Blanket purchase order workflow

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Blanket purchase order workflow

    This workflow governs the creation and management of blanket purchase orders (BPOs) in ServiceNow. When a shopper selects "I am not sure" for the delivery date during checkout, a purchase requisition with a blanket order type is generated, resulting in a blanket purchase order. Blanket purchase orders allow authorized users to make multiple purchases against a predefined total amount and period without requiring approvals for each transaction.

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    Key Features

    • Purchasing Permissions: Define users, groups, cost centers, or departments authorized to purchase against the BPO without approvals. The original business owner can always release purchases regardless of permissions.
    • No Receipts or Invoices: Since these are not applicable to BPOs, related lists for receipts and invoices are hidden on the purchase order form.
    • Standard Purchase Order Releases: Created when conditions such as authorized user, valid purchase dates within BPO start and end dates, supplier product inclusion, and available funds are met.
    • Tracking Released Amounts: The sum of all released purchase orders updates the Released amount field on the BPO. When this equals the Total amount, the BPO status changes to Closed Complete.
    • Approval for Overages: If a release causes the BPO amount to be exceeded, an approval is triggered for the excess amount by the business owner of the standard purchase order release.
    • Date Validation: For goods, purchase request creation dates must fall within the BPO line’s dates; for services, the service request period must fit within the BPO line’s dates.

    Practical Implications for ServiceNow Customers

    ServiceNow customers can leverage this workflow to streamline procurement by enabling multiple releases against a single blanket purchase order within specified limits, reducing approval overhead and improving purchasing efficiency. The system enforces controls on authorized users, purchase timing, and financial limits, ensuring compliance with purchasing policies. Monitoring the Released amount field provides clear visibility into spending against the BPO, and automated approvals safeguard against overspending.

    During checkout, when a shopper selects I am not sure in the delivery date option, it creates a purchase requisition with a blanket order type, which results in the creation of a blanket purchase order.

    Purchasing permissions define the list of users, groups, cost centers, or departments that are allowed to purchase against the blanket purchase order without requiring any approvals. As receipts and invoices are not applicable for blanket purchase orders, these related lists are not displayed on the purchase order form view.

    For details on the various fields and related lists that are populated for a blanket purchase order, see Purchase order.

    Standard purchases against a blanket purchase order

    A standard purchase order release is created when the following conditions are satisfied:
    • User who requested the purchase is defined under the associated purchasing permission of the blanket purchase order.

      The business owner who requested the original blanket purchase order can always release against the blanket purchase order even if they are not explicitly defined under the purchasing permission.

    • Creation date of the standard purchase line falls within the range of the blanket line’s start and end date.
    • Supplier product purchased is defined as a supplier product on the blanket purchase order.
    • Funds must be available on the blanket purchase order. The value of the Released amount field on the blanket purchase order must be less than the value in the Total amount field.

    The standard purchase order release has a reference to the blanket purchase order and will be displayed under the Purchase Order Releases related list on the blanket purchase order.

    On the blanket purchase order, the sum of the total amount of all released purchase orders is updated in the Released amount field of the Summary Details section. When the value of the Released amount field matches with the value of the Total amount field, the status of the blanket purchase order changes to Closed Complete.

    If a purchase order release amount results in the blanket purchase order amount being exceeded, an approval is triggered for the delta amount to the business owner of the applicable standard purchase order release.

    For example, if a blanket purchase order exists with an associated purchasing agreement contract with validity from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019. The amount limit on the blanket purchase order is $1000, and the current released amount is $800. The next standard purchase order release against the blanket is for $500. So, an approval for the delta of $300 is required.

    To check if a request should be considered as a release against an existing blanket purchase order:
    • For goods, check the creation date of the purchase request against the start and end date of the corresponding line on the blanket purchase order.
    • For services, check the start and end date of the request against the start and end date of the corresponding line on the blanket purchase order.