How to Build Automated Procurement Workflows in Make.com

Automating procurement with make.com helps you standardize approvals, route purchase requests, and keep teams aligned without repetitive manual work.

This how-to article walks you through creating a reusable approval workflow template, handling routing logic, and integrating the flow into different procurement scenarios.

Why Automate Procurement in Make.com

Procurement processes often involve multiple stakeholders, tools, and checkpoints. Without automation, teams face issues like:

• Slow and inconsistent approval cycles
• Manual data entry across systems
• Lack of visibility into request status
• Difficulties enforcing policies and budgets

By building a standardized workflow in make.com, you can:

• Route requests to the right approvers
• Record decisions and comments automatically
• Trigger downstream actions only when fully approved
• Reuse the same logic across many different processes

Set Up a Reusable Approval Flow in Make.com

The foundation of procurement automation is a generic approval workflow that you can plug into many scenarios. In make.com, you can design this as a dedicated scenario with clear inputs and outputs.

1. Define the Approval Inputs

Start by listing the data each approval request needs. Typical examples include:

• Requester name and department
• Item or service details
• Vendor information
• Estimated cost and currency
• Urgency or priority
• Link to supporting documents

In make.com, create variables or data structures to hold these fields. Keeping them consistent lets you reuse the same approval logic for:

• Purchase orders
• Software subscriptions
• Hardware purchases
• Professional services contracts

2. Design the Approval States

Next, define the standard states a request can move through. For example:

• Pending – request created, awaiting review
• In review – approver has received the request
• Approved – ready for purchasing or payment
• Rejected – cannot move forward in current form
• Needs more info – requester must provide clarification

In make.com, these states can be represented by text fields, tags, or status values that you update as the scenario runs.

3. Choose the Approval Channel

Decide how approvers will receive and respond to requests. Common channels include:

• Email
• Chat apps (Slack, Microsoft Teams, etc.)
• Task or ticketing tools
• Forms or internal request portals

Your make.com scenario can send approval messages, link to a form, or create tasks. It can then listen for responses via webhooks, email parsing, or app triggers.

Build the Core Approval Scenario in Make.com

Once you understand the inputs, states, and channels, you can build the reusable scenario step by step.

Step 1: Create the Scenario and Trigger

Start with a generic trigger that can be reused in multiple processes, such as:

• Webhook trigger when an external system sends a new request
• Record created or updated in a database or spreadsheet
• Form submission from an internal procurement form

Configure the trigger module in make.com and map fields to your standardized request structure.

Step 2: Add Routing Logic

Routing determines who should approve a request and in what order. Common routing rules include:

• Department-based routing (e.g., IT, Marketing, Finance)
• Amount-based thresholds (e.g., manager approval above a certain budget)
• Category-based routing (e.g., software vs. hardware)

Use conditional modules and filters in make.com to:

1. Check the request amount and category
2. Match it to the correct approver or group
3. Set variables for primary and backup approvers

Step 3: Send the Approval Request

Once routing is determined, send an approval message that includes:

• Key request details (item, vendor, cost)
• Links to supporting documents
• Clear approve / reject options
• A link to the full record if needed

In make.com, the approval message might be:

• An email with links to approval endpoints
• A chat message with buttons or commands
• A task in a project management tool

Step 4: Capture the Decision

Approvers should be able to respond quickly and reliably. Configure one or more of these:

• Webhook endpoints for approve / reject actions
• Email replies that are parsed to extract decisions
• Buttons or form fields in your chosen tool

Set up a trigger in make.com to listen for the decision and update the request record, including:

• Final status (approved, rejected, etc.)
• Approver identity
• Decision date and time
• Comments or reasons

Step 5: Handle Multi-Step Approvals

Many procurement workflows require more than one approver, such as:

• Manager approval followed by Finance approval
• Department head approval for large purchases
• Legal review for contracts

In make.com, you can model this as:

1. Send request to first approver
2. Wait for decision
3. If approved and conditions met, route to next approver
4. Repeat until final approval or rejection

Use conditional branches and loops to handle these sequences without duplicating logic.

Error Handling and Exceptions in Make.com Workflows

Robust procurement automation requires clear handling of errors and exceptions.

Timeouts and Non-Responses

Sometimes approvers will not respond. To manage this, configure your make.com scenario to:

• Send reminders after a defined delay
• Escalate to another approver if a timeout is reached
• Notify the requester about delays

Use scheduling, delay, and router modules to control timing and escalation paths.

Data Validation and Incomplete Requests

Prevent invalid or incomplete requests from entering the approval flow. Add validation steps in make.com that:

• Check required fields (vendor, cost, description)
• Confirm valid formats (email, currency, IDs)
• Compare values against allowed ranges

If validation fails, notify the requester and set the status to “needs more info” instead of sending the request to an approver.

Audit Trail and Logging

For compliance and visibility, your approval scenario should log each important event. In make.com you can:

• Write status changes to a database or sheet
• Record timestamps and user IDs
• Store comments or rejection reasons

This audit trail supports internal audits, budget reviews, and vendor negotiations.

Reusing Your Make.com Approval Flow Across Processes

Once you build a strong approval workflow, you can reuse it across many procurement use cases.

Connecting Multiple Entry Points

Different teams may submit requests through different tools, such as:

• IT ticketing systems
• HR platforms
• CRM or sales tools
• Custom internal portals

Instead of building separate approval logic for each tool, send all requests into the same centralized approval scenario in make.com. This gives you consistent rules, statuses, and records.

Standardizing Outputs to Downstream Systems

After approval, your workflow may need to:

• Create purchase orders
• Notify Finance
• Update inventory or asset registers
• Inform requesters and stakeholders

Use a stable output format from your approval scenario in make.com. Other scenarios can subscribe to this output and handle integrations with ERP, accounting, or inventory software.

Next Steps and Further Resources for Make.com

To go deeper into procurement automation, study the full guide on the official how-to page: Procurement automation how-to on make.com. It illustrates advanced patterns and routing strategies.

If you need expert help designing scalable workflows, consider working with a specialist consultancy like Consultevo, which focuses on automation architecture and process optimization.

By building a generic, reusable approval engine in make.com, you can reduce manual coordination, improve compliance, and keep procurement flowing smoothly across your organization.

Need Help With Make.com?

If you want expert help building, automating, or scaling your Make scenarios, work with ConsultEvo — certified workflow and automation specialists.

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