Standard operating procedures · Procurement & Source-to-Pay
The Procurement & Source-to-Pay procedure manual
33 written procedures across 11 teams, made of 186 numbered steps. 42 of those steps are a person deciding and 144 are agent work … more
Procedures
33
Median 5 steps long.
Numbered steps
186
Every one carries exactly one actor.
Decision points
42
23% of this function's steps stop for a person.
Agent steps
144
76 of them on the shared spine.
Named agents
92
Registered against the teams inside this function.
Units a week
103,441
Across every procedure in this manual.
Who this manual belongs to
Accountability above the procedures
Accountable
Chief Procurement Officer
The end of the escalation path for every procedure in this manual. more
Chief of staff
Procurement Chief of Staff
Holds the operating rhythm of the function: the cadence these procedures are reviewed on and the queue of changes waiting to be made to them.
Autonomy across this function
77% now · 86% target
This is the function’s declared autonomy, not a reading taken from the procedures. Measured off the procedures themselves, 77% of the steps in this manual run without a person. The two are different questions and they do not have to agree.
The service level
Requisition to purchase order
cycle-time · target 16 hrs · Rolling 30 days, 95th percentile
Attainment is 97.1% against a target of 16 hrs.
Requisition approved to purchase order issued.
Governance gates on this function
4 declared
These are rules about the function as a whole, not about one procedure. more
| Gate | What trips it | Who releases it | Clock | Waivable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purchase order above $25,000 approval | Any PO above $25,000 or off approved catalog or unbudgeted | Category manager | 1 business day | No |
New supplier or bank-detail change approval | Supplier onboarding or any change to payment banking details | Procurement controller | 2 business days | No |
Payment above $100,000 approval | Payment release above $100,000 | Finance controller | Payment run | No |
Single-source award or critical negotiation escalation | Single-source exception or any negotiation affecting critical supply | Chief Procurement Officer | 3 business days | No |
Run any procedure in this manual
33 to choose from
This is a run, not a forecast. One unit enters the procedure and is walked station by station in the recorded order, each station taking exactly the dwell the estate records for it, held by whoever the estate says holds it. The clock you watch is worked time: the sum of the time the work is actually being done. Pick a procedure on the left and press run. Happy means nothing goes wrong: no station raises an exception, no gate sends the unit back, no rework loop fires and nothing sits in a queue between stations. Viable means the path is the one the estate already permits: the lanes are the recorded lanes, every decision that stops for a person still stops for that person, and no step is moved unless the owning team has autonomy ceiling left to cover it. It is a floor for how fast this procedure can go while staying inside its own rules, not a promise about any particular Tuesday.
Nothing has happened yet. more
- The lanes are the recorded lanes. 1 of the 8 stations stop for a person and every one of them still does on this run.
- Every one of the 1 decision is still taken by the person who holds it. The happy path is that each one is released first time, not that it is skipped.
- The owning team is held to a 68% autonomy ceiling and this run sits at 91% unattended, inside it.
- 1 system is attributed across the stations, and 0 of them are connected. Nothing in this run has been watched executing against a real system of record.
One decision, held by VP Category Management. more
- 07 Council ratify — The last decision on the line. Something on every procedure ends with a person, so this one is never offered.
This is a run, not a forecast. more
Happy means nothing goes wrong: no station raises an exception, no gate sends the unit back, no rework loop fires and nothing sits in a queue between stations. more
The second clock is the allowance. more
A decision may be handed to the agent lane only if two things hold … more
The run reads the station rows only. more
What this run does not model: arrival patterns, contention between procedures for the same person, shift patterns, weekends, learning curves, and the cost of anything. more
Category Strategy
3 procedures · 18 steps · 3 decisions
Runs the line
Category Strategy Orchestrator
Accountable
VP Category Management
Layers in play
strategy · observe · workflow
That team’s remit
Owns category plan work end to end inside Procurement & Source-to-Pay. more
Why the ceiling sits there
Agents author the category strategy including the should-cost model. more
The 2 rules every procedure in this team runs inside
Category Strategy Decision Envelope
activePR1-POL-200 · Envelope · v4.1 · approved by VP Category Management
Agents in this lane may act without a human when the category plan sits inside the stated value, risk and confidence envelope. more
Category Strategy Evidence Standard
activePR1-POL-201 · Evidence · v5.1 · approved by VP Category Management
Every autonomous decision writes inputs, the rule version applied, the model and prompt version, the output and a reversal path. more
| Code | Procedure | Steps | Decisions | Who does the work | Agent % | A week | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PR1A | Category Strategy RefreshJ | 8 | 1 | 88% | 1 | ||
| PR1B | Make-Buy-Partner PositionJ | 6 | 1 | 83% | 4 | ||
| PR1C | Category Performance ReadA | 4 | 1 | 75% | 47 |
Spend Analytics
3 procedures · 13 steps · 3 decisions
Runs the line
Spend Analytics Orchestrator
Accountable
Director, Procurement Analytics
Layers in play
strategy · observe · workflow · gbs
That team’s remit
Owns spend line work end to end inside Procurement & Source-to-Pay. more
Why the ceiling sits there
The highest-autonomy sub-function in Procurement. more
The 3 rules every procedure in this team runs inside
Spend Analytics Decision Envelope
activePR2-POL-200 · Envelope · v4.9 · approved by Director, Procurement Analytics
Agents in this lane may act without a human when the spend line sits inside the stated value, risk and confidence envelope. more
Spend Analytics Evidence Standard
activePR2-POL-201 · Evidence · v1.3 · approved by Director, Procurement Analytics
Every autonomous decision writes inputs, the rule version applied, the model and prompt version, the output and a reversal path. more
Spend Analytics Escalation Rule
under reviewPR2-POL-202 · Escalation · v1.7 · approved by Director, Procurement Analytics
Escalation is mandatory when confidence falls below the floor, when two options sit inside the confidence band, or when a break condition on a ratified position fires. more
| Code | Procedure | Steps | Decisions | Who does the work | Agent % | A week | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PR2A | Continuous Spend ClassificationT | 5 | 1 | 80% | 2,066 | ||
| PR2B | Maverick Spend SweepT | 4 | 1 | 75% | 7,021 | ||
| PR2C | Opportunity Pipeline BuildA | 4 | 1 | 75% | 18 |
Sourcing & RFx
3 procedures · 21 steps · 4 decisions
Runs the line
Sourcing Orchestrator
Accountable
Director, Strategic Sourcing
Layers in play
strategy · policy · observe · workflow · gbs
That team’s remit
Owns sourcing event work end to end inside Procurement & Source-to-Pay. more
Why the ceiling sits there
Authoring, issuing and normalizing bids run without a human. more
The 2 rules every procedure in this team runs inside
Sourcing & RFx Decision Envelope
activePR3-POL-200 · Envelope · v2.2 · approved by Director, Strategic Sourcing
Agents in this lane may act without a human when the sourcing event sits inside the stated value, risk and confidence envelope. more
Sourcing & RFx Evidence Standard
activePR3-POL-201 · Evidence · v4.6 · approved by Director, Strategic Sourcing
Every autonomous decision writes inputs, the rule version applied, the model and prompt version, the output and a reversal path. more
| Code | Procedure | Steps | Decisions | Who does the work | Agent % | A week | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PR3A | Sourcing EventT | 10 | 2 | 80% | 3,113 | ||
| PR3B | Rapid SourcingT | 6 | 1 | 83% | 6,601 | ||
| PR3C | Bid AnalysisA | 5 | 1 | 80% | 51 |
Negotiation & Award
3 procedures · 18 steps · 4 decisions
Runs the line
Negotiation Orchestrator
Accountable
VP Sourcing
Layers in play
strategy · observe · workflow
That team’s remit
Owns negotiation work end to end inside Procurement & Source-to-Pay. more
Why the ceiling sits there
Agents build the negotiation position including a modeled view of the supplier side. more
The 3 rules every procedure in this team runs inside
Negotiation & Award Decision Envelope
activePR4-POL-200 · Envelope · v3.4 · approved by VP Sourcing
Agents in this lane may act without a human when the negotiation sits inside the stated value, risk and confidence envelope. more
Negotiation & Award Evidence Standard
activePR4-POL-201 · Evidence · v4.1 · approved by VP Sourcing
Every autonomous decision writes inputs, the rule version applied, the model and prompt version, the output and a reversal path. more
Negotiation & Award Escalation Rule
activePR4-POL-202 · Escalation · v2.8 · approved by VP Sourcing
Escalation is mandatory when confidence falls below the floor, when two options sit inside the confidence band, or when a break condition on a ratified position fires. more
| Code | Procedure | Steps | Decisions | Who does the work | Agent % | A week | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PR4A | Negotiation CycleJ | 8 | 2 | 75% | 3 | ||
| PR4B | Concession ApprovalT | 5 | 1 | 80% | 4,431 | ||
| PR4C | Negotiation Doctrine RefreshJ | 5 | 1 | 80% | 3 |
Contract Execution
3 procedures · 18 steps · 5 decisions
Runs the line
Procurement Contract Orchestrator
Accountable
Director, Contract Management
Layers in play
strategy · observe · workflow · gbs
That team’s remit
Owns supplier contract work end to end inside Procurement & Source-to-Pay. more
Why the ceiling sits there
Standard supplier paper is assembled and executed without a lawyer. more
The 4 rules every procedure in this team runs inside
Contract Execution Decision Envelope
activePR5-POL-200 · Envelope · v3.4 · approved by Director, Contract Management
Agents in this lane may act without a human when the supplier contract sits inside the stated value, risk and confidence envelope. more
Contract Execution Evidence Standard
activePR5-POL-201 · Evidence · v5.9 · approved by Director, Contract Management
Every autonomous decision writes inputs, the rule version applied, the model and prompt version, the output and a reversal path. more
Contract Execution Escalation Rule
activePR5-POL-202 · Escalation · v3.3 · approved by Director, Contract Management
Escalation is mandatory when confidence falls below the floor, when two options sit inside the confidence band, or when a break condition on a ratified position fires. more
Contract Execution Autonomy Ceiling
activePR5-POL-203 · Ceiling · v3.0 · approved by Director, Contract Management
The ceiling for this lane is 84 on the platform scale. more
| Code | Procedure | Steps | Decisions | Who does the work | Agent % | A week | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PR5A | Supplier AgreementT | 8 | 2 | 75% | 3,272 | ||
| PR5B | Contract AmendmentT | 5 | 2 | 60% | 1,180 | ||
| PR5C | Expiry & Renewal SweepT | 5 | 1 | 80% | 2,080 |
Supplier Onboarding
3 procedures · 18 steps · 4 decisions
Runs the line
Supplier Onboarding Orchestrator
Accountable
Director, Supplier Management
Layers in play
strategy · policy · observe · workflow · gbs
That team’s remit
Owns supplier record work end to end inside Procurement & Source-to-Pay. more
Why the ceiling sits there
Registration and screening are automated. more
The 4 rules every procedure in this team runs inside
Supplier Onboarding Decision Envelope
activePR6-POL-200 · Envelope · v2.6 · approved by Director, Supplier Management
Agents in this lane may act without a human when the supplier record sits inside the stated value, risk and confidence envelope. more
Supplier Onboarding Evidence Standard
activePR6-POL-201 · Evidence · v4.7 · approved by Director, Supplier Management
Every autonomous decision writes inputs, the rule version applied, the model and prompt version, the output and a reversal path. more
Supplier Onboarding Escalation Rule
activePR6-POL-202 · Escalation · v4.1 · approved by Director, Supplier Management
Escalation is mandatory when confidence falls below the floor, when two options sit inside the confidence band, or when a break condition on a ratified position fires. more
Supplier Onboarding Autonomy Ceiling
supersededPR6-POL-203 · Ceiling · v3.2 · approved by Director, Supplier Management
The ceiling for this lane is 79 on the platform scale. more
| Code | Procedure | Steps | Decisions | Who does the work | Agent % | A week | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PR6A | Supplier OnboardingT | 8 | 2 | 75% | 6,190 | ||
| PR6B | Supplier Data ChangeT | 6 | 2 | 67% | 2,180 | ||
| PR6C | Dormant Supplier SweepT | 4 | 0 | 100% | 6,572 |
Supplier Performance & Risk
3 procedures · 17 steps · 4 decisions
Runs the line
Supplier Risk Orchestrator
Accountable
Director, Supplier Risk
Layers in play
strategy · observe · workflow · gbs
That team’s remit
Owns supplier review work end to end inside Procurement & Source-to-Pay. more
Why the ceiling sits there
Scoring and deterioration detection run continuously without a human. more
The 4 rules every procedure in this team runs inside
Supplier Performance & Risk Decision Envelope
under reviewPR7-POL-200 · Envelope · v2.3 · approved by Director, Supplier Risk
Agents in this lane may act without a human when the supplier review sits inside the stated value, risk and confidence envelope. more
Supplier Performance & Risk Evidence Standard
activePR7-POL-201 · Evidence · v1.4 · approved by Director, Supplier Risk
Every autonomous decision writes inputs, the rule version applied, the model and prompt version, the output and a reversal path. more
Supplier Performance & Risk Escalation Rule
activePR7-POL-202 · Escalation · v5.7 · approved by Director, Supplier Risk
Escalation is mandatory when confidence falls below the floor, when two options sit inside the confidence band, or when a break condition on a ratified position fires. more
Supplier Performance & Risk Autonomy Ceiling
activePR7-POL-203 · Ceiling · v2.6 · approved by Director, Supplier Risk
The ceiling for this lane is 82 on the platform scale. more
| Code | Procedure | Steps | Decisions | Who does the work | Agent % | A week | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PR7A | Continuous Risk MonitoringT | 5 | 1 | 80% | 906 | ||
| PR7B | Quarterly Business ReviewT | 6 | 1 | 83% | 3,375 | ||
| PR7C | Supplier ExitT | 6 | 2 | 67% | 4,866 |
Requisition & PO
3 procedures · 16 steps · 3 decisions
Runs the line
Requisition Orchestrator
Accountable
Director, Procurement Operations
Layers in play
strategy · policy · observe · workflow · gbs
That team’s remit
Owns requisition work end to end inside Procurement & Source-to-Pay. more
Why the ceiling sits there
Catalog buying is fully touchless inside budget and policy. more
The 3 rules every procedure in this team runs inside
Requisition & PO Decision Envelope
activePR8-POL-200 · Envelope · v4.6 · approved by Director, Procurement Operations
Agents in this lane may act without a human when the requisition sits inside the stated value, risk and confidence envelope. more
Requisition & PO Evidence Standard
activePR8-POL-201 · Evidence · v5.7 · approved by Director, Procurement Operations
Every autonomous decision writes inputs, the rule version applied, the model and prompt version, the output and a reversal path. more
Requisition & PO Escalation Rule
activePR8-POL-202 · Escalation · v4.7 · approved by Director, Procurement Operations
Escalation is mandatory when confidence falls below the floor, when two options sit inside the confidence band, or when a break condition on a ratified position fires. more
| Code | Procedure | Steps | Decisions | Who does the work | Agent % | A week | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PR8A | Requisition-to-POT | 7 | 1 | 86% | 7,758 | ||
| PR8B | Non-catalog RequestT | 5 | 1 | 80% | 7,327 | ||
| PR8C | Change OrderT | 4 | 1 | 75% | 4,571 |
Invoice & Three-Way Match
3 procedures · 16 steps · 4 decisions
Runs the line
Invoice Match Orchestrator
Accountable
Director, Accounts Payable Operations
Layers in play
strategy · policy · observe · workflow · gbs
That team’s remit
Owns invoice work end to end inside Procurement & Source-to-Pay. more
Why the ceiling sits there
The single highest-autonomy process in the enterprise. more
The 3 rules every procedure in this team runs inside
Invoice & Three-Way Match Decision Envelope
activePR9-POL-200 · Envelope · v2.3 · approved by Director, Accounts Payable Operations
Agents in this lane may act without a human when the invoice sits inside the stated value, risk and confidence envelope. more
Invoice & Three-Way Match Evidence Standard
activePR9-POL-201 · Evidence · v1.3 · approved by Director, Accounts Payable Operations
Every autonomous decision writes inputs, the rule version applied, the model and prompt version, the output and a reversal path. more
Invoice & Three-Way Match Escalation Rule
supersededPR9-POL-202 · Escalation · v3.3 · approved by Director, Accounts Payable Operations
Escalation is mandatory when confidence falls below the floor, when two options sit inside the confidence band, or when a break condition on a ratified position fires. more
| Code | Procedure | Steps | Decisions | Who does the work | Agent % | A week | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PR9A | Invoice-to-MatchT | 7 | 1 | 86% | 4,512 | ||
| PR9B | Duplicate & Fraud SweepT | 5 | 2 | 60% | 5,439 | ||
| PR9C | Period AccrualT | 4 | 1 | 75% | 5,303 |
Payment Interlock
3 procedures · 16 steps · 4 decisions
Runs the line
Payment Interlock Orchestrator
Accountable
Director, Payment Operations
Layers in play
strategy · policy · observe · workflow · gbs
That team’s remit
Owns payment run work end to end inside Procurement & Source-to-Pay. more
Why the ceiling sits there
Payment selection and discount optimization are automated, but money leaving the company always has dual human approval. more
The 4 rules every procedure in this team runs inside
Payment Interlock Decision Envelope
under reviewPR10-POL-200 · Envelope · v5.3 · approved by Director, Payment Operations
Agents in this lane may act without a human when the payment run sits inside the stated value, risk and confidence envelope. more
Payment Interlock Evidence Standard
activePR10-POL-201 · Evidence · v5.6 · approved by Director, Payment Operations
Every autonomous decision writes inputs, the rule version applied, the model and prompt version, the output and a reversal path. more
Payment Interlock Escalation Rule
activePR10-POL-202 · Escalation · v5.2 · approved by Director, Payment Operations
Escalation is mandatory when confidence falls below the floor, when two options sit inside the confidence band, or when a break condition on a ratified position fires. more
Payment Interlock Autonomy Ceiling
activePR10-POL-203 · Ceiling · v4.9 · approved by Director, Payment Operations
The ceiling for this lane is 78 on the platform scale. more
| Code | Procedure | Steps | Decisions | Who does the work | Agent % | A week | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PR10A | Payment RunT | 7 | 2 | 71% | 2,973 | ||
| PR10B | Urgent PaymentT | 6 | 1 | 83% | 4,753 | ||
| PR10C | Term OptimizationA | 3 | 1 | 67% | 56 |
Savings Assurance
3 procedures · 15 steps · 4 decisions
Runs the line
Savings Assurance Orchestrator
Accountable
Director, Value Assurance
Layers in play
strategy · policy · observe · workflow · gbs
That team’s remit
Owns savings claim work end to end inside Procurement & Source-to-Pay. more
Why the ceiling sits there
Baseline verification and leakage detection are exactly the kind of reconciliation work agents never get tired of. more
The 2 rules every procedure in this team runs inside
Savings Assurance Decision Envelope
activePR11-POL-200 · Envelope · v4.1 · approved by Director, Value Assurance
Agents in this lane may act without a human when the savings claim sits inside the stated value, risk and confidence envelope. more
Savings Assurance Evidence Standard
under reviewPR11-POL-201 · Evidence · v1.8 · approved by Director, Value Assurance
Every autonomous decision writes inputs, the rule version applied, the model and prompt version, the output and a reversal path. more
| Code | Procedure | Steps | Decisions | Who does the work | Agent % | A week | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PR11A | Savings ValidationT | 6 | 2 | 67% | 3,868 | ||
| PR11B | Leakage DetectionT | 5 | 1 | 80% | 2,814 | ||
| PR11C | Savings Portfolio ReadA | 4 | 1 | 75% | 87 |
Where this manual comes from
Nobody wrote these procedures. more
What it cannot claim
The twenty-four controls and eighteen exception classes in this platform are held at estate level … more
These procedures describe the modeled estate. more
Actions
What is waiting on a person
What a single function manual is for, and the three things worth checking the moment you open one.
governing rules bind the teams inside these functions
Every team carries between two and four rules covering evidence, envelope, escalation and ceiling. 395 are active. more
governance gates are declared across the function estate
A governance gate is a rule about the function, not about a single procedure: a threshold, a named approver and a clock. more
points separate the most and least agent-run function, Customer Service and Legal
Customer Service runs 90% of its steps without a person and Legal runs 76%. The gap is not a target and not a failing … more
Operations
What this desk is allowed to start
A surface that only reports is not operable. more
Trigger and bound
A function manual gathers every procedure the function owns, grouped by the team that runs it, with the orchestrator, the accountable human, the autonomy ceiling and the governing rules printed against each team. more
Live observability
What the record shows right now
How the manuals differ in size, by number of written procedures. more
Current distribution
211 procedures
Is policy and strategy coming to fruition
Whether the written intent is holding here
Holding on structure, not on assurance. more
Not holding on the record
Every manual is complete: 475 procedures with nothing unassigned, 154 teams each carrying an orchestrator and a named accountable human, and every step attributed to a lane. more