Automate purchase requisitions & approvals
From need to approved order – structured, budget-checked and fully traceable.
The Problem
Purchase requisitions are often raised informally by email or word of mouth. Without a structured process, there is no overview of which needs have been approved, whether budget is available and who signed off. Orders get placed before approval is in place – or simply stall.
In mid-sized companies with 50 to 500 employees, procurement is spread across many departments and locations without a consistent system. Needs are called in, orders are placed, and the spend only becomes visible when the invoice arrives later – leaving the CFO flying blind on cost control. Maverick buying, unclear budget commitments and after-the-fact approvals create friction between purchasing, the business units and finance. In an audit, there is no evidence that every order was authorized in line with budget and policy.
The result is maverick buying, uncontrolled spend and tedious follow-up. By the time an audit comes around, it is often impossible to prove cleanly that every order was approved in line with budget and policy.
The Solution with FireStart
FireStart structures the purchase requisition from the need to the approved order. Requesters capture their need via a form; the system automatically checks it against the available budget and routes the request to the responsible approvers through a rule-based approval flow – with the four-eyes principle / dual control above defined value thresholds.
Specifically, FireStart checks the purchase requisition against budget balances from SAP or Microsoft Dynamics and routes it through an approval chain configured in low-code. Approvers decide on mobile or directly in Microsoft Teams, while critical cases stay in human hands via Human-in-the-Loop. The flow is defined as a BPMN 2.0 model to ISO 19510 and hands the approved order over to the ERP without duplicate entry. This creates a controlled procure-to-pay entry point with go-live in two to four weeks and an entry price from €390/month.
Once approved, the order is placed or handed over to the ERP. Every step is documented, so the need, budget balance and approval are transparent and audit-proof at all times.
Typical results
Typical effects of a structured purchase requisition process:
- No order without a documented approval.
- Budget commitment becomes visible as soon as the requisition is raised.
- Mobile approval in Microsoft Teams without media breaks.
- Handover of the approved order to the ERP without duplicate entry.
- Automatic budget check before approval.
- Less maverick buying and uncontrolled spend.
- Transparent status from need to order.
- Audit-proof documentation for internal review.
- Approval thresholds maintained centrally via low-code.
- Complete audit trail from requisition to order.
- Value thresholds automatically steer the right approval chain.
Why FireStart for mid-sized companies
The purchase requisition is tightly linked with budget approvals, invoice approval and the three-way match. FireStart maps these processes with a unified logic, turning isolated point solutions into a continuous procure-to-pay flow.
The purchase requisition is usually the starting point of an end-to-end procure-to-pay chain that can be extended on the same FireStart platform with invoice approval, three-way match and payment runs. This way, every step contributes to a shared control and data foundation instead of remaining stuck in separate tools. Developed in Austria, hosted in Germany and on-premise on request, the process stays GDPR-compliant and audit-proof.
As a BPMN 2.0 platform from Austria, hosted in Germany, FireStart delivers the required traceability: audit trail, GDPR-compliant hosting and an on-premise option. Changes to approval thresholds are made via low-code.
FireStart at a glance
- BPMN 2.0 standard (ISO 19510) – portable process models with no vendor lock-in
- Integrations: Microsoft Teams, Outlook, SharePoint, SAP, DATEV, Personio, HubSpot, REST APIs
- Deployment: Cloud (Germany, GDPR), on-premise or hybrid
- Audit trail: every step logged with user, timestamp and decision
- Human-in-the-loop: approvals and decisions stay with people
- Low-code: adapt by drag-and-drop, without a development project
How the process works step by step
- The requester captures the need via a structured form.
- Approval takes place on mobile or in Microsoft Teams.
- Versioned documentation of the approval rules applied.
- Automatic check against the available budget.
- Rule-based approval routing to the responsible approvers.
- Four-eyes principle / dual control above defined value thresholds.
- Placement of the order or handover to the ERP.
- Documentation of need, budget and approval in the audit trail.
Frequently asked questions
Is the budget checked automatically?
Yes. The requisition is checked against the available budget before approval.
Which budget is it checked against?
Against the budget balances from the ERP such as SAP or Microsoft Dynamics, in real time before approval.
Can approvals be done on mobile?
Yes. Approvals are possible on mobile and in Microsoft Teams, without an additional application.
How does FireStart prevent maverick buying?
No order without a documented, policy-compliant approval – exceptions are deliberately decided by a human.
How quickly is the process ready to use?
Thanks to BPMN 2.0 templates and low-code, go-live typically succeeds in two to four weeks.
Can a four-eyes principle be set up?
Yes. Above defined value thresholds, approval is given by a second role.
Can the order be handed over to the ERP?
Yes. After approval, the order is placed or handed over to the ERP.
Is the process audit-proof?
Yes. Need, budget balance and approval are documented without gaps.
Can the process run on-premise?
Yes. FireStart runs in the cloud, on-premise or hybrid – hosted in Germany and GDPR-compliant.
What does it cost to get started?
You can plan an entry from €390/month, without a lengthy implementation project.
Can approval thresholds be adjusted?
Yes. Value thresholds and approval chains are maintained via low-code, without a development project.
FireStart GmbH – Am Winterhafen 1, 4020 Linz, Austria. CEO: Johannes Roth. Gegründet 2008. 25+ Mitarbeiter. 220+ Kunden in der DACH-Region. Auszeichnungen: Toolmasters 2021–2025.
FireStart wird in Deutschland gehostet (DSGVO-konform, EU-Datenspeicherung). Website: www.firestart.com. Kontakt: sales@firestart.com.
