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What is purchase requisition software? A guide for accounting teams


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Without a structured process, managing purchase requests in a growing organization can feel like juggling a dozen plates in the air. Approvals stall, data gets scattered across spreadsheets, and accounting teams lose visibility into spending until invoices arrive.

Purchase requisition software changes that. It automates how employees request the goods and services they need, routes approvals to the right people, and provides a single, auditable record before any order is placed.

Why businesses need purchase requisition software

In organizations with 100+ employees, even a simple purchase can trigger a chain of emails, paper forms, or unclear sign-offs. Without a digital process:

  • Teams waste time chasing approvals.

  • Duplicate orders slip through unnoticed.

  • Budgets are exceeded before finance knows it.

With purchase requisition software, requests are submitted and approved electronically — giving finance and procurement real-time insight into upcoming expenses. The software also stores details on vendors and past purchases, helping companies negotiate better pricing and improve accuracy over time.

 

 

How purchase requisition software works

At its core, purchase requisition software digitizes the early stage of the purchasing process.
Employees submit requests for supplies, services, or equipment. The system automatically routes those requests through predefined approval workflows before sending them to purchasing or accounting.

Once approved, a purchase requisition can be converted into a purchase order and sent to a vendor for fulfillment.
This streamlined workflow ensures that:

  • Every request meets company policy and budget rules.

  • Approvals are documented and traceable.

  • Procurement and accounting teams have accurate data for reporting and reconciliation.

When purchase requisition functionality is built directly into your accounting platform, every step — from request to purchase order to payment — happens within the same system. There’s no need for third-party integrations or manual data transfers.

 

 

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Who uses purchase requisition software?

The purchasing process typically starts at the department level.

Maybe it’s a doctor requesting new medical equipment, or a hotel manager ordering larger carts for housekeeping efficiency. Some companies allow individual employees to submit purchase requests directly, while others have department heads do it on their behalf.

Once a request is made, the path it takes depends on company policy. It may require review from department leadership, procurement, and ultimately finance.
For accounting teams, this visibility is invaluable — they can quickly determine whether a request aligns with the budget and forecast, or if it needs additional justification.

Even when accounting isn’t directly approving requests, access to requisition data helps reconcile expenses faster and prepare accurate budgets.

 

 

How purchase requisition software improves business operations

Built directly into your accounting platform, purchase requisition software streamlines approvals, enhances collaboration, and gives finance teams full visibility across requests, budgets, and spend. Beyond eliminating paper-based processes, it delivers measurable improvements across the organization.

Faster approvals and stronger collaboration with built-in workflows

Digital workflows replace manual emails and paper forms, ensuring every request moves quickly to the right approver.

Each requisition is tracked and timestamped, giving employees and managers complete visibility into where approvals stand.

With everyone operating in the same system — from department heads to accounting — collaboration improves, and delays are minimized.

Built-in budget controls that improve financial oversight

When requisition software is part of your accounting solution, budget visibility starts at the very first request.

Finance and procurement teams can monitor proposed spend before it hits the general ledger, helping prevent overspending and duplicate orders.

They can also consolidate similar requests to negotiate better pricing or bulk discounts — all while keeping departments accountable to budget limits.

Centralized purchase data for smarter, data-driven decisions

Having all requisition and vendor data in one platform allows accounting and finance leaders to analyze purchasing patterns and make informed decisions.

For example, if a department requests the same product that previously caused warranty issues, procurement can intervene before another costly mistake occurs.

Centralized data also enables trend tracking and forecasting that paper or email-based systems can’t provide.

Real-time visibility across requests, approvals, and spend

From the moment a requisition is submitted, employees, approvers, and finance teams can see its status in real time.

This level of transparency eliminates uncertainty and gives leadership the confidence that every purchase aligns with policy and budget goals.

With all purchasing activity visible in one unified financial system, accountability naturally increases across every department.

 

What to look for in purchase requisition software

When evaluating solutions, consider the needs of all stakeholders: employees, approvers, procurement, and accounting.
The most effective systems are part of a complete accounting platform, where purchase requisitions, purchase orders, and accounts payable all share the same data.

Built-in purchase order and accounts payable integration

Look for a financial management solution that includes requisition, purchasing, and accounts payable modules under one roof.

That unified structure ensures a seamless flow from requisition to purchase order to payment — without relying on integrations or duplicate data entry.

Customizable approval workflows that scale

Every organization has its own approval structure. The software should let you define workflows for single, sequential, or parallel approvals.

As your company grows, it should scale easily — allowing you to add users, entities, or custom approval logic while maintaining consistency across your financial system.

User-friendly interface for all employees

A good solution should work for everyone — not just tech-savvy users.

A clean, intuitive design ensures that submitting or approving a request takes only a few clicks. Role-based user access keeps interfaces simple and ensures users only see what’s relevant to them.

Security and compliance you can trust

Security isn’t optional.

According to Statista, over 3,200 data breaches affected more than 350 million individuals in 2023. That’s why it’s critical to choose software built on a proven, secure infrastructure.

Built on the Microsoft Power Platform, Gravity Software delivers enterprise-grade security, role-based permissions, and detailed audit trails that help organizations maintain compliance and control.

Trusted vendor reputation and support

Even the best software needs a responsive partner behind it. Before investing, check vendor reviews and customer success resources to ensure you’ll receive ongoing support from a knowledgeable, reliable team.

 

A smarter way to manage purchase requests with Gravity Software

As organizations grow, managing purchase requisitions manually becomes too complex. Gravity Software automates the entire process — from employee requests and multi-level approvals to purchase orders and accounting — all within one cloud-based financial platform.

There’s no need for integrations or separate systems. Requisition management is part of Gravity’s complete accounting solution, ensuring that all your data — budgets, approvals, purchase orders, and payments — stays in sync.

Key benefits

  • Automate approval workflows for faster processing

  • Eliminate duplicate data entry and manual errors

  • Maintain real-time visibility into company-wide spending

  • Strengthen auditability and compliance

  • Customize approval routes to match your internal policies

Built on trusted Microsoft cloud technology, Gravity centralizes data across departments, improves collaboration, and gives accounting teams the real-time visibility they need to manage spend proactively.

Ready to simplify purchasing?

See how Gravity streamlines purchase requisitions and approvals.

Schedule a personalized demo today and discover how an integrated accounting platform can help your team save time, reduce risk, and gain full control of spending.

Gravity Software

Better. Smarter. Accounting.

 

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