Quolum Procurement

The Quolum procurement feature is an essential component of modern business software aimed at simplifying and streamlining the purchasing process. It encompasses a set of tools and functionalities designed to facilitate the acquisition of services and software required by an organization.

By utilizing the Quolum procurement feature, businesses can gain better control over their procurement lifecycle. They can leverage analytics and reporting functionalities to monitor spending patterns, identify cost-saving opportunities, and make informed decisions.

How does Quolum Procurement Feature Work?

1. It's as easy as a click of a button. Go to "Portal > Procurement" and create a new request. Employees, Organization Billing Admins, and Organization Admins can create procurement requests. The access they have to procurement requests will depend on their procurement persona, which is further explained in the section below.
2. When you click on the "New Request" option, a form will open up asking for details of the procurement request and the reviewers for the request.

3. Once these details are entered, the request is sent to all reviewers listed in the form and the approvers. (Note: The approver is not visible to the initial requestor until they take action on the request, such as suggesting an update, rejecting the proposal, or accepting the proposal)
4. Once the reviews are done, the Approver can proceed to approve the request. The process is fluid, as the approver does not have to wait for all reviews to be completed. They can approve the request once they feel there is enough data to make a decision, even if all reviews have not been done. The approver can also include additional reviewers, request their review, reject the request, or approve the request.

5. Depending on the requirement, the approver has the ability to complete the process internally or involve the Quolum procurement team. If the Quolum sourcing team is not involved, the Approver marks the request as "Fulfilled" once the process is completed.
6. Once the request is approved, only the approver can communicate with the external Quolum sourcing team to request procurement proposals. The approval process with the Quolum procurement team follows a similar workflow, where the approver can request a review, reject the proposal, or approve the proposal.

What are the different personas?

Currently, there are four different personas in the context of the Quolum procurement feature: Approver, Default Reviewer, Reviewer, and Requestor. An approver has more permissions than a default reviewer, who has more permissions than a reviewer, who, in turn, has more permissions than a requester. If a user has more than one persona, their permissions with the higher persona always apply.

Approver

An Approver takes the final decision on any procurement request. Generally, this role is assigned to the Procurement Head or CEO, depending on the size of the organization. Only the approver can "Take Action" on the procurement request, which includes suggesting an update, rejecting the request, or approving the request. Additionally, only the approver can communicate with the external Quolum sourcing team and has the authority to suggest updates on the proposal, reject the proposal, or accept the proposal.

Reviewer

A Reviewer analyzes the submitted request and shares their findings to assist the Approver in making a final decision. When creating a new request, the Requestor can assign any user from the organization as a Reviewer. Additionally, an Approver has the ability to add a Reviewer during the process. Eg: If a particular procurement request requires a review from the head of IT, say, "Isabelle IT", she can be added as a reviewer for that particular request.

Default Reviewer

Default Reviewers always have the same permissions as reviewers, but they are automatically added as reviewers to all procurement requests and cannot be removed. Adding Default Reviewers ensures that all requests always go to the designated person, especially in larger organizations. Eg: If the company has a policy that all requests must go via the legal team and the finance team, the head of the respective teams, say, "Lauren Legal" and "Frank Finance" can be added as default reviewers.

Requestor

The requestor is an employee ranging from an intern to the highest level including the CEO of an organization who has the authority to create procurement requests.