Automation Rules

Automation rules help you streamline your procurement process by automating actions based on the data in a request. You can create rules to automatically route requests for approval or apply specific RFX templates based on criteria you define.

Navigating to Automation Rules

To manage automation rules, you must have administrative privileges.

1. Click on Administration in the top navigation bar.

2. Select Automation rules from the left-hand sidebar.

How Automation Rules Work

Automation rules follow a simple but powerful IF-THEN logic:

• Trigger Event: When the rule should run.

• IF: The conditions that must be met for the rule to trigger.

• THEN: The action that should be taken if the conditions are met.

Trigger Events for Requests

You can trigger a rule to run at two different points in the request lifecycle:

• Before submitting: The rule runs before the request is officially submitted. This is used for actions like asking for approval.

• After submitted: The rule runs after the request has been submitted. This is used for actions like applying a template.

IF Conditions

You can build rules based on a variety of fields from the request form. This allows you to create highly specific and targeted automations.

Common condition fields include:

• Category

• Location country

• Budget minimum / maximum

• Currency

• Department

You can add multiple conditions and group them to create complex logic.

THEN Actions

For requests, there are two primary actions you can automate:

1. Ask for approval: Route the request to one or more approvers.

2. Apply template: Automatically apply a predefined event template to the request.

Example 1: Creating an Approval Rule

Let's say you want any request from the IT department with a budget over $10,000 to be approved by the IT Director before it can be submitted.

1. Click + Create rule.

2. Give your rule a name, like "IT Spend Approval > $10k".

3. Set the Trigger event to Request and Before submitting.

4. In the IF section, set the following conditions:

   • Department | is | IT

   • Budget maximum | is greater than | 10000

5. In the THEN section, select Ask for approval from.

6. Search for and select the approver(s) (e.g., the IT Director).

7. Set the Approval due date, days to define how long the approver has to respond.

8. Set the rule status to Active in the top-right corner.

9. Click Create.

Now, any new request that matches these criteria will automatically be routed for approval.

Example 2: Applying a Template Rule

Imagine you want all requests for "Consultancy Services" to automatically use your "Professional Services" event template.

1. Click + Create rule.

2. Give your rule a name, like "Apply ProServ Template".

3. Set the Trigger event to Request and After submitted.

4. In the IF section, set the condition:

   • Category | is | Consultancy Services

5. In the THEN section, select Apply template.

6. Search for and select the "Professional Services" template.

7. Set the rule status to Active.

8. Click Create.

Now, after a request for consultancy services is submitted, the system will automatically apply the correct template, saving your team manual effort.

Managing Your Rules

From the main Automation Rules page, you can see all your existing rules at a glance. You can search, filter, and sort them to find what you need. To enable or disable a rule without deleting it, simply click the three-dot menu (⋮) next to the rule and change its status from Active to Inactive.