A branch leader submits a spending request with the supplier's quote, AI reads the supplier, items and total, and the request shows the remaining budget. Small in-budget requests go to the regional coordinator, larger ones to finance too, and approval sends the purchase order.
Typical results
0
Purchases approved without a matching budget line
≈120/mo
Requests from 40 branches handled in one flow
≈9 hrs/wk
Finance time on spending requests saved
Figures reflect typical results for this kind of automation.
The challenge
Forty branch leaders, most of them volunteers, send around 120 spending requests a month as WhatsApp messages, emails and photos of quotes. Finance has to work out which branch and activity each one belongs to and whether money is left on that line. Approvals take about six days, and overspent budget lines surface only at quarter end.
Before and after
Days from spending request to approval
−83%Overspent budget lines per quarter
−89%Finance hours per week on spending requests
−75%The automation
A branch leader fills a spending request and attaches the supplier's quote. AI reads the supplier, items and total, matches the request to the branch and activity budget line, and shows the remaining balance. Requests within budget and under the set limit go to the regional coordinator, while larger or over-budget requests also go to the finance manager. Once approved, the purchase order is sent to the supplier and the branch budget sheet is updated.
How it works
- 01
Request with the quote attached
A branch leader who needs a bus, supplies or a venue fills a spending request and attaches the supplier's quote as a PDF or photo.
- 02
AI reads the quote
AI pulls the supplier, items and total from the quote and matches the request to the branch and the activity budget line.
- 03
Remaining balance shown
The request shows what is left on the budget line after this purchase, so approvers see the impact before they decide.
- 04
Routed by amount and budget
Requests within budget and under the set limit go to the regional coordinator. Larger or over-budget requests also go to the finance manager.
- 05
Purchase order and budget update
Once approved, the purchase order goes to the supplier, the branch leader is told, and the branch budget sheet is updated.
Starts from
- Branch spending request
- Supplier quote
- Branch budget lines
Delivers
- Tiered approval
- Purchase order to supplier
- Updated budget sheet
The impact
Spending requests are approved in about a day instead of six, so buses and venues are booked while they are still available. Overspent budget lines drop from around 9 a quarter to 1, and finance spends about 3 hours a week on requests instead of 12.
Questions about this automation
What if the AI reads the quote wrong?
The extracted supplier, items and total appear on the request next to the original quote, and the branch leader confirms them before submitting. If the quote is unclear or the total doesn't add up, the request is marked for a check, and approvers can always open the original document before deciding.
Can the approval limits differ by branch or activity?
Yes. Limits are set per budget line, region or activity type, so a summer camp line can allow larger purchases than a weekly activity line. Over-budget requests always go to the finance manager, and a rejected request returns to the branch leader with the reason so it can be revised.
Do branch leaders need new software to send requests?
No. The request form opens on any phone, and the quote can be a PDF or a photo taken on the spot. Behind it, finance needs a budget per branch and activity line in Google Sheets or the accounting system, plus the limits and the approval chain. This is a multi-step build, usually rolled out in stages.