Purchase Requisition

Purchase Requisition or Purchase Request is a precise document generated by an internal or external organization to notify the purchasing department of items it needs to order, their quantity, and the time frame that will be given in the future. It may also contain the authorization to proceed with the purchase. It is also called Purchase Order Request.

As part of an organization's internal financial controls, the accounting department may institute a purchase requisition process to help manage requests for purchases. Requests for the creation of purchase of goods and services are documented and routed for approval within the organization and then delivered to the accounting group.

Typically an account staff member is assigned responsibility for purchase order management, referred to commonly as the PO (purchase order) Coordinator.

Purchase requests are tracked against both internal departmental budgets as well as general ledger (GL) categories.