Small purchases approved inside policy, not seven levels up
Orders worth a few hundred dollars were climbing a median of seven approval steps — some reached twenty-seven. Velocity applies the written rules and sends people only the cases that need judgement.
A container terminal operator, one of two workflows in a paid pilot
70–80%
of eligible small purchases decided without a manager
Pilot target
≥ 90%
of routing matches the approval matrix
Pilot target
≥ 40%
less handling time per approval
Pilot target
100%
of exceptions reach the right person, logged
Pilot target
Pilot target: the success measure a pilot is held to.
The problem
Policy lets a line manager approve a small purchase. In practice, those approvals were passed by hand up to VP and CEO level, because nobody wanted to be the one who signed without the full picture.
The extra steps added time, not scrutiny.
What it costs today
- Approval steps for a purchase under ~$1,300
- 7 (median), up to 27
- Decisions made by ten approvers in 18 months
- 999
- Of those, rejected
- 1
The operator's own procurement process assessment, 2026.
The solution: a team of specialist agents
Assemble
Puts amount, requester, item, purpose, vendor and records in one view.
Check
Runs every written check — passed, failed or needs a person, with the reason.
Route
Applies value bands and the approval matrix to find the right approver.
Decide
Decides eligible, clean, below-threshold cases under the written rules.
How it works
One case, step by step, in the systems the team already uses. An illustrative case: names, times and figures are representative.
14:31
Requester
“Purchase request: safety gloves, $420, approved vendor.”
14:31
Velocity · Oracle EBS · Policy
All six checks passed. Below threshold, no exception. Approved under the written rules and logged.
14:40
Requester
“Purchase request: pump spares, $1,180, new vendor.”
14:40
Velocity · Approvals
New vendor is an exception. Sent to the line manager with the full record and a recommendation.
Before, and with Velocity
| Step | Before | With Velocity |
|---|---|---|
| Information | Scattered across emails and screens | One view per request |
| Checks | Repeated by every approver | Run once, results shown |
| Routing | Passed upward by hand | Straight to the approver the matrix names |
| Clean small purchases | Median seven approvals | Decided under the rules, logged |
What stays with your people
Anything above the agreed threshold, incomplete or unusual goes to a person with the full record. In the pilot, automated decisions are test actions only.
Works inside
Oracle EBS · Approval matrix & SOPs · Email
How a pilot runs
Part of a twelve-week paid pilot. Baseline and method agreed in weeks one and two; the same cases measured before and after.
Questions
What does Velocity do for approvals?
Orders worth a few hundred dollars were climbing a median of seven approval steps — some reached twenty-seven. Velocity applies the written rules and sends people only the cases that need judgement. The work is split between specialist agents: Assemble — Puts amount, requester, item, purpose, vendor and records in one view; Check — Runs every written check — passed, failed or needs a person, with the reason; Route — Applies value bands and the approval matrix to find the right approver; Decide — Decides eligible, clean, below-threshold cases under the written rules.
What results does it deliver?
70–80% of eligible small purchases decided without a manager — pilot target; ≥ 90% of routing matches the approval matrix — pilot target; ≥ 40% less handling time per approval — pilot target; 100% of exceptions reach the right person, logged — pilot target. Every figure is labelled as measured in production, a pilot target, or a worked example on representative data.
Which systems does it work in?
Oracle EBS, Approval matrix & SOPs, Email. Velocity logs in with its own account and the permissions your IT team grants; there is no data migration or integration project.
What stays with your people?
Anything above the agreed threshold, incomplete or unusual goes to a person with the full record. In the pilot, automated decisions are test actions only.
How does a pilot run?
Part of a twelve-week paid pilot. Baseline and method agreed in weeks one and two; the same cases measured before and after.
More of the work
A spare part from first request to requisition in weeks, not months
~4 weeksfrom weeks to several months
from first request to purchase requisition
Pilot target
Oil & gas
A supplier shortfall recovered before it stops the line
₹8.6 lakhfrom ₹21 lakh
to cover a 250-unit shortfall — about $9,800, against $24,000
Worked example
Manufacturing