Approval processes can be enabled for various activities associated with the following VendorPanel modules:
- Procurement Planning
- Advanced Evaluations
- Contract Management (Advanced licence only)
There are several settings that control how your approvals function across all three modules. Any selection of these settings can be enabled/disabled per your requirements.
Accessing the Approval Settings
- Navigate to the 'Approvals' tile from your Home page.
- Click on the 'Manage module' tab in the top right corner.
- The approval settings are located under the 'General' tab.
Approval Setting Definitions
Below you'll find a list of all the general settings along with a description of their function and purpose.
Batch approvals
| If enabled | If disabled |
|---|---|
|
If there is more than one required approver, the submitter can choose to send some (or all) approval requests in parallel with one another, rather than sending each request in sequential order. Potential use-case: When all users on an evaluation panel are required to approve the selection of successful candidates, it might make sense to seek these approvals in parallel to one another (rather than in sequential order). |
If there is more than one approver, the approval requests are always sent in sequential order (i.e. Approver #1 must approve before Approver #2 can approve). |
External approvals
| If enabled | If disabled |
|---|---|
|
The submitter can free-type the name and email address of a non-system user who is required to approve their request. Potential use-case: When approvers do not require system access for any other reason other than to approve submissions, it might make sense to enable external approvals (rather than give them system access). |
Only existing system users can be selected to review and approve submissions. |
Custom approvals
| If enabled | If disabled |
|---|---|
|
The submitter can entirely customise who is required to approve their submission. This includes removing, changing and adding the required approver(s) that would have been automatically populated. Potential use-case: If you have complex or ever-changing approval processes that are difficult to automate, it might make sense to allow submitters to select the required approvers. |
The required approvers are determined by the approval route set by Administrators and cannot be changed. |
User-based approval thresholds
| If enabled | If disabled |
|---|---|
|
To determine who is required to approve, the system will reference the associated Approval Route first, then:
Note: If using this setting, the 'Financial Limit' and 'Supervisor' fields should be maintained against all User Profiles in-system in the Control Panel. |
To determine who is required to approve, the system will only reference the associated Approval Route. |
Include all escalations as separate approval steps
| If enabled | If disabled |
|---|---|
|
This setting is only applicable (and therefore can only be enabled) if the "User-based approval thresholds" setting (above) is enabled. If both settings are enabled, each supervisor whose financial delegation is referenced by the system will be required to approve the submission. |
Only the final supervisor with the required financial delegation will be required to approve the submission. |
Endorsement notifications
| If enabled | If disabled |
|---|---|
|
The submitter will be notified via email each time someone approves their submission. |
The submitter will only be notified when the final approver approves their submission. |
Email approval method
| Email confirmation | Decision on record |
|---|---|
| Enables the option to approve the submission ‘offline' by clicking on a link in the approval email. |
Enforces users to log in to VendorPanel to approve the submission in-system. Note: If someone is an external approver (i.e. a non-system user), they will still have the option to approve ‘offline’. |