Any well-organized operation keeps a close watch on purchases and does not allow any employee the right to purchase items without proper authorization. Normally, a hierarchy of authority exists within the organization to buy goods as needed, that hierarchy being subject to the person or persons holding the greatest purchasing privileges. The Advanced Procurement Module automates this hierarchical plan with its Purchase Authorization function.
Personnel in charge of making purchases are given security rights to produce Purchase Request or Purchase Order forms, which FOOD-TRAK later converts automatically into completed Purchase Orders. The Purchase Request is a Data Entry form that becomes available upon activation of the Centralized Purchasing Module.
Using Purchase Authorization, each purchaser is assigned authority to purchase items up to a certain dollar amount defined by the administrator. Users are given larger or smaller limits, thus creating a purchasing hierarchy referred to as an Authorization Route. When the total amount of a Purchase Request or pending Purchase Order form exceeds the limit of the authenticated user's dollar ceiling the next user in the route with the next dollar value limit is notified. FOOD-TRAK automatically sends an e-mail to the next person in the Authorization Route that a new Purchase Requestor pending Purchase Order form is awaiting his or her approval. When a user holding the rights to the dollar amount in question finally approves the Purchase Request or pending Purchase Order, it is then converted into a completed Purchase Order form and can be automatically forwarded to the vendor.
Authorization Routes are found under Site Administration > General > Authorization Routes
To create a purchasing route, click Add New 
.
Assign a Route Code and Route Description, click Add.
Select a User responsible for approving the purchase. Set an Authorization Limit if necessary, and select if the user should be Notified by e-Mail. Note: the user account added to the route must have an e-mail address associated with it in User Manager in order to be notified via e-mail.
Add all users who possess the various levels of dollar amount approval levels.