A purchase requisition template is an internal form an employee fills in to ask for approval to buy goods or services. Once the budget owner and finance sign it off, procurement turns the approved request into a purchase order for the supplier.
It is the standard document a team uses to request a purchase before any money is committed. The requester says what they need, how many, the expected cost and why, and the form collects the sign-offs that allow procurement to place the order.
Some teams call it a purchase request template or a purchase order request template, because the requisition is literally a request for a PO to be raised. Whatever the name, it is internal only: the supplier never sees it.
Companies use one once purchases outgrow a quick message to the finance team. A fixed form means every request arrives with the same facts, approvers can compare it against the budget, and auditors can see who agreed to each spend.
Name, department, cost centre and the date the item is needed by.
Description, quantity, unit price and line totals for each thing being bought.
The suggested supplier, whether they are already set up, and the quote reference.
The budget line or GL code, and a short reason the purchase is needed now.
Budget owner, finance and procurement sign-offs, with dates and the resulting PO number.
Ready to use in Word, Excel, Google Sheets and PDF. Fill it in, save it, reuse it.
The employee fills in the form, attaches a quote and submits it to their manager or budget owner.
The budget owner checks the need and the cost against what is left in the budget line.
Approvals follow the value: higher amounts add finance or the CFO. Rejected forms go back with a reason.
Procurement confirms the supplier and price, then raises a purchase order quoting the requisition number.
When the goods or service arrive, the requester confirms receipt and the requisition is closed.
The simplest usable version is five fields: what, how many, how much, why, and who approved it. Add supplier, budget code and the PO number once requests become regular.
Use this version for anything above your quick-request limit or anything bought from a new supplier. The example column follows one request from Lumen Retail's marketing team. Fields marked for procurement are left blank by the requester.
| Field | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Requisition number | The next number in your sequence, so each request can be traced | PR-2026-0148 |
| Date requested | The date you submit the form | 05 Oct 2026 |
| Requester | Your name and job title | Priya Shah, Marketing Manager |
| Department and cost centre | Who pays, using your finance team's codes | Marketing, CC-410 |
| Needed by | The latest date the item is useful | 30 Oct 2026 |
| Field | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Item description | Specific enough for procurement to order without asking you | 27-inch 4K monitor, height adjustable |
| Category | Goods, services, software or equipment | IT equipment |
| Quantity and unit | How many, and the unit (each, hours, licences) | 12 each |
| Unit price | From the quote, excluding tax | 189.00 |
| Line total | Quantity x unit price (calculated) | 2,268.00 |
| Tax and total cost | Tax at your local rate, then the total requested | 453.60 tax, 2,721.60 total |
| Business justification | One or two sentences on why it is needed now | New design hires start 03 Nov |
| Field | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Suggested supplier | Name and contact, if you have one in mind | Acme Office Supply |
| Supplier status | Existing, or new and needing onboarding | Existing |
| Quote reference | Quote number and date, attached to the form | Q-7781, 02 Oct 2026 |
| Budget line or GL code | Where the cost will be booked | 6420 IT equipment |
| Budgeted? | Yes, or no with a note on how it will be funded | Yes, Q4 hiring plan |
| Recurring or one-off | If recurring, the term and renewal date | One-off |
| Field | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Budget owner approval | Name, decision and date | Tom Reid, approved 06 Oct |
| Finance approval | Needed above your finance threshold | Not required under 5,000 |
| Procurement review | Supplier and price confirmed | Confirmed 07 Oct |
| Status | Draft, submitted, approved, rejected or ordered | Approved |
| PO number | Added when procurement raises the order | PO-1093 |
Illustrative example. Lumen Retail, Acme Office Supply and the names shown are fictional.
Quantity in column C, unit price in D, line total in E, tax rate in cell B14.
| Item | Formula |
|---|---|
| Line total | =C2*D2 |
| Subtotal (10 lines) | =SUM(E2:E11) |
| Tax | =E12*B14 |
| Total requested | =E12+E13 |
| Approval route | =IF(E14>=25000, |
Set a limit, for example 1,000, below which teams can use this request for purchase form instead of the full requisition. Above the limit, or for any new supplier, switch to the full form. Copy the text below into an email, a shared form or a Word document.
PURCHASE REQUEST Request number: [PR-0000] Date: [DD Mon YYYY] Requested by: [Name, Department] Needed by: [Date] Item: [Description] Quantity: [Number] x Unit price: [Amount] = Total: [Amount] Supplier: [Existing supplier name] Budget code: [Cost centre or GL code] Reason: [One sentence on why it is needed] Approved by: [Budget owner name] Date: [Date] PO number (procurement use): [PO-0000]
Software is where duplicate purchases and surprise auto-renewals start, because anyone with a card can sign up. These fields give IT and security what they need to review the request alongside the budget owner. The example follows a 25-seat request at Orbit Analytics.
| Field | Why it matters | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Tool name and plan | Pricing differs sharply between tiers | Design tool, Business plan |
| Number of licences | Seats drive most of the cost | 25 seats |
| Tools it replaces or overlaps | Stops paying twice for the same job | Replaces 8 seats of a legacy tool |
| Data it will access | Decides whether a security review is needed | Internal files, no customer data |
| Single sign-on and integrations | IT needs this before set-up | SSO required, connects to Slack |
| Contract term and renewal date | Avoids missed notice periods | 12 months, renews 01 Nov 2027 |
| Annual cost | Seats x price per seat x 12 | 25 x 15.00 x 12 = 4,500.00 |
| Business owner and admin | Who manages seats after purchase | Head of Design; IT admin |
Illustrative example; Orbit Analytics is fictional and prices are not quotes.
Use this form for services, multi-year commitments or anything above your sourcing threshold. It sits in front of the requisition: procurement uses the answers to decide whether to request quotes, negotiate, or route straight to approval.
| Field | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Spend type | Goods, services, software, or professional services | Professional services |
| Estimated value and term | Total over the full contract, not one year | 48,000.00 over 2 years |
| Incumbent supplier | Who provides this today, if anyone | Northwind Logistics |
| Quotes obtained | How many, and from whom | Two, attached |
| Contract needed | New contract, renewal, or covered by an existing MSA | Renewal with price change |
| Risk flags | Personal data, on-site access, critical service | On-site access to warehouse |
| Urgency | Standard, or urgent with the reason | Standard, current term ends 31 Dec |
Procurement reads the request within two working days and picks a route: quote, negotiate or approve.
For larger values, gather competing quotes or renegotiate with the incumbent.
The agreed supplier and price flow into the requisition for final approval and a PO.
The two are easy to mix up because they carry the same item details. The difference is who sees them and what they commit you to. Read more on requisition vs purchase order.
| Purchase requisition (PR) | Purchase order (PO) | |
|---|---|---|
| Raised by | The employee or team that needs the item | Procurement or purchasing |
| Who sees it | Internal only | Sent to the supplier |
| When | Before any approval or commitment | After the requisition is approved |
| What it does | Asks permission to spend | Commits you to buy at the stated price and terms |
| Binding? | No | Yes, once the supplier accepts it |
| Used later for | Audit trail of who asked and who approved | Matching against the delivery and the invoice |
Spendflo turns this form into an intake request that routes itself to the right approvers.
See intake in actionBudget owner only, using the one-page purchase request form.
Budget owner, plus procurement review of the supplier and price.
Budget owner, procurement and finance.
All of the above plus the CFO, and a procurement request form first.
Supplier onboarding checks before the PO is raised, whatever the value.
If most requests land in the top tier, the limits are too low and approvers stop reading. If almost nothing reaches finance, the limits are too high. See the purchase requisition approval process for how to design the routing.
A unique number links the request, the PO and the invoice for audit.
Approvers should see the supplier's price, not the requester's estimate.
Requesters then know who must sign before they submit.
Multi-year or monthly costs should be totalled over the whole term.
Confirming delivery stops open requests being ordered twice.
Raising a form after the invoice arrives skips the approval it exists for.
"Laptop" forces procurement to chase the requester for model and specification.
Breaking one purchase into small forms to dodge a threshold should be flagged.
New suppliers need onboarding and checks before any order is placed.
Item, quantity, specification and the date you need it by.
From an existing supplier where possible, and attach it to the form.
Add the cost centre and GL code, and say whether it was budgeted.
Route it by value, then track it until procurement adds the PO number.
Lumen Retail's marketing manager needs 12 monitors at 189.00 each from Acme Office Supply. The line total is 2,268.00, plus 453.60 tax, so 2,721.60 in all. That is under the 5,000 finance threshold, so only the budget owner approves. Procurement raises PO-1093 the next day. Figures are illustrative.
Every part on this page, in Word, Excel, Google Sheets and PDF, with the examples filled in.
Use the one-page purchase request form and have the founder or finance lead approve everything over a small limit.
Use the full requisition form, add the software request fields, and set two or three value tiers for approval.
Put the procurement request form in front of large buys and connect requisitions to your intake management process.
Best for teams that sign and email forms.
Best when you want totals worked out.
Best for printing or attaching to email.
$3.7B in software spend processed through Spendflo, at 30% average savings.
See your savingsA good requisition form makes sure every purchase has a reason, a budget and an approver before a supplier is involved. When requests arrive by email, chat and spreadsheet at once, the fix is a single intake point rather than a longer form.
Quick answers to what people ask most about the purchase requisition template.
Fill in what you need, the quantity, the price from a quote, the budget code and a short reason, then send it to your budget owner for approval. Once approved, procurement raises the purchase order. Download the template above to get every field in the right order.
You can download a free purchase requisition form template from this page in Word, Excel, Google Sheets or PDF. It includes the full form, a one-page purchase request form, a software request form and a procurement request form.
A typical example is a marketing manager requesting 12 monitors at 189.00 each, coded to the IT equipment budget and approved by the budget owner before procurement raises a PO. The download shows this example filled in field by field.
A PR is an internal request asking permission to spend, while a PO is the document sent to the supplier that commits you to buy. The PR comes first and the PO follows approval. The download includes a side-by-side comparison.
Use the download buttons on this page to get the purchase requisition form template free in Word, Excel or PDF, with a Google Sheets copy. No sign-up is needed to see the full form on the page.
Purchase orders
Contracts
Vendor management
Sourcing and RFx
Budgets and business cases
Procurement
Accounts payable
Software buying
Supply chain
Spendflo replaces the form with a guided intake request, routes approvals by value and onboards new suppliers before the PO. Budgets are coming soon.
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