---
title: Purchase Requisition: Definition and How It Works | Aavenir
url: https://aavenir.com/glossary/purchase-requisition/
description: A purchase requisition is an internal request an employee submits to buy goods or services for the organization, which starts approval and the purchasing process.
updated: 2026-11-07
---

[Home](https://aavenir.com/) / [Resources](https://aavenir.com/resources/) / [Glossary](https://aavenir.com/glossary/) / Purchase requisition Glossary

# What is a purchase requisition?

A purchase requisition is an internal request an employee submits to buy goods or services for the organization, which starts approval and the purchasing process.

## How it works

An employee who needs something, whether office supplies, inventory or a service, fills in a requisition with the item, quantity, cost estimate, budget code, preferred supplier and date needed. It goes to the manager or budget owner for approval. Once approved, purchasing turns it into a purchase order with the supplier. Finance also uses requisitions to track committed spend against budgets.

## Requisition vs. purchase order

- **Purchase requisition.**Internal. Asks permission to buy. Not sent to the supplier.

- **[Purchase order](https://aavenir.com/glossary/purchase-order/).**External. Commits the business to buy from a supplier on stated terms.

Requisitions give control: spend is approved before it is committed, and buyers can steer the request to a contracted supplier.

## How Aavenir handles it

On ServiceNow, requests start in the employee portal of Sourcing and Procurement Operations. When a request needs a new supplier or a competitive event, [RFPflow](https://aavenir.com/solutions/rfp-management-software/) runs the sourcing, and [Contractflow](https://aavenir.com/solutions/enterprise-contract-management-software/) handles requests that need a new contract.

## Common requisition problems

- Incomplete requests that bounce back and forth

- Approvals that sit with one busy manager

- Requests that ignore an existing contract

- Purchases made before the requisition is approved

## Keep reading

[Procure to pay process The procure to pay process is how an organization buys and pays for the goods and services it needs, from the first requisition to invoice approval and payment. Read more](https://aavenir.com/glossary/procure-to-pay-process/)[Procurement planning Procurement planning is deciding what to buy, when, from which kind of supplier and by which method, so goods and services arrive when they are needed. Read more](https://aavenir.com/glossary/procurement-planning/)[Electronic purchasing Electronic purchasing, or ePurchasing, moves buying from paper and email to digital systems, from the first requisition through ordering to paying the supplier. Read more](https://aavenir.com/glossary/e-purchasing/)

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

## Common questions

###

### What is the difference between a purchase requisition and a purchase order?

A requisition is an internal request for approval to buy. A purchase order is the external document sent to the supplier that commits the business to buy. [Read about the procure to pay process](https://aavenir.com/glossary/procure-to-pay-process/).

###

### Who approves a purchase requisition?

Usually the employee's manager or the budget owner, with higher amounts going to more senior approvers under a delegation of authority. Clear limits keep approvals quick. [Read about electronic purchasing](https://aavenir.com/glossary/e-purchasing/).

###

### What should a purchase requisition include?

The item or service, quantity, estimated cost, budget code, reason, date needed and preferred or contracted supplier. Complete requests move faster. Missing details are the most common cause of delay. [See RFPflow](https://aavenir.com/solutions/rfp-management-software/).

Have a question we have not answered? [Ask the Expert](https://aavenir.com/contact/)

Schedule a demo

## See your contracts run on one record.

- **1****A 30 minute walkthrough**Built around your team, whether that is procurement, legal, IT or finance.

- **2****Your contracts, not ours**Bring a few sample agreements and watch Aavenir AI extract and review them.

- **3****ServiceNow or standalone**We show the deployment that fits the systems you already run.

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