Procurement Clerk

Department: Acquisitions
Level: Operational
Primary objective: Turn approved requests into firm orders, manage daily operational flow

What this role does

The Procurement Clerk is the operational executor of the department — processes approved purchase requests, creates RFQs and purchase orders, tracks deliveries, and records low-value fiscal documents. They don't negotiate strategically or manage supplier relationships — they focus on correct and fast transaction execution.

Modules used daily

Module	Where to find it	What you use it for
Purchase Requests	Acquisitions → Requests	Daily queue of approved requests to process
RFQ — Requests for Quotation	Acquisitions → RFQ	Create and send requests for quotation to suppliers
Received Quotes	Acquisitions → Received Quotes	Record quotations received from suppliers
Purchase Orders	Acquisitions → Orders	Create firm orders to suppliers
Vendors	Acquisitions → Vendors	Check supplier data for each order
Vendor Item Catalogue	Acquisitions → Vendor Catalogue	Find correct SKUs and prices per supplier
Tax Receipts	Acquisitions → Receipts	Record cash/card purchases below invoice threshold
Vendor Portal	—	Track confirmations and delivery status from portal

Daily routine

Morning — process approved requests

Open Purchase Requests → filter by status "Approved"
For each approved request, check:
- Is a preferred supplier specified? → if yes, go directly to PO
- Does the amount exceed the quoting threshold? → if yes, create RFQ first
- Are items in the vendor catalogue? → check Vendor Item Catalogue
Create the corresponding Purchase Order or RFQ

During the day — track active orders

Purchase Orders → filter status "Sent" or "Confirmed"
Check in Vendor Portal if suppliers have confirmed orders and updated estimated delivery date
If a supplier delays confirmation more than 24h → contact directly and update the PO with received information

Afternoon — miscellaneous documents

Record Tax Receipts for cash or card purchases below the formal invoice threshold
Check received quotes on open RFQs → notify the Buyer for comparison and selection

Key workflows

Workflow 1 — Approved Request → Direct Order (known supplier, fixed price)

Purchase Request (status: Approved)
→ Check preferred supplier in the request record
→ Check price in Vendor Item Catalogue
→ Create Purchase Order with items, quantities, prices
→ Send PO to supplier (email directly from platform or via Portal)
→ Supplier confirms in Portal → update status in PO
→ Warehouse receives goods → receipt recorded
→ Supplier invoice arrives → hand to AP Accountant for matching

Workflow 2 — Approved Request → RFQ (supplier unspecified or needs quoting)

Purchase Request (status: Approved)
→ Amount > quoting threshold OR supplier unspecified
→ Create RFQ with items and quantities
→ Select invited suppliers from list (minimum 2-3)
→ Send RFQ → suppliers receive notification and respond in Portal
→ Quotations appear in Received Quotes
→ Hand to Buyer for comparison and winner selection
→ Buyer selects → you convert winning quote to PO

Workflow 3 — Record Tax Receipt (cash/card purchase)

Employee brings fiscal receipt for a purchase made
→ Check supplier exists in system (if not → add minimal record)
→ Acquisitions → Tax Receipts → Add
→ Fill in: supplier, date, items, value, VAT
→ Attach receipt image/PDF
→ Save → entry available for accounting reconciliation

Workflow 4 — New supplier (quick add)

Purchase request from a supplier not yet in the system
→ Acquisitions → Vendors → Add new vendor
→ Fill in: name, VAT number, address, contact person, payment terms, currency
→ Attach compliance documents (if required)
→ Optional: activate Vendor Portal access (Contacts tab → email + password)
→ Supplier can now receive POs and respond to RFQs

How the Vendor Portal works from your perspective

When you send a PO or RFQ, the supplier receives a notification and sees it in the Vendor Portal (/purchase/vendors_portal). You monitor from inside:

What to track	Where
Has the supplier confirmed the PO?	Purchase Orders → status
Estimated delivery date updated?	PO → "Estimated delivery date" field
Has the supplier submitted a quote on the RFQ?	Received Quotes → RFQ filter
Has the supplier issued an invoice in the portal?	Vendor Invoices → source filter

Note: Suppliers can issue invoices directly from the portal — these appear automatically in Vendor Invoices with status "Received from portal". Hand to AP Accountant for validation.

Key metrics

Metric	What it means	Target
Unprocessed requests	Approved requests without PO or RFQ created	0 at end of day
POs without supplier confirmation > 24h	Sent orders not yet confirmed	Active follow-up
RFQs without quote > 3 days	Suppliers who haven't responded	Direct contact
Average time request → PO	From approval to firm order	< 4 hours (known supplier)

Practical tips

Always check the Vendor Item Catalogue before creating the PO. The price negotiated by the Buyer may differ from the standard price — the wrong SKU or old price generates disputes at invoicing.

Don't send PO without verifying supplier tax data. A supplier with the wrong VAT number or without a registered IBAN creates payment problems.

Clearly flag RFQs that require the Buyer's decision. Don't select the winning supplier yourself if you don't have the authority — forward the quotes and wait for confirmation.

Tax receipts recorded on time avoid reconciliation discrepancies. Don't let them accumulate — record them the same day or at latest the next day.

Tip

Verify the supplier's VAT number and registered IBAN before sending any Purchase Order — a supplier with incorrect tax data creates payment processing problems that take days to resolve after the delivery has already arrived.

Note

Do not select the winning supplier on an RFQ without the Buyer's explicit authority. Forward quotes with a recommendation and wait for confirmation — unauthorised supplier selection on high-value orders is a compliance risk that auditors will flag.