Design a procurement process for [PURCHASE CATEGORY] at [ORGANIZATION]. The process must support [BUSINESS NEED], with expected annual spend or purchase range of [SPEND RANGE]. Use these current policies, systems, stakeholders, approval limits, security or legal requirements, and known constraints: [POLICIES AND OPERATING CONTEXT]. Ask up to three clarifying questions only if the purchase category, business need, spend range, or control environment is missing. Do not assume authority levels, regulatory obligations, competitive-bid thresholds, supplier certifications, contract terms, or system capabilities that I have not provided. Clearly flag items that require review by procurement, finance, legal, information security, privacy, tax, or a subject-matter professional. Produce a usable operating procedure with these sections: 1. Scope, purpose, exclusions, and triggering events.
2. A numbered end-to-end workflow from request intake through purchase order, receipt or acceptance, invoice matching, and supplier performance review. 3. A RACI table for requester, budget owner, procurement, finance, legal or security, and accounts payable; mark roles as “confirm” if not supplied. 4. A sourcing path by spend or risk tier, including when to use existing contracts, obtain quotes, issue an RFP, conduct due diligence, and document a sole-source exception. 5. An evaluation scorecard with weighted criteria appropriate to this category, including total cost, fit, risk, implementation, service, and supplier viability where relevant. 6. Target service-level timelines, required records, approval gates, and escalation paths. Make dependencies explicit: a request cannot move to contracting until evaluation and due diligence are documented, and no commitment should be made before required approvals. Include a concise requester checklist and a “common failure modes” list. Before answering, check that every workflow step has a clear owner and output record. Check that the process separates competitive selection, approval authority, contracting, receiving, and payment controls.
Fill in
| Placeholder | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| [PURCHASE CATEGORY] | Name the goods or services being purchased, such as software, facilities work, contingent labor, or marketing services. | Cloud-based customer support software |
| [ORGANIZATION] | Describe the organization’s size, operating model, and any relevant industry context. | A 220-person U.S. B2B software company with sales, support, finance, and security teams |
| [BUSINESS NEED] | Explain the problem the purchase must solve and the intended operational outcome. | Replace a shared inbox with a system that routes tickets, preserves customer history, and gives support leaders reporting |
| [SPEND RANGE] | Provide the estimated one-time and recurring spend, currency, and contract term if known. | $35,000–$55,000 USD annual subscription, expected three-year agreement |
| [POLICIES AND OPERATING CONTEXT] | Paste purchasing policies, approval limits, systems, stakeholders, required reviews, existing suppliers, and constraints. | Finance approves purchases above $25,000; legal reviews all contracts; security reviews vendors handling customer data; procurement uses Coupa; two preferred vendors exist; budget owner is VP Customer Success. |
How to use
- Paste the current policy and approval limits, even if they are incomplete; the prompt will surface gaps rather than silently invent rules.
- Have procurement, finance, legal, and security confirm their RACI responsibilities and thresholds before publishing the procedure.
- Test the workflow against one recent purchase, including contract and invoice steps, to find missing handoffs or records.
- Follow up with: "Create an RFP evaluation workbook outline for this category with scoring instructions and conflict-of-interest declarations."
Variations
Supplier Scorecard
Use when shortlisted suppliers need a consistent, documented comparison.
Create a supplier evaluation scorecard for [PURCHASE CATEGORY] and [BUSINESS REQUIREMENTS]. Score these suppliers: [SUPPLIER LIST], using only [SUPPLIER EVIDENCE]. Build weighted criteria for functional fit, total cost, implementation, security or compliance, service, commercial terms, and supplier viability as applicable. Define 1–5 scoring anchors, evidence required for each score, evaluator roles, and tie-break rules. Do not score missing evidence as favorable. Ask up to three questions only if required. Check that weights sum to 100% and conflicts of interest are disclosed.
RFP Outline
Use when the organization needs to solicit comparable supplier proposals.
Draft an RFP outline for [PURCHASE CATEGORY] based on [BUSINESS NEEDS], [TECHNICAL OR SERVICE REQUIREMENTS], and [PROCUREMENT RULES]. Include background, scope, mandatory requirements, response format, pricing template, implementation plan, security and legal questionnaires, evaluation method, timetable, and submission instructions. Mark any requirement that needs confirmation from procurement, legal, security, or finance. Do not create compliance commitments or dates not supplied. Ask up to three questions only if essential. Check that every evaluation criterion is requested in the supplier response.
Sole-Source Memo
Use when a competitive process may be waived and the exception must be documented.
Draft a sole-source justification memo for [SUPPLIER] to provide [PURCHASE]. Use these facts: [BUSINESS RATIONALE], [ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED], [COST AND TERM], and [POLICY REQUIREMENTS]. Include need, unique capability, market review, price reasonableness, risks, mitigation, approvals, and renewal or exit plan. State unknowns and evidence still needed. Do not claim no alternatives exist unless documented. Ask up to three questions only if critical facts are absent. Check that the memo distinguishes convenience from a defensible sole-source rationale.
Tips
- Set the sourcing path by both spend and risk; a low-cost vendor handling sensitive customer data can require more diligence than a larger low-risk purchase.
- Keep the business requester responsible for the need and acceptance, while procurement controls the process and finance controls budget and payment authority.
- Use a weighted scorecard before supplier demonstrations. Agree on scoring anchors and evaluators so a polished presentation does not outweigh the stated requirements.
- Match invoices only after confirming receipt or acceptance; a signed contract alone does not prove the organization received what it purchased.
FAQ
When should procurement run an RFP?
Use one when the purchase is strategic, complex, high-value, or requires structured comparison among suppliers. Existing approved contracts or low-risk purchases may use a simpler quote process if policy allows.
Can an AI set our approval thresholds?
It can draft options, but approval authority should be set by your organization’s finance, procurement, and governance owners based on policy and risk.
What records should a procurement file contain?
Typically the request, requirements, quotes or RFP responses, evaluation, due diligence, approvals, contract, purchase order, receipt evidence, invoice match, and exception documentation where applicable.