Purchase requisition: check demand before ordering
Reconcile duplicate requests for one manufacturing need, check why packs raise the order from 45 to 50 units, and trace revised approval into the order.
A purchase requisition records an internal request to buy materials or services. It tells purchasing what is needed and carries the review and authorization required by the company. The purchase order is the separate document sent to the supplier. An approved request alone proves neither that an order was placed nor that a supplier can meet the date.
For a manufacturing buyer, the difficult question often comes before the order: how much of this request is still new demand? A manual request can describe the same need as a planning proposal. Stock can already belong to another job. A supplier's pack size can also change the quantity that purchasing is about to commit to.
Establish one need before reviewing two requests
Hypothetical example. On November 2, 2026, Plant M reviews demand D100: 100 actuators, part AX12 revision C, usable for production by November 12 at 08:00, plant local time. All quantities below are individual actuators, or each. Assume no other demand, supply or stock movements beyond those stated.
The buyer checks the current stock, allocations and open orders with the responsible teams:
| Evidence at the review | Quantity | Treatment for D100 |
|---|---|---|
| Physically checked, released stock of AX12 revision C | 20 each | Five are firmly allocated to another job. Only 15 are available for D100; reserve those 15 through the normal process. |
| Additional stock awaiting quality disposition | 8 each | Excluded. No release is assumed. |
| Existing PO440, line 10, for the same part and revision | 40 each | Allocated to D100. The supplier currently confirms arrival on November 9; required receiving and inspection work is planned to finish November 10. |
The 40 incoming units are expected supply, not stock already received. Their availability before the need date is an explicit planning assumption. If arrival or inspection slips, reopen that assumption. A supplier's dispatch message would not establish usable availability.
On this stated basis, the new purchase requirement is 100 − 15 − 40 = 45 each. Do not subtract all 20 released units and consume the five belonging to the other job. Do not add the eight held units because a balance exists in the system. The clear-to-build guide covers the separate question of actual production readiness.
Two records now appear: PR810 line 1 requests 45 each, and planning proposal PR811 line 1 also requests 45 each. The requester and planner verify that both refer to the same D100 requirement, part revision, site, quantity basis and need date. Neither has generated an order. They are duplicate representations of one remaining need, not two jobs needing 45 each.
Matching quantities alone would not prove duplication. Retain the demand references and the owners' verification. An authorized person withdraws PR811 through the company's process and records its link to PR810. Keep D100's original 100-unit need, PO440's 40 units and the active 45-unit request intact. Removing the duplicate request must not erase the underlying demand or cancel existing supply.
Separate the approved scope from the estimate
PR810 line 1, version 1, is already approved for 45 each. Its estimate is €20 per each, or €900. In this invented company policy, the approval authorizes that quantity and a total ceiling of €1,000 excluding tax, including any freight. Purchasing has not placed the new order.
The current supplier offer changes the buying basis. It specifies packs of ten, a minimum of five packs, €22 each, and €40 freight for this order. The price is per actuator, not per pack. Assume the current offer explicitly confirms no other charges for this scope; all amounts are in EUR and exclude tax.
| Basis | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Original request estimate | 45 each × €20 | €900 |
| Minimum purchasable quantity in this offer | 5 packs × 10 each per pack | 50 each |
| Current goods amount | 50 each × €22 | €1,100 |
| Freight | One order charge | €40 |
| Current total, excluding tax | €1,100 + €40 | €1,140 |
The order would buy five more units than the 45-unit remaining need. It would also exceed the approval ceiling by €140, and the original estimate by €240. Those are different comparisons. None is a saving or a measured business result.
The 45-unit need has not changed just because the supplier sells 50. The proposed purchase quantity has changed. Before accepting it, the buyer can ask about a smaller pack, another commercial option or a different permitted source. The MOQ and EOQ guide handles the separate lot-size decision; this example does not calculate an economic order quantity or prove that buying five extra is the best option.
An estimate also need not be the eventual order price. SAP's requisition lesson illustrates that distinction in SAP. It does not establish the approval policy for your company or another system.
Obtain authority for the whole revised purchase
For this example, assume the team chooses the 50-unit offer, its technical and supplier requirements are satisfied, and its current terms remain valid when ordering. The five extra units are explicitly approved for stock at Plant M, outside D100's 100-unit requirement. That is a declared decision, not an unnoticed rounding adjustment.
The company's policy requires renewed approval for the changed quantity and total. A person authorized for the expanded scope approves PR810 line 1, version 2: 50 each, €1,140 excluding tax including freight, with the surplus decision attached. Version 2 supersedes version 1; both the original and revised approvals remain in the history. Do not leave two active authorizations that can each generate an order.
Approval of only the €140 difference would not describe the purchase being authorized. Equally, a lower total would not automatically permit a larger quantity: the quantity and spending limits are separate parts of this example's authority. Apply your own company's rules for changes, delegation and emergency purchases. The numerical threshold here is an illustration, not a general requirement.
Link what was ordered to the active request
The authorized buyer creates new PO450 line 10 for 50 each, referring to PR810 line 1 version 2. The order states the pack conversion, price basis, freight and delivery requirement. The purchasing record now distinguishes:
- D100: 100 each required; 15 released units reserved for this job.
- Existing PO440 line 10: 40 each still expected for D100; its timing remains under review.
- PR810 line 1 version 2: the active authority for the new 50-unit purchase, including five for stock.
- PO450 line 10: 50 each ordered against that authority; zero of those new units is claimed as received here.
- PR811: withdrawn duplicate, linked to the surviving request and with no order created.
This example uses one new order line to make the trace easy to follow. Real requests may be split or consolidated. Microsoft's requisition overview documents line-level workflows, consolidation and different fulfillment routes in Dynamics 365. A single document status is therefore a poor substitute for checking the relevant lines and their linked documents.
Keep the actual ordered quantity visible beside the active authorization. If only part has been ordered, identify what remains. If an order has already been created, withdrawing a request alone does not remove that supplier order; follow the authorized order-change process as well.
Then check the supplier's response against the order. Purchase order acknowledgement covers that next step, and the RFQ guide covers earlier offer clarification. Neither an internal approval nor an order number proves receipt, inspection release or completion of D100.
For that downstream supplier work, Scout Agent supports order confirmation and follow-up under configured communication permissions and task approval rules. Inbox & Tasks keeps the owner, plan, linked records and communication history together. Requisition approval, spending authority and order creation in this example remain in the company's purchasing process.
Questions teams ask
Does an approved purchase requisition mean the goods have been ordered?
Check the linked fulfillment documents and their lines. Approval, order creation, supplier confirmation and physical receipt are separate events. The route depends on the company's process and system configuration.
Are two requests for the same quantity duplicates?
Not necessarily. Verify the underlying demand, part revision, site, units, need date and any orders already created. Two different jobs can legitimately need the same quantity. Preserve the verification before withdrawing a duplicate.
Can purchasing increase quantity if the total stays below the spending ceiling?
Only if the applicable authority permits that change. In the example, approval covers both 45 each and a €1,000 ceiling, so a 50-unit purchase needs revised quantity authority even at a lower price.
What if the existing 40-unit order becomes late?
Reassess its usable-by date and the requirement it supports. Keep its outstanding obligation visible while considering recovery, rescheduling or an authorized change. Buying another 40 without addressing the existing order can create surplus later.