Enterprise: ERP, CRM and SAP · Enterprise scenario · Proposed architecture
From purchase request to payment (Procure-to-Pay)
The full chain from a department’s purchase request to handover for payment: budget, cost center and policy are checked in parallel, the contract or request-for-quotation path is chosen, an amount-based approval chain runs, and the order, receipt and invoice are linked to each other.
Who it is for: Holdings, manufacturing, construction, retail chains
Systems: Request portal, SAP procurement processes, Budget and finance processes, Supplier portal
Problem
Requests arrive by email and Excel, and the budget check happens later. It is unclear who can approve which amount, and an invoice for partially received goods can go to payment for the full amount.
How it works today
The department sends the request by email, a procurement officer asks finance about the budget and copies quotes into a spreadsheet by hand. Approval signatures are collected on paper or in messages, the order is entered into the ERP by hand, and the receipt and invoice are checked separately.
What this scenario changes
The request is created in the portal, and AI structures it from the text and attachments. Budget, cost center and procurement policy are checked in parallel, and if there is no existing contract a request-for-quotation subprocess opens. An approval chain runs based on amount and category, the order is created in the ERP with an idempotent write, and the receipt and invoice are matched against the order and handed over for payment approval.
The integration method is chosen based on the SAP version and the available interfaces.
Process stages
- Purchase request: Turn the department’s need into a precise request. Result: Structured request: product, quantity, specification, date
- Stock and urgency: Check whether the warehouse can supply it and the lead time. Result: Standard path or an approved urgent purchase. Approval: COO (for an urgent exception)
- Budget and policy: Budget, cost center and policy are checked at the same time. Result: Combined result of the three checks. Approval: Budget owner and financial control (for a budget change)
- Supplier selection: Choose a supplier through an existing contract or a request for quotation. Result: Selected supplier and terms
- Approval chain: Authorized approval based on amount and category. Result: Approval for a specific amount version. Approval: Department head, CFO above the threshold
- Purchase order: Create the order exactly once and get it to the supplier. Result: Purchase Order in the ERP and in the supplier portal
- Goods or service receipt: Record what was actually received. Result: Full or partial Goods Receipt
- Invoice and handover for payment: Match the invoice against the order and the receipt. Result: A matching invoice is handed over for payment approval
Participants
- Requesting department and warehouse
- Request portal
- Integration layer
- ERP / SAP
- Procurement
- Manager, budget and finance approval
- Supplier
The role of AI
Extracts product, quantity, specification and date from the request text and attachments, compares quotes on price, delivery and terms, and explains the differences. It does not choose the supplier or make approval decisions.
Rule-based automation
Budget, cost center, policy and amount threshold are checked with approved rules. The order write is idempotent through an operation ID, and on a timeout the ERP is checked first. On a partial receipt, only the received portion is matched.
Human approval and exceptions
A procurement officer reviews the quote comparison. The department head approves, and the CFO approves when the amount threshold is exceeded. A budget change and an urgent purchase are approved under separate authority. If the amount changes, the approval chain runs again.
Frequently asked questions
Do you have a ready-made SAP integration?
This page shows the proposed architecture and a synthetic demo. The integration method is chosen in the project based on the SAP version, the active procurement and finance processes, and the available interfaces.
Does AI choose the supplier or the approval?
No. AI structures the request, compares the quotes and explains the differences. A procurement officer reviews the choice, and authorized people give approvals according to the amount and category matrix.
How is the invoice handled if goods arrive partially?
Only the quantity that arrived is recorded in the receipt document, and the rest of the order stays open. The invoice is matched against the received portion, and the remaining quantity is not handed over for payment.