Delegated Purchasing & Proxy Buying
Temporary delegation and proxy buying capabilities with granular spending limits, category restrictions, expiration dates, and complete audit trails enabling assistants and procurement teams to buy on behalf of executives efficiently.
Why This Matters
What It Is
Temporary delegation and proxy buying capabilities with granular spending limits, category restrictions, expiration dates, and complete audit trails enabling assistants and procurement teams to buy on behalf of executives efficiently.
Current State vs Future State Comparison
Current State
(Traditional)1. Executive needs supplies ordered but delegates task to executive assistant via email. 2. Assistant doesn't have purchasing system access or executive's budget authority. 3. Assistant requests IT to create temporary user account with executive's permissions (3-5 day delay). 4. IT manually provisions access, often granting full permissions instead of limited delegation. 5. Assistant completes purchase, IT notified via email to revoke access. 6. Manual access revocation delayed or forgotten creating ongoing security risk and compliance issues.
Characteristics
- • ERP Systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics)
- • Procurement Software (e.g., ProcureDesk)
- • Workflow Automation Platforms (e.g., Cflow)
- • Email and Spreadsheets
Pain Points
- ⚠ Manual Processes: Reliance on email and spreadsheets leads to delays and lost requests.
- ⚠ Approval Bottlenecks: Multi-level approvals can slow down procurement.
- ⚠ Lack of Delegation Clarity: Confusion or unauthorized purchases due to unclear delegation rules.
- ⚠ Limited Integration: Disconnected systems cause duplication of data entry and errors.
- ⚠ Compliance Risks: Manual tracking makes it harder to enforce budget controls.
- ⚠ Dependence on manual processes increases the likelihood of errors.
- ⚠ Approval delays can lead to missed vendor discounts or production delays.
Future State
(Agentic)1. Delegation Management Agent receives executive's delegation request: 'Grant my assistant Jane Smith purchasing authority up to $5K for office supplies only, effective for next 30 days'. 2. Agent provisions temporary delegation with granular controls: spending limit ($5K total), category restrictions (office supplies only), expiration date (30 days), approval routing (delegate's manager). 3. Assistant receives notification of delegation authority with clear limits and instructions. 4. Assistant shops and submits requisitions as proxy on behalf of executive, with purchases clearly attributed: 'Purchased by Jane Smith on behalf of John Executive'. 5. Agent automatically revokes delegation at expiration date (30 days) with no manual intervention required. 6. Complete audit trail maintained: who delegated to whom, for what purpose, spending limits, all transactions made under delegation.
Characteristics
- • User delegation relationships and temporary authority grants
- • Spending limits, category restrictions, and expiration dates
- • Purchase transaction history with delegation attribution
- • Approval routing rules for delegated purchases
- • Audit logs of delegation creation, usage, and revocation
- • User roles and permanent purchasing authority
Benefits
- ✓ 70-85% time savings for assistants/procurement teams through self-service delegation
- ✓ Granular access controls limit delegation to specific amounts and categories
- ✓ Automatic expiration eliminates forgotten access revocation security risks
- ✓ Complete audit trail provides transparency and compliance
- ✓ Executive time freed from routine purchasing for strategic work
- ✓ Improved assistant satisfaction through appropriate authority
Is This Right for You?
This score is based on general applicability (industry fit, implementation complexity, and ROI potential). Use the Preferences button above to set your industry, role, and company profile for personalized matching.
Why this score:
- • Applicable across multiple industries
- • Moderate expected business value
- • Time to value: 3-6 months
- • (Score based on general applicability - set preferences for personalized matching)
You might benefit from Delegated Purchasing & Proxy Buying if:
- You're experiencing: Manual Processes: Reliance on email and spreadsheets leads to delays and lost requests.
- You're experiencing: Approval Bottlenecks: Multi-level approvals can slow down procurement.
- You're experiencing: Lack of Delegation Clarity: Confusion or unauthorized purchases due to unclear delegation rules.
This may not be right for you if:
- Requires human oversight for critical decision points - not fully autonomous
Parent Capability
Multi-User Buying & Approvals
Accelerates approvals dramatically with complete visibility, zero lost requests, and high auto-approval rates through intelligent automation.
What to Do Next
Related Functions
Metadata
- Function ID
- function-delegated-purchasing-proxy-buying