e-Procurement

The process begins with the registration of a purchase request for goods or services by an authorised employee. The document can be created by any person with access to the e-Procurement system. The company field on the form is filled in automatically based on the context of the currently logged-in user. The system allows key parameters to be defined, such as the organisational unit, purchase category, completion date, expected value or source of funding. The form can be created directly in the system, imported from an Excel file or prepared by copying a pre-existing document. The user enters basic information such as the subject of the purchase, its justification, value, the place where the cost arises (MPK) and the type of request. Three main types of requests are available:

• standard (ordinary) – concerning a single, specific purchase,
• cyclical (fixed-value) – allows for the definition of fixed, periodic requests, which will be executed in a specific schedule,
• framework-budget – allows a general budget to be defined for a given MPK or project, without the need to indicate specific purchase items at the stage of its creation.

Each document is given a unique number, assigned automatically in a cumulative manner – according to the system configuration. This numbering is independent of the order numbering, while the system automatically links the requisition to the associated order in a one-to-one model.

The system also allows any number of annexes to be added to a given application.

Additionally, the system has the possibility of budget management, storing budgets in two registers – Budget Register and Project Budget Register. The registers are accessible to users with substantive administrator rights.

Each requisition goes through an automated approval process, based on a multi-level decision matrix. Depending on the type of purchase, threshold value or department, the document goes to the appropriate decision-makers. The process can be supported by an e-signature (e.g. mSzafir) and a system of email and system notifications. The people designated for approval are assigned actions that enable them to:

• approve the document,
• reject with justification,
• refer the document for editing (in which case it must be resubmitted for approval).
  Multiple acceptance tasks can be created within a single process. The decision path is based on the assigned acceptance matrix – in this case, approval can be performed sequentially (by one or many users), with the possibility of skipping lower levels if certain conditions are met.

Once the approval is complete, the document goes back to the initiator.

Once a purchase request has been approved, the person initiating the process can proceed to create a purchase order based on the data previously entered. The system automatically assigns a unique purchase order number and allows it to be transmitted to the supplier by email, electronic mailbox or directly via integration with external systems. The initiator has the option to print and export the purchase order to PDF, according to a template that includes all basic information. In addition, the system has the option of attaching additional files to the order (e-mail).

(The Generate task can be performed automatically if such an option is selected when creating the order).

Once the goods have been delivered or the service provided, the employee in charge makes an electronic acknowledgement of receipt. The system makes it possible to record the quantity, quality and date of receipt. The receipt can be directly linked to the delivery document. Completion of this stage is crucial, as it forms the basis for further invoice processing – especially when automatically linked to a specific order.

Once an invoice has been registered in Workflow, it can go into e-Procurement to be linked to an order. If the invoice does not contain an assigned order number, the supplier’s supervisor is instructed to link the invoice. In the case of a manual cross-reference task, the reason why the automatic cross-reference failed is displayed (e.g. inconsistent dates, amounts). A comment added at the registration stage is visible to the person linking the invoice. A comment can be added and will be displayed on the posting task. If an invoice is issued for an amount different from the order, the option to wait for the invoice to be corrected is available. Once the linking has been performed, the invoice is returned to the Workflow system for the posting stage.

(An invoice can automatically link to an order if it matches in terms of dimensions, amounts and payment dates and if the goods for this invoice have been received on the requisition).

Once deliveries have been completed and invoices paid, the whole process is formally closed. All related documents – requisitions, orders, deliveries, invoices and comments – are archived and available for viewing according to user rights. When the user does not select the automatic close option when creating an order, the system creates this possibility. Closing terminates the process in Camunda, after which the requisition can no longer be edited or corrected, it is only available for viewing.

(Closing an order can be done automatically if this option was selected when creating the requisition. In this case, the order closes as soon as the entire budget has been used).

All data from the process goes into a central reporting module. Users can analyse order progress, lead times, budget compliance, acceptance efficiency. The system offers advanced analytical and reporting capabilities. Users can generate cyclical and ad-hoc reports on, for example, order value, lead time, on-time delivery or user activity. Data can be exported to XLSX/CSV files or integrated with external BI systems.