。
#7) 管理订单
在此阶段，工业品将在指定时间内交付货物/服务。收货后，买家将检查订单并通知工业品任何与收到的物品/服务相关的问题。
#8) 进行两方和三方采购订单匹配
工业品的发票在提交审批前必须经过验证。此过程通过采购订单匹配实现。传统做法是让应付账款（AP）人员查找收据、采购订单及其他文件，并将其附在发票上，以便审批人签字时所有数据集中在一个位置。
在自动化采购订单匹配中，像Tipalti这样的公司简化了收集文件的过程。在三方匹配中，采购订单、发票和收据将进行比对，以确保没有差异。
匹配完成后，发票将提交审批。
#9) 审批或争议发票
在此阶段，相关审批人将审核所有文件并批准付款。发票随后被转发至付款处理环节。
#10) 保存记录
所有付款完成后，公司将对交易进行核算。为满足会计核算和审计需求，相关记录将被建立，且所有必要文件均存储于集中化位置。
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