Purchase requisition auto-order

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated April 21, 2026
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Purchase Requisition Auto-order

    The Purchase Requisition Auto-order feature automates creating purchase orders (POs) from approved purchase requisitions (PRs) without manual buyer intervention. This streamlines procurement by automatically generating POs when certain conditions are met, saving time and reducing manual processing efforts.

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    How Auto-order Works

    • Once a PR completes all approval activities, the Requisition State Handler flow checks if auto-order is enabled and if the PR total meets the configured threshold.
    • If conditions are satisfied, the flow calls a script to validate the PR and create the PO header and lines based on the approved PR lines.
    • The PO state is set according to supplier type:
      • Standard suppliers: PO state is set to Pending submission.
      • Punchout suppliers: An integration request is sent, and PO state becomes Pending supplier confirmation.
    • The PO is linked back to the PR, and the PR state is updated to match the PO state.
    • If validation fails during PO creation, any partial PO records are deleted and manual handling is required.

    Auto-order System Properties

    The auto-order feature behavior is controlled by two key system properties:

    • snshop.spend.requisition.autoorder: Enables or disables auto-order. Set to yes to enable automatic PO creation; any other value disables it and requires manual PO creation. If unset, it defaults to enabled.
    • snshop.spend.requisition.autoorder.threshold: Sets the maximum PR total (in the instance’s reference currency) allowed for auto-order. PRs exceeding this value require manual PO creation. Setting it to 0 applies auto-order to PRs of any amount. If unset, it defaults to 0.

    Note: For multi-currency environments, configure the threshold in the instance reference currency to avoid unexpected auto-order behavior.

    Auto-order Requirements

    For a PO to be auto-created from a PR, all of the following must be true:

    • Auto-order is enabled through the system property.
    • The PR total in reference currency is at or below the configured threshold, or the threshold is zero.
    • The PR contains at least one line in an approved state.
    • All approved PR lines include valid cost allocation data, such as GL account information.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    This feature enables ServiceNow customers to reduce manual workload by automating PO creation for qualifying purchase requisitions. It ensures procurement efficiency while maintaining control through configurable thresholds and validation checks. Customers should carefully configure system properties and validate PR data completeness to maximize the benefit of auto-order processing.

    Auto-order automates the creation of a purchase order (PO) from an approved purchase requisition (PR) without requiring manual buyer intervention. Two system properties control whether the feature is active and the maximum PR value that qualifies for automatic processing.

    When a PR reaches the state where all activities are complete, the Requisition State Handler flow evaluates the auto-order configuration. If the conditions are met, the flow creates a PO and links it back to the PR automatically. If the conditions are not met, the PR waits for a buyer to create the PO manually.

    How auto-order works

    The Requisition State Handler flow performs the following actions during auto-order processing.

    1. A PR is created and reaches the state where all approval activities are complete.
    2. The Requisition State Handler flow evaluates whether auto-order is active and whether the PR total is at or below the configured threshold.
    3. If the auto-order conditions are met, the flow invokes the CreatePurchaseOrder script, which validates the PR and builds the PO header and lines from the approved PR lines.
    4. The PO state is set based on the supplier type:
      • For standard suppliers, the PO state is set to Pending submission.
      • For punchout suppliers, an integration request is sent to the supplier and the PO state is set to Pending supplier confirmation.
    5. The PO is linked to the PR, and the PR state is updated to reflect the PO state.

    If PR validation fails during PO creation, any partially created PO records are removed and the PR must be handled manually.

    Auto-order system properties

    The system properties that control auto-order behavior are described in the following table.

    Table 1. Auto-order system properties
    Property Description Default value
    sn_shop.spend.requisition.autoorder Controls whether auto-order is active. Set to yes to turn on automatic PO creation. Any other value, including no, turns off auto-order and requires a buyer to create the PO manually. If no value is configured, the system treats it as yes. no
    sn_shop.spend.requisition.autoorder.threshold Sets the maximum PR total, in reference currency, that qualifies for auto-order. PRs with a total above this value require manual PO creation. Set to 0 to apply auto-order to PRs of any amount. If no value is configured, the system treats it as 0. 0
    Note:

    The threshold is compared against the PR's reference currency amount. In multi-currency instances, configure the threshold value with the instance reference currency in mind to help avoid unexpected results for PRs entered in other currencies.

    Auto-order requirements

    All of the following conditions must be true for auto-order to create a PO:

    • The sn_shop.spend.requisition.autoorder property is set to yes or has no configured value.
    • The PR total in reference currency is at or below the configured threshold, or the threshold is set to 0.
    • The PR has at least one line in an approved state.
    • All approved PR lines have valid cost allocation data, including GL account information.