The purchase requisition process has four steps and one number that determines whether it works. The steps are straightforward and rarely the problem. The number is elapsed time from request to answer, and it decides whether the process controls your spending or whether people buy things another way and let payables sort it out later.
Request and route
Somebody states what they need, roughly what it costs, which budget carries it, when, and why. The request routes by cost centre and value to a named approver, with automatic cover during absence. Both steps should take seconds. A long form and a group queue are the two most common ways to add days at this point.
Decide, and say so
Approve or decline, promptly, with a reason if declined. Silence is the response that teaches people to stop using the process. Escalation to a named alternative after a set period is what keeps this step bounded, because reminders repeating into the same inbox produce the same silence more often.
Convert to an order
An approved requisition becomes a purchase order, carrying its approval with it, without rekeying. Where that link is manual, requisitions and orders drift apart and the approval trail breaks exactly where an auditor will look. Watching how many approved requisitions never became orders is a good health check.
Questions people ask about purchase requisition process
What is a realistic elapsed time?
Same working day for routine requests, with cover and escalation configured. Slower than that and it competes badly with a company card.
Who should approve?
The budget holder for the cost centre, against a threshold from your existing delegated authority rather than a new scheme.
How do we handle urgent needs?
A documented fast path with a named approver and a review afterwards, rather than an informal call that leaves no record.