The Perfect Requisition
Harry Hough, PhD, founder of the American Purchasing Society
Editor’s note: Dr. Hough is a frequent contributor to this blog
There are many types of requisition forms. Very simple standard generic types are available from your local stationery supply store, and they may be adequate for very small organizations. Better requisition forms are usually custom designed for a particular organization. Forms may be screen generated by the computer or more commonly, until recently, printed hard copy. Now there is even a requisition designed for a Web server.
The best requisition form contains spaces for essential information in logical sequence. It includes separate spaces or sections for the requestor and for the buyer. Line spacing should be regulated for keyboard use without the need to adjust every line or the spacing should be adequate for hand writing.
Hard copy generic forms are usually single copy, but good paper requisition forms should provide a copy for the requestor as well as for the buyer. Printed numbered forms provide good control and a handy reference for both requestor and buyer. The form should contain a space for the date of preparation, the date the requestor would like the material or service performed, and spaces for the date of any necessary approval. Spaces for the name of issuing department, the name and telephone number or extension of the requestor, and the name of the person authorizing the purchase should also be included.
Most forms have a space for the supplier, but the best forms indicate that the space for the actual selected supplier is reserved for use by the purchasing department. A separate space for a suggested supplier may be provided for the requestor’s use, but only the authorized buyer should be the person who makes the final selection. This often is a subject for dispute, especially when engineers or other technical people feel they are the only ones capable of making an intelligent choice about a supplier’s capabilities.
A good requisition form should use the same sequence for spaces as the purchase order. It is used by the buyer as a source document for P.O. preparation; therefore, it should have spaces for payment terms, F.O.B. point, and name of carrier as well as delivery address. The best requisition form contains printed instructions on the reverse side to help the requestor fill it out. If a manual system is in use, a third copy of the form is helpful. The original and a copy are sent to purchasing for processing. Once the order is placed, purchasing returns a copy to the requestor with delivery date information. This avoids phone calls from the requestor wanting to know the status of the request.