Procurement Automation with Make.com

Using make.com, you can build a visual, automated procurement workflow that replaces repetitive manual tasks, standardizes approvals, and keeps stakeholders informed at every step of the purchasing process.

This how-to article walks you through creating an automated purchase request and approval flow, inspired by the procurement automation series on the official make.com guide. You will learn how to structure a scenario, set conditions, and send tailored notifications to requesters, managers, and suppliers.

Why Automate Procurement with Make.com

Procurement involves many small, repeatable steps: collecting requests, checking budgets, routing for approval, sending POs, and keeping records. When handled manually, these steps are slow and error-prone. With make.com, you create a single automated scenario that orchestrates them reliably.

An automated procurement flow built on make.com can:

Capture purchase requests through online forms or internal tools.
Evaluate rules such as cost thresholds, categories, and suppliers.
Route requests to the correct approvers based on your policies.
Notify requesters and suppliers instantly about decisions and next steps.
Log every event for audit and reporting.

The rest of this guide focuses on the notification and approval logic, assuming you already have a basic scenario that captures purchase requests.

Core Scenario Structure in Make.com

In make.com, procurement automation is usually represented as a linear scenario that branches at key decision points. Each module performs one clear task, while routers split the flow based on conditions such as approval outcome or total cost.

A typical high-level structure is:

Trigger module to receive the purchase request.
Data enrichment and validation.
Approval routing and decisions.
Notification handling for each audience.
Record-keeping and handoff to financial systems.

This article focuses on steps 3 and 4, where make.com shines at connecting approvals with precise, context-aware notifications.

Configuring Approvals in Make.com

Before designing notifications, you need clear approval rules. In make.com, these are defined using routers, filters, and decision logic modules.

Step 1: Define Approval Rules

Start by listing the rules that determine who must approve a purchase. Common examples include:

Total amount thresholds (e.g., under a set value vs. over it).
Department of the requester.
Type of expense or supplier category.
Urgency level or project importance.

Translate each rule into filters in a make.com router. Each route then points to a specific approval path: line manager, department head, finance, or multi-step approvals.

Step 2: Add Approval Modules

Once routes are defined, add modules that collect or store the approval decision. In most make.com procurement scenarios, this is done by:

Writing approval info back to your request form or database.
Using a tool like email, chat, or a task app where approvers can respond.
Capturing the approver’s choice (approved, rejected, needs more info).

Ensure each approval path outputs a clear status and any comments; these will feed directly into the notification workflow.

Designing Notification Logic in Make.com

After the decision is recorded, make.com can automatically send the right message to the right person. The goal is to keep communications accurate, timely, and role-specific.

Identify All Notification Scenarios

List every situation where someone must be informed. Typical procurement cases include:

New purchase request submitted by an employee.
Request awaiting manager approval.
Request approved and ready for ordering.
Request rejected or needs more information.
Order placed with the supplier.
Change or cancellation of a request.

In make.com, each of these can become a branch in the scenario with its own message template and recipients.

Use Routers to Branch Notification Paths

Place a router after the approval logic. Configure filters so that each route represents a different status, such as:

Route A: Status equals “Approved”.
Route B: Status equals “Rejected”.
Route C: Status equals “Pending”.
Route D: Status equals “Needs more info”.

Each route will then connect to dedicated notification modules. This clear branching structure is a core best practice on make.com for complex procurement flows.

Building Email and Chat Notifications in Make.com

Most procurement communications occur through email or collaboration tools. Make.com can connect to popular email providers and messaging platforms, letting you tailor messages to each group.

Create Templates for Each Audience

In your make.com scenario, create separate templates for:

Requesters – simple confirmation, current status, next steps.
Approvers – key data needed to decide quickly (amount, vendor, justification, links).
Suppliers – final purchase order details, delivery addresses, and contact info.

For each template, include dynamic fields mapped from previous modules in make.com, such as requester name, request ID, amount, and relevant dates.

Implement Email Modules

Add an email module into each branch of your notification router. Configure:

To: requester, manager, finance team, or supplier, depending on the route.
Subject: concise status indicators like “Purchase request approved” or “Action required: approval needed”.
Body: structured content with bullet points or short paragraphs summarizing the request and its status.

Be consistent in structure and naming so that users quickly recognize procurement emails generated by make.com.

Implement Chat Notifications

If your organization uses chat tools, add corresponding modules in make.com to send direct messages or channel posts. Structured messages can include:

Buttons or links to view or approve the request.
Tags for the relevant approver or procurement channel.
Short summaries that mirror the email content.

This multi-channel approach improves visibility and speeds up approvals.

Managing Exceptions and Errors with Make.com

Even well-designed scenarios encounter exceptions, such as missing data or unavailable approvers. Make.com lets you capture and handle these situations systematically.

Use Error Handlers

Configure error handling on critical modules, particularly those sending messages or updating records. You can:

Redirect failed operations to a dedicated error route.
Send alerts to the procurement administrator.
Log details in a tracking sheet or database.

This ensures that failures do not silently break your procurement workflow.

Fallback Approvers and Notifications

In your approval logic, define fallback approvers if a primary manager is missing or misconfigured. In make.com, this can be achieved by:

Checking if an approver field is empty.
Routing to a default approver, such as the finance team.
Sending an explanatory notification to the requester.

Building these safeguards into make.com keeps your procurement process resilient.

Testing and Optimizing Your Make.com Scenario

Testing is essential before rolling out your automated procurement workflow to the entire organization.

Run Test Requests End to End

Using make.com’s scenario tools, send several sample purchase requests that cover different combinations of:

Amounts (small, medium, large purchases).
Departments and cost centers.
Suppliers and categories.
Approval outcomes (approved, rejected, changes needed).

Verify that every route behaves as expected and that all notifications are sent with correct data and formatting.

Refine Templates and Timing

After initial testing, adjust your email and chat templates in make.com to improve clarity and reduce noise. Consider:

Combining multiple minor messages into one digest when appropriate.
Fine-tuning subject lines for better recognition.
Adding links to internal documentation or procurement policies.

Monitor feedback from requesters and approvers to refine your scenario further.

Next Steps and Additional Resources

Once your basic procurement workflow is running smoothly in make.com, you can extend it by integrating with finance systems, inventory tools, and analytics dashboards for full spend visibility.

For expert help in designing scalable automation strategies around make.com and other workflow tools, you can visit Consultevo for consulting and implementation support.

To explore the original step-by-step procurement series and dive deeper into the concepts used in this how-to, review the official guide on make.com procurement automation.

Need Help With Make.com?

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