# Procurement Process Guide: Buying Made Simple

Source: https://maito.app/workflows/guide-people-through-buying-something

Maito tells people which purchasing route applies, who approves and how long it takes, from your own policy, then helps start the request in Slack.

Purchases follow the process without people learning it first.

[IT and admin](https://maito.app/workflows/team/it-and-admin) · When you ask · Updated October 19, 2026

Works with

-   Slack
-   Email

## How do you guide people through buying something?

To guide people through buying something, share your purchasing policy with Maito and let employees ask in Slack. It asks what and how much, explains the route that applies, who must approve and how long it takes, and warns about traps like multi-year prepayments before the request begins.

## How it's done today

Procurement steps are a mystery to most people.

## What Maito does

1.  Ask what they want to buy
2.  Explain the steps for that amount and type
3.  Start the request

## Example

**Priya** (10:05 AM):

I want to buy a design tool for the team. About $3,600 a year.

**Maito** (10:06 AM):

Under $5,000 a year, so the short route:

• Your manager's OK, in writing.  
• Security review by Ben, about 5 business days.  
• Omar approves anything over $2,500, so he'll see this one.

**Catch:** we go by total commitment, not the annual price. If the vendor asks for a 2-year prepay, that's $7,200 and the over-$5,000 route applies, with a contract review by Claire.

Which tool, and how many seats? I'll start the request.

**Priya** (10:09 AM):

Pied Piper Design, 12 seats, annual.

**Maito** (10:10 AM):

Started request PR-0412: Pied Piper Design, 12 seats, $3,600 a year. It's with Kate for the manager OK. Ben's review begins after that. Nothing is bought until Omar approves.

## How to set it up

When you ask Guide people through buying something

Set up

Nothing to set up. Ask in Slack or by email whenever you need it.

## What it won't do

It only knows the policy you have shared, so rules that live in someone's head are missed. It can't approve or pay for anything.

## Questions

### Where do the rules come from?

From your purchasing policy and what the team has told Maito. It applies your thresholds rather than inventing any.

### Does it buy anything?

No. It guides the request and asks the right people for approval. Payments and signatures stay with your team.

### Can it start the request?

It can collect the details and send them to the approver by Slack or email. It doesn't approve spending on its own.

## More it and admin workflows

-   [Answer IT questions in the help channel People get answers to everyday IT questions without a ticket. IT and admin · When you ask Works with Slack, Email.](https://maito.app/workflows/answer-it-questions-in-the-help-channel)
-   [Handle access requests Access requests get collected, approved by the right person and logged. IT and admin · When you ask Works with Jira Service Management, ServiceNow.](https://maito.app/workflows/handle-access-requests)
-   [Review who has access Every quarter, check who has access to key tools and flag what looks wrong. IT and admin · On a schedule Works with Slack, Email.](https://maito.app/workflows/review-who-has-access)
-   [Check a new vendor's security Get a first pass on a vendor's security docs before you sign. IT and admin · When you ask Works with Box.](https://maito.app/workflows/check-a-new-vendors-security)
-   [Track laptops and equipment Know who has which device and when warranties end. IT and admin · On a schedule Works with Airtable, Microsoft 365.](https://maito.app/workflows/track-laptops-and-equipment)
-   [Write IT how-to guides Turn solved IT tickets into short guides. IT and admin · When you ask Works with Jira Service Management, ServiceNow, Notion, Confluence.](https://maito.app/workflows/write-it-how-to-guides)

[See all workflows](https://maito.app/workflows)

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