Indirect Purchasing Agent
Handles company purchase requests end to end through Teams or Email.
Accepts purchase requests from any employee through Teams or Email. It checks existing supplier agreements, framework contracts, and buying history, applies spend policy thresholds, routes for approval where required, and files the purchase request in the ERP.
- +40–60 pts
PO touchless rate
If 20% of indirect purchase requests run themselves today, 60–80% will after — roughly a 3x improvement.
Collects purchase request details
Asks the requester for item, quantity, and business context via Teams or Email and holds the conversation until all required fields are captured.
Checks contracts and buying history
Searches the contract repository, internal wiki, and ERP purchase history to find any framework agreement or preferred supplier that already covers the request.
Applies spend policy thresholds
Compares the requested amount against the configured policy limits and flags the request for approval if it exceeds the threshold for the requester's level.
Routes to the correct approver
Sends the request to the designated approver based on spend level and policy rules, and waits for a decision before proceeding.
Files the PR in the ERP
Creates the purchase requisition record in the ERP once policy checks pass and any required approval is confirmed.
- Trigger
Collects purchase request details
Asks the requester for item, quantity, and business context via Teams or Email and holds the conversation until all required fields are captured.
- Step 1
Checks contracts and buying history
Searches the contract repository, internal wiki, and ERP purchase history to find any framework agreement or preferred supplier that already covers the request.
- Step 2
Applies spend policy thresholds
Compares the requested amount against the configured policy limits and flags the request for approval if it exceeds the threshold for the requester's level.
- Step 3
Routes to the correct approver
Sends the request to the designated approver based on spend level and policy rules, and waits for a decision before proceeding.
- Resolution
Files the PR in the ERP
Creates the purchase requisition record in the ERP once policy checks pass and any required approval is confirmed.
Purchase requests handled without manual triage
so that procurement staff are not the default routing layer for every buy request, and can focus on supplier management and contract work instead.
Policy checks applied at point of request
so that spend threshold breaches and missing approvals are caught before a purchase order is raised, reducing rework and audit findings downstream.
Existing contracts used before new spend is created
so that the company draws down on negotiated agreements and framework deals it has already paid to put in place, rather than duplicating spend outside them.
- Read/write access to the ERP
- Connects to the ERP (e.g. Infor LN/M3/CloudSuite, Microsoft Dynamics 365, IFS Cloud, or SAP S/4HANA) to read prior purchasing history and spend policy thresholds, and to write approved purchase requisitions. Without this connection the agent cannot verify historical buying patterns, apply policy rules, or file PRs.
- Contract and agreement repository
- Reads the contract management repository (e.g. Icertis, Coupa, or a shared document store) to identify active supplier contracts and framework agreements that may already cover the requested item. Without this access the agent cannot determine whether an existing agreement applies before initiating a new procurement.
- Internal wiki and policy content
- Reads the internal knowledge base or wiki (e.g. Confluence, SharePoint) for buying guidance, approved supplier lists, and supplementary policy documentation. The agent uses this content alongside contract and ERP data to assess existing coverage before any spend check occurs.
- Approval routing and notification channel
- Connects to the organisation's workflow or notification system (e.g. Microsoft Teams, Outlook, or ServiceNow) to route purchase requests to the designated approver when spend thresholds require sign-off. Without this link, approval steps fall outside the conversational flow and must be handled manually.