This template provides a starting point for determining customer requirements within a specific application area.

Customize the template with project specific questions. This document may not display properly in the Viewer. To display the document with proper formatting, use the Edit command on the Viewer's File menu, to view this template in Microsoft Word. 1. Requisitions 1.1. Do you issue requisitions? If so, describe the process: 1.1.1. Who creates requisitions? 1.1.2. Are they entered in a central location or from multiple locations? 1.1.3. How many requisitions are entered on average per period? 1.1.4. How are requisitions approved? 1.1.5. Can the requesters approve their own requisitions? 1.1.6. Is the current process manual or automated? 1.1.7. What is the cycle time for the process (enter, approve, issue)? 1.1.8. How are requisitions issued? 1.2. What is the process for getting rejected requisitions back into the approval process? 1.3. What numbering scheme is used for requisitions? Are numbers generated automatically or manually? 1.4. What information is included on the requisition: 1.4.1. basic information (e.g., number, preparer, approval status, action, description, forward to)? 1.4.2. vendors and prices? Are they required? 1.4.3. is there any other information added which might be considered out of the ordinary? 1.4.4. general ledger (GL) account coding information on requisition lines? Are they required? 1.4.5. other? 1.5. Can a requisition be approved without a valid GL code?

1.6. What is the procedure for modifying an approved purchase order (PO)? Who is involved? 1.7. Are requisitions combined to generate POs or is each done separately? 1.8. How is ordering done: 1.8.1. by part number? 1.8.2. by vendor part number? 1.8.3. by part number revision level? 1.8.4. by description? 1.8.5. other? 1.9. Are there instances of repetitive orders for the same item? 1.10. Are requisitions imported from outside systems: 1.10.1. MRP (manufacturing resource planning)? 1.10.2. inventory? 1.10.3. other? 2. Requests for Quotations (RFQs) 2.1. Do you use requests for bids / quotations? If so, describe the process: 2.1.1. How do you request bids for your vendors? 2.1.2. Are quotations obtained from phone, catalogs, or other means? 2.1.3. How do you document the responses to record quotations and other information provided by vendors? 2.1.4. Are quotations collected for all items to be purchased? 2.1.5. Are RFQs created before all POs? 2.2. How many RFQs are issued each month on average? 2.3. Are RFQs linked to requisitions or POs? How do you decide which quotations are available to reference on a PO?

2.4. Do you use conversion factors for different units of measure? 2.5. Are you notified when a quotation is about to expire? 3. Purchase Orders 3.1. Describe the process for generating POs in your organization: 3.1.1. Who enters POs and how often? 3.1.2. How many POs are entered on average per month? 3.1.3. Is purchasing centralized or decentralized in your organization? 3.1.4. If decentralized, how many locations do purchasing? 3.1.5. What is the approval process? 3.1.6. Who approves POs and what is the basis for approval - amount, vendor, item? 3.1.7. Can a PO be approved without a valid GL code? 3.1.8. What is the procedure for modifying an approved PO? Who is involved? 3.2. What PO types do you use: 3.2.1. standard? 3.2.2. blanket? 3.2.3. contract (services)? 3.2.4. other? 3.3. Describe how blanket POs are used and how releases are entered against them. 3.4. Describe your purchase agreements for contracts. (Are there any "not to exceed" contracts?) 3.5. Do you require multiple ship to addresses on a single purchase order? 3.6. How is freight handled? Is a separate line item set up for freight? Is freight estimated? 3.7. How do you decide who to buy from? 3.8. Are vendor files maintained by purchasing or accounts payable?

3.9. Do you take advantage of volume discounts or price breaks? 3.10. How are accounts payable (AP) invoices matched with POs? 3.11. What information do you record on a PO: 3.11.1. basic information (PO number, buyer, status, vendor, item, quantity, price)? 3.11.2. any information which might be considered out of the ordinary? 3.12. Do you attach standard text or other notes to POs? 3.13. What numbering scheme do you use for POs? Are numbers generated automatically or manually? 3.14. Do you use more than one format for POs? What are they? Provide examples. 3.15. Manufacturing: 3.15.1. What percentage of purchased parts are intended for manufacturing use? 3.15.2. What percentage are intended for non-manufacturing use? 3.15.3. How are new POs created for manufacturing use as direct material? 3.15.4. Do you automatically assign MRP planned POs to specific vendors? What criteria do you use to do so? 3.15.5. Do you automatically assign MRP planned POs to an existing master or blanket order? What criteria are used? 3.16. Is unit of measure conversion used in POs? 3.17. Do you need to identify and handle hazardous materials in POs? 3.18. How do you issue POs: 3.18.1. EDI? 3.18.2. direct fax without printing? 3.18.3. fax after printing? 3.18.4. mail after printing? 3.18.5. other?

3.19. Do all purchases require a requisition or a PO? If not, explain exceptions. 4. Buyers 4.1. How many buyers are there and where are they located? 4.2. Are buyers assigned to specific vendors or items? 4.2.1. by part? 4.2.2. by commodity? 4.2.3. by location? 4.2.4. randomly? 4.2.5. other? 4.3. Describe the approval process for buyers. 4.4. Are there purchasing limits assigned to each buyer? 4.5. Can the buyer modify a PO or requisition without authorization from the requisitioner? 4.6. How is authorization obtained? 4.7. Must a buyer purchase from the vendor recorded in the requisition? 5. Vendors 5.1. How many vendors are there in total? 5.2. Do legal entities share vendors? If not, is there a reason why they cannot? 5.3. Is the same vendor listed in your files multiple times? 5.4. Do you record multiple addresses for each vendor? 5.5. Do you keep track of vendor contacts? 5.6. What information do you record for vendors: 5.6.1. basic information (name, address, number, payment terms, type)? 5.6.2. other - what information do you record that might be considered out of the ordinary?

5.6.3. What vendor information gets defaulted to POs and / or invoices? 5.7. Do you record tax types charged by vendors? 5.7.1. sales tax? 5.7.2. VAT (Value Added Tax)? 5.7.3. GST (Goods and Services Tax)? 5.7.4. other? 5.8. What other tax information do you record for vendors? 5.8.1. 1099 (U.S. tax information)? 5.8.2. tax exempt numbers? 5.8.3. other? 5.9. Do you categorize vendors into types or groups? 5.10. Do you manually assign a number to your vendors or are numbers defaulted by the system? If manual, what numbering scheme do you use? 5.11. Do you enter employees as vendors in order to pay employee expenses? If so, what information do you record: 5.11.1. department? 5.11.2. location? 5.11.3. other? 5.12. Do you assign the same accounting distributions on the majority of invoices for the same vendor? 5.13. How are preferred vendors identified? 5.14. What do you do when you want to stop purchasing from a particular vendor? 5.15. Do you use commodity coding to help identify vendors? 6. Receiving 6.1. Describe the process for receiving items.

6.2. Do all items go through the receiving dock or are they delivered directly to the requester? 6.3. How many receiving locations are there? 6.4. Are items inspected upon receipt? How are returns to vendors recorded? 6.5. How are POs matched to receipts? 6.6. Are receipts accrued to the general ledger? 6.7. Do you receive substitute items? 6.8. Do you use a receipt amount or dollar amount tolerance (percentage by which you allow quantity or price received to exceed quantity or price ordered)? 6.9. Do you receive unordered items? If so, are new POs created for these or existing POs modified to include them? 6.10. What do your vendors require to accept returns? 6.11. How do you track product that is being returned? 7. Posting / Closing 7.1. Do you keep multiple periods open simultaneously? 8. Reports 8.1. What standard purchasing reports do you generate: 8.1.1. POs? 8.1.2. requisitions? 8.1.3. RFQs? 8.1.4. listing reports (vendors, buyers, invoices, items, locations)? 8.1.5. status reports (open POs, RFQ action required, holds)? 8.1.6. receipts (expected receipts, delivery tickets, overdue shipments)? 8.1.7. other? 9. Interfaces

9.1. Are requisitions imported from external systems? 9.2. Are POs imported from external systems? 9.3. What internal systems are interfaced with purchasing: 9.3.1. human resources? 9.3.2. general ledger? 9.3.3. accounts payable? 9.3.4. fixed assets? 9.3.5. inventory? 9.3.6. order entry? 9.3.7. MRP? 9.3.8. other? 9.4. What external systems are interfaced with purchasing: 9.4.1. EDI? 9.4.2. distribution requirement planning? 9.4.3. other? 9.5. Will all sites/business units use the purchasing system? If not, explain. 10. Other 10.1. Is the item master list (catalogue) shared with another system (e.g., inventory, order entry)? 10.2. Are foreign currency conversions used? If so, how are exchange rates maintained? 10.3. At what point do you identify a purchased item as a fixed asset - at requisitioning, purchasing, invoicing, receipt, payment or other? 10.4. List up to five best features of current system. 10.5. List up to five deficiencies of current system. 10.6. Are they any other special requirements that have not been discussed?

11. Volumes 11.1. How many requisitions are created per period? 11.2. How many purchase orders are created per period? 11.3. How many items do you purchase: 11.3.1. inventory items? 11.3.2. non-inventory items? 11.4. How many vendor records are there in total? 11.5. How many unique vendors are there? 11.6. How many vendor records are added per period? 11.7. How often are vendor records purged and how many records are purged at a time? What is the purge criteria?