Procurement Manager
Department: Acquisitions
Level: Management
Primary objective: Efficiency and compliance of the entire procure-to-pay process, category savings, supplier performance
What this role does
The Procurement Manager leads the operational team (Clerks, Buyers, AP Accountant), defines procurement policy in the platform, monitors KPIs, oversees strategic supplier relationships, and makes final decisions on complex or exceptional transactions.
Modules used regularly
| Module | Where to find it | What you use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase Settings | Acquisitions → Settings | Configure thresholds, approval flows, terms |
| Purchase Requests | Acquisitions → Requests | Approve requests requiring your decision |
| Purchase Orders | Acquisitions → Orders | Supervise large or risky orders |
| Purchase Contracts | Acquisitions → Contracts | Sign strategic framework contracts |
| Vendors | Acquisitions → Vendors | Supplier base performance |
| Purchase Categories | Acquisitions → Categories | Spend structure per category |
| Vendor Invoices | Acquisitions → Invoices | Supervise overdue invoices and disputes |
| Debit Notes | Acquisitions → Debit Notes | Approve high-value debit notes |
| Vendor Portal | — | Configure supplier access and permissions |
Weekly routine
Monday — process health check
- Purchase Orders → filter orders without supplier confirmation > 48h → identify blockers
- Vendor Invoices → filter overdue > 7 days → decide: escalate, negotiate terms, debit note
- Purchase Requests → filter requests with "Pending" status requiring your approval
Wednesday — performance review
- Analyse per supplier (from Orders + Invoices): on-time deliveries, discrepancies, debit notes issued
- Identify low-performing suppliers → decide: warning, remediation plan, category replacement
- Check Contracts expiring in 90 days → plan negotiation / renewal
Friday — reporting and configuration
- Review the week's spend per category
- Update Settings if policy changes exist (approval thresholds, default terms)
Configurations you manage
Approval thresholds (Purchase Settings)
Define who can approve what value:
| Request value | Approver |
|---|---|
| < 500 RON | Procurement Clerk |
| 500–5,000 RON | Buyer / Specialist |
| 5,000–50,000 RON | Procurement Manager (you) |
| > 50,000 RON | General Director |
Configure these thresholds in Acquisitions → Settings → Approval Thresholds. Any purchase request submitted is automatically routed to the appropriate approver.
Default terms for new suppliers
In Settings, define terms automatically applied when a new supplier is registered:
- Default payment terms (e.g. 30 days)
- Default currency
- Default VAT rate
Buyers and Clerks don't need to fill in manually for each new supplier.
Category structure
Acquisitions → Categories — the structure you define determines:
- How spend is grouped in reports
- Who approvals are routed to per category (if you have category-specialist Buyers)
- How you analyse spend evolution over time
Key workflows
Workflow 1 — Approve high-value purchase request
Purchase Request → value > your approval threshold
→ Receive notification → open request
→ Review: business justification, proposed supplier, available budget
→ Approve → request moves to Buyer for RFQ/PO
→ Reject with comment → requester is notified with reason
→ Redirect → forward to another approver if conflict of interest
Workflow 2 — Strategic supplier with performance issue
Identify: delayed deliveries in 3 of last 5 orders
→ Analyse from Purchase Orders: promised ETA vs. actual ETA
→ Check Debit Notes: how many quality/quantity corrections in last 6 months
→ Organise discussion with supplier (outside platform)
→ If supplier commits to remediation: document remediation plan → monitor
→ If performance persists: launch competitive RFQ → replace supplier in category
→ Update notes in supplier record in Vendors
Workflow 3 — Configure Vendor Portal access for strategic partner
Strategic supplier that needs to see POs and issue invoices directly in portal
→ Acquisitions → Vendors → open the supplier
→ Contacts tab → add contact person with email + password
→ Tick portal access
→ Configure permissions: which sections are visible (Orders, Invoices, Quotes, Catalogue)
→ Send credentials to supplier
From now on:
→ Supplier receives notifications for each new PO
→ Confirms orders directly in portal
→ Issues invoices in portal → appear automatically with AP Accountant
→ You monitor activity from Purchase Orders and Vendor Invoices
Workflow 4 — Spend analysis and category strategy
At the start of each quarter:
→ Acquisitions → Categories + reports → analyse previous quarter's spend
→ Identify: categories with unexplained increases, high-volume suppliers without contract, categories with single supplier (single-source risk)
→ Define actions:
- Single-source categories → launch RFQ for alternative supplier
- Large volumes without contract → mandate Buyer for negotiation
- Price increases > 10% → analyse if market-wide or supplier-specific
→ Update Categories and thresholds if organisational structure has changed
Department health indicators
| Indicator | Meaning | Warning signal |
|---|---|---|
| % orders with PO issued | Controlled spend vs. "maverick buying" | < 85% = discipline issues |
| Average request → PO time | Team reaction speed | > 2 days = flow bottleneck |
| % invoices first-time match | Quality of POs and deliveries | < 90% = too many errors |
| On-time deliveries per supplier | Supplier base reliability | < 80% = operational risk |
| Negotiated savings / quarter | Impact of sourcing activity | Reported to Director |
| Overdue invoices past due date | Supplier relationship health | > 10% = risk of delivery block |
| Expired unrenewed contracts | Contractual coverage | 0 acceptable |
Practical tips
Approval thresholds are company policy — don't modify without Finance alignment. Too high a threshold eliminates control; too low freezes operations with unnecessary approvals.
Activate the Portal for suppliers with > 5 POs/month. Suppliers who confirm and invoice in the portal reduce manual entry errors and accelerate the AP process by 30-50%.
Review categories every 6 months. A category structure that doesn't reflect purchasing reality distorts reports and makes spend analysis useless.
Document supplier selection decisions. When you choose a more expensive supplier for valid reasons (reliability, quality, delivery), record the decision in the platform. Auditors and management will ask.