Procurement

The Procurement module is available on Pro and Enterprise plans. It manages the full procurement lifecycle — from purchase requests through supplier management, purchase orders, goods receipt, and 3-way matching — giving your organisation complete visibility and control over spending.

Integrated Request Flow

On Pro+ tiers, purchase requests are tightly integrated with procurement. Once a purchase request receives departmental approval, it is automatically forwarded to the Procurement team for sourcing and purchase order creation.

• •Staff submit purchase requests as usual from their department.
• •After the department head approves, the request lands in the Procurement queue.
• •Procurement staff review the request, identify or add suppliers, and generate a purchase order.
• •The purchase order is sent to the vendor for fulfilment.
• •Goods are received and checked against the PO.
• •The supplier invoice is matched for payment processing.

Supplier Directory

The supplier directory is a centralised database of all vendors your organisation works with. Maintaining accurate supplier records streamlines purchase order creation and vendor communication.

Supplier Information

• •Company name, registration number, and tax ID.
• •Primary contact person, email, and phone number.
• •Address and location details.
• •Categories of goods or services provided.
• •Bank account details for payment processing.
• •Approval status — vendors can be Pending, Approved, or Blacklisted.
• •Notes and internal ratings.

1. Navigate to Procurement and open the Supplier Directory.
2. Click "Add Supplier" and fill in the required contact and business details.
3. Assign one or more categories (e.g., Office Supplies, IT Equipment, Construction Materials).
4. Set the approval status. New suppliers default to Pending until reviewed.
5. Save the supplier record. It is now available for selection when creating purchase orders.

Purchase Orders

Purchase orders (POs) are formal documents sent to suppliers to authorise the purchase of goods or services. Deskpadi generates professional PDF purchase orders with your company branding that can be emailed directly to vendors.

Creating a Purchase Order

1. From the procurement queue, select an approved purchase request or create a new PO.
2. Select the supplier from the directory.
3. Add line items with description, quantity, unit price, and total.
4. Review the PO summary including subtotal, taxes, and grand total.
5. Generate the PDF — it includes your company logo, PO number, vendor details, and line items.
6. Email the PO directly to the vendor via the built-in email integration (powered by Resend).

PO Contents

• •Company logo and address.
• •Unique PO number for tracking.
• •Vendor name and contact details.
• •Itemised list with descriptions, quantities, unit prices, and line totals.
• •Delivery address and expected delivery date.
• •Payment terms and conditions.
• •Authorised signatory.

Vendor Acknowledgement

After a PO is sent, the system tracks whether the vendor has acknowledged receipt. This provides visibility into which orders have been confirmed and which may need follow-up.

• •Vendors receive the PO via email with an acknowledgement link.
• •When the vendor clicks the link, the PO status updates to "Acknowledged".
• •If no acknowledgement is received within a configurable period, a reminder is sent.
• •Procurement staff can see acknowledgement status at a glance in the PO list.

Budget Tracking

The procurement module integrates with organisational budgets to track spending against allocated amounts. Every purchase order impacts the budget in real time.

Budget warnings appear when a new PO would push committed + spent amounts beyond the allocated budget. Finance and procurement heads can override warnings when justified.

Goods Receipt Notes

When goods arrive from a supplier, a Goods Receipt Note (GRN) is created to record what was actually received versus what was ordered.

1. Open the purchase order and click "Receive Goods".
2. For each line item, enter the quantity received and the condition (Good, Damaged, Partial).
3. Add notes for any discrepancies or issues.
4. Upload photos of received goods if needed.
5. Save the GRN. It is linked to the original PO for matching.

• •Partial receipts are supported — you can receive goods in multiple batches.
• •The PO status updates to reflect delivery progress (Partially Received, Fully Received).
• •Discrepancies between ordered and received quantities are flagged automatically.

3-Way Matching

3-way matching is a financial control that compares three documents before a supplier invoice is approved for payment. This prevents overpayment, duplicate payments, and payment for goods not received.

• •Purchase Order (PO) — what was ordered and at what price.
• •Goods Receipt Note (GRN) — what was actually received and in what condition.
• •Supplier Invoice — what the supplier is billing for.
• •The system compares quantities and amounts across all three documents.
• •If all three match within tolerance, the invoice is approved for payment.
• •If there are discrepancies, the invoice is flagged for manual review.

Vendor Document Management

Suppliers can have documents attached to their records for reference and compliance purposes.

• •Store vendor registration certificates, tax clearance certificates, and insurance documents.
• •Track document expiry dates and receive alerts when renewals are due.
• •Attach contracts and service-level agreements.
• •All vendor documents are accessible from the supplier profile.

Invoice Line Items

When recording a supplier invoice, you enter individual line items that can be matched against PO line items. This granular matching ensures accurate payment and simplifies dispute resolution.

• •Each invoice line includes description, quantity, unit price, and total.
• •Lines are matched to corresponding PO lines automatically or manually.
• •Variances are highlighted for review (e.g., price difference, quantity mismatch).
• •Partial invoicing is supported for phased deliveries.

Procurement Analytics

The procurement analytics dashboard provides insights into spending patterns, supplier performance, and process efficiency.

• •Spend by period — track procurement spending monthly, quarterly, or annually.
• •Spend by department — see which departments are the largest spenders.
• •Spend by supplier — identify top vendors and concentration risk.
• •Spend by category — understand what types of goods and services drive costs.
• •PO cycle time — measure how long it takes from request to delivery.
• •Budget utilisation — compare actual spend against allocated budgets.