--- sourceDocument: Australia Finance and Supply Chain sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/source-to-pay-operations Release : - australia ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Australia Finance and Supply Chain ft:clusterId : - stpop bundleId : - stpop workflow : - Employee --- # End-to-end purchasing workflow # End-to-end purchasing workflow in Source-to-Pay Operations {#ariaid-title1} * Release version: Australia * * Updated March 12, 2026 * * ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 2 minutes to read Summarize ![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) Summarized using AI This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete. ## Summary of End-to-End Purchasing Workflow in Source-to-Pay Operations This document provides a comprehensive understanding of the end-to-end purchasing workflow within the Source-to-Pay (S2P) suite, specifically focusing on the Sourcing and Procurement Operations (SPO) and Accounts Payable Operations (APO) products. The workflow initiates when a contractual price is available for the desired product or service. Show full answer Show less ## Prerequisites To effectively utilize the purchasing workflow, ensure that the necessary plugins are installed and activated. Refer to the installation sequences for: * SPO: Application plugin installation sequence in Sourcing and Procurement Operations * APO: Application plugin installation sequence in Accounts Payable Operations ## Workflow of the Purchasing Process The purchasing process involves multiple roles and applications to complete the workflow effectively: * An employee initiates a purchase by performing a quick or full checkout, leading to the creation of a purchase requisition or order. * An approver reviews and approves the purchase request, resulting in the generation of a purchase order. * A procurement specialist fulfills the purchase order and confirms receipt of the product. * Invoices are automatically generated, and any discrepancies or exceptions are handled by an accounts payable specialist. * The accounts payable specialist may manually create invoices or convert them based on interactions with shoppers and suppliers. * An accounts payable agent manages invoice cases, ensuring communication with suppliers and employees as needed. Each participant in the workflow has visibility into the process status through their respective application portals, ensuring streamlined communication and tracking. Gather a high-level understanding of the end-to-end purchasing workflow with the Sourcing and Procurement Operations (SPO) and Accounts Payable Operations (APO) products within the Source-to-Pay (S2P) suite. The purchasing workflow is triggered when an active contractual price is available for a product or service the shopper intends to purchase. ## Prerequisites {#s2p-solution-pr-workflow__section_lhy_5qx_zyb} Install and activate the necessary plugins. For information on the respective product plugins and installation sequence, see: * SPO: [Application plugin installation sequence in Sourcing and Procurement Operations](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/PAokGvcSclhWclSU4WN9Aw "The following table lists the Sourcing and Procurement Operations (SPO) plugins, their installation sequence, high-level descriptions, and dependencies.") * APO: [Application plugin installation sequence in Accounts Payable Operations](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/A_WgRwoXcOY7EhGxatvpHw "Plugin names, descriptions, and dependencies required to install Accounts Payable Operations.") {#s2p-solution-pr-workflow__ul_y5c_kcq_hcc} ## Workflow of the purchasing process {#s2p-solution-pr-workflow__section_cbx_r4x_zyb} The following figure shows how different personas use the various applications withing the SPO and APO products to complete the end-to-end purchasing process within the Source-to-Pay (S2P) suite. Figure 1. Workflow of the purchasing process In this workflow: 1. An employee performs a quick checkout with a product or service that has a contractual price. A purchase requisition is created. For more information, see [Order a product with quick checkout](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/Hz0OXNo_sTF_SEEVxI3EVA "Order a product or service that you want to purchase from the product catalog available on Shopping Hub Home."). Alternatively, an employee performs a full checkout with products or services that have contractual prices. For more information, see [Complete your checkout](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/zilEb3uqgPpB82gb8Nh4wQ "Proceed to checkout when you’ve completed your shopping and have reviewed your shopping cart."). Role: sn_shop.shopper. Application portal: Shopping Hub. 2. Approval rules route the purchase request to one or more assigned approvers. 3. An approver reviews the purchase request and approves it. A purchase order is created. For more information, see [Approve a request from Employee Center](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/NYJoj1LO0iNbV2q~icEIeA "Approve, reject, or request clarification on open purchase requisition lines and sourcing requests that are assigned to you, directly from Employee Center."). Role: sn_shop.procurement_specialist. Application portal: Employee Center. 4. A procurement specialist fulfills the purchase order from the associated supplier.Role: sn_shop.procurement_specialist. Application portal: Source-to-Pay Workspace. 5. On fulfillment, the employee confirms receipt of the requested product. For more information, see [Confirm receipt of your order from Shopping Hub Home](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/vv_9Ub3gwDjhhNcuwTWsrg "Provide confirmation of receipt of the items you ordered that are in pending receipt state from Shopping Hub Home, so that payment is processed to the supplier accordingly. If you have not received the complete order, you can confirm receipt of a part of your order as well with the date when you received them.") and [Confirm receipt of your order from Employee Center](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/RISNeHWebzq4guBL9i9mng "Provide confirmation of receipt of the items that you ordered that are in pending receipt state from Employee Center, so that payment is processed to the supplier accordingly. If you have not received the complete order, you can confirm receipt of a part of your order as well with the date when you received them."). Role: sn_shop.shopper. Application portal: Shopping Hub or Employee Center. 6. Invoices are auto-created. When invoices aren't auto-submitted or don't match the purchase orders, or when invoice exceptions must be resolved, an accounts payable specialist gets involved. For more information, see [Accounts Payable Invoice Processing](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/M2mBd8Vjd~ADcpD5Z5pmXQ "Accounts Payable Invoice Processing automates invoice document ingestion and data extraction using ServiceNow Document Intelligence and supports the complete invoice life cycle from capture through approval."). Alternatively, the accounts payable specialist manually creates invoices. For more information, see [Accounts Payable Specialist manual tasks](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/vU_90ucNdxxhlCJaIxlyxg "Manual tasks in Accounts Payable Operations are actions specialists complete when automated invoice workflows require human review."). Role: sn_ap_apm.accounts_payable_specialist. Application portal: Source-to-Pay Workspace. 7. The accounts payable specialist converts invoices of purchase order type to invoice types such as non-purchase order, credit memo, and debit memo, based on their interactions with shoppers and suppliers of business services. For more information, see [Accounts Payable Specialist manual tasks](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/vU_90ucNdxxhlCJaIxlyxg "Manual tasks in Accounts Payable Operations are actions specialists complete when automated invoice workflows require human review."). Role: sn_ap_apm.accounts_payable_specialist. Application portal: Source-to-Pay Workspace. 8. An accounts payable agent manages and works on assigned invoice cases, requests more information from suppliers or employees if necessary, and creates and assigns tasks to the users. For more information, see [Invoice Case Management](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/Du1s6E4TXcIOLJaEQE2S7Q "Invoice case management enables agents to resolve invoice discrepancies and exceptions in the Source-to-Pay Workspace through structured workflows."). Role: sn_ap_cm.agent. Application portal: Source-to-Pay Workspace. 9. The employee, approver, procurement specialist, accounts payable specialist, and accounts payable agent have complete visibility into the status of the workflow through process completion, from their respective portals. {#s2p-solution-pr-workflow__ol_z5x_pqx_zyb}