Purchasing Overview

AcaTrove's purchasing system streamlines how research teams procure supplies, equipment, and services. Instead of managing purchase requests through email chains and spreadsheets, the purchasing module provides a structured workflow from requisition to approval to delivery tracking.

Accessing the Purchasing Module

Navigate to /purchasing from the sidebar. The purchasing landing page shows a summary of your recent activity: pending requisitions, items awaiting approval, and budget utilization across your accounts.

Purchasing module overview with summary cards

Key Components

The purchasing system is organized into five areas, each accessible from the purchasing navigation:

Requisitions -- Create and track purchase requests. Each requisition includes line items, estimated costs, a budget account, and a justification. Requisitions move through an approval workflow before they are submitted to vendors. See Creating Purchase Requisitions for details.

Approvals -- Review and act on requisitions submitted by your team. Approvers can approve, reject, or send requisitions back for revision. The approval workflow supports multi-level approval chains. See Approval Workflows.

Budgets -- Track spending against allocated budgets. Each budget account shows its total allocation, committed funds, spent funds, and remaining balance. Budget managers receive alerts when spending approaches thresholds. See Budget Management.

Vendors -- Maintain a directory of approved vendors with contact information, preferred pricing, and order history. See Vendor Management.

Auto-Reorder -- Set up rules for recurring supply orders. When inventory falls below a threshold or a scheduled date arrives, AcaTrove automatically generates a requisition. See Auto-Reorder Rules.

How a Purchase Flows Through the System

1. A researcher creates a requisition with one or more line items and selects a budget account.
2. The requisition enters the approval queue. Depending on the amount and budget rules, it may require one or more levels of approval.
3. Once approved, the requisition status changes to Approved and can be submitted to the vendor.
4. When items are received, the researcher marks the requisition as Received, and the actual cost is recorded against the budget.

Who Can Use Purchasing

All workspace members can create requisitions. Approval permissions are configured by workspace administrators. Budget management is typically restricted to PIs, lab managers, and administrators.

Tips

• Link requisitions to specific projects or grants so spending is tracked against the correct funding source.
• Set up auto-reorder rules for consumables you order regularly to avoid running out of critical supplies.
• Use the budget dashboard to monitor spending trends and forecast remaining funds through the end of the fiscal year.