Local Councils & AuthoritiesProcurement SystemHelping authorities control spending

Support is provided through a secure online portal, where staff across councils and authorities can raise support requests whenever assistance is required.

Microsoft Teams-based training sessions are also delivered to help officers, managers, and administrators become confident in using the purchase order system and ensure effective adoption across departments.

Comprehensive documentation is available covering all features of the purchase order system used by local councils and authorities.

This includes guidance on system functionality, workflows, and configuration options, helping users get the most from the platform. Documentation is accessible at any time through the support portal.

PO System Documentation for Local Councils & Authorities

A cloud-based purchase order system provides councils and authorities with flexible access to procurement tools across multiple services and locations.

Staff can log in from civic offices, service depots, housing sites, or remote locations using any device with an internet connection. This makes it easier to raise purchase orders, manage approvals, and monitor supplier spend in real-time.

With 24/7 access and no reliance on on-site infrastructure, a cloud-based system helps local authorities improve visibility, maintain control over budgets, and support more efficient procurement processes across the organisation.

A purchase order records the key details needed to ensure goods or services are supplied correctly and delivered to the right location.

Typical information includes item or service descriptions, quantities, agreed unit costs, delivery dates, and any specific instructions. Delivery location details are also important, particularly for councils and authorities managing multiple sites and services.

Capturing this information in a structured format helps ensure accurate fulfilment by suppliers and reduces the risk of errors, delays, or incorrect deliveries.

Councils and authorities manage a wide range of procurement activities, from highways and housing to ICT services and waste management.

A PO system brings all of this into one controlled platform, allowing purchase requests to be routed through approval workflows in line with organisational policies. Budget tracking ensures spending remains within agreed limits, while goods receipting confirms that deliveries match what was ordered.

With comprehensive reporting and audit trails, the system helps ensure every transaction is transparent, compliant, and fully accountable, supporting better financial control across all services.

The system can be configured to reflect the structure of a council or authority, supporting multiple departments, directorates, or service areas within a single platform.

Each area can operate with its own budgets, suppliers, and purchasing workflows, allowing for independent management where required. At the same time, central teams can maintain consolidated oversight across the organisation.

This approach ensures flexibility at a departmental level while supporting consistent control, reporting, and governance across all services.

Purchase order management ensures that all purchasing activity is properly reviewed and approved before any commitment is made.

Managers or procurement officers can raise purchase orders and include supporting documentation such as supplier quotations. These requests are then routed through an approval workflow based on organisational rules, such as budget limits or governance policies.

Approvers review each request to confirm that the spend is valid, within budget, and compliant with internal procedures before authorising the order. This structured process helps councils and authorities maintain control, transparency, and accountability across all procurement activity.

The system can integrate with a wide range of finance software to support a connected procurement and accounting process.

Data such as purchase orders and approved invoices can be exported in formats compatible with commonly used finance package, including SAGE, XERO, and QuickBooks. This allows finance teams to import and process data efficiently.

For organisations requiring a more automated setup, API integrations can also be implemented, enabling seamless data transfer between systems and improving end-to-end visibility across procurement and financial operations.

Built-in receipting tools allow officers to confirm when goods, works, or services have been received against the relevant purchase orders.

This ensures that deliveries and services can be checked for accuracy, and any shortages, damages, or discrepancies can be identified immediately. Issues can then be followed up quickly with suppliers.

By linking receipts directly to purchase orders, the system provides greater visibility and control over procurement activity across council and authority services.

User management is simple and controlled through administrator settings.

Administrators can add new users as staff join, remove access when employees leave, and assign role-based permissions to ensure each user has the appropriate level of access.

This approach allows councils and authorities to manage access across departments, directorates, and services while maintaining security and ensuring users can carry out their responsibilities effectively.

Training is provided through detailed video content available within the system.

Each implementation includes a tailored training video that explains all features, including any customisation specific to your council or authority. This ensures the training reflects your processes and workflows.

These videos can be accessed at any time and reused for onboarding new staff, making it easy to support ongoing training and user adoption across the organisation.

Multiple level approval workflows can be configured to align with the governance and financial controls of councils and authorities.

Approval rules can be based on factors such as order value, department, or type of expenditure. For example, higher value purchases such as major contracts or capital projects can be escalated to senior managers, finance leads, or directors.

Approvals can be routed to individual users or groups, ensuring the correct stakeholders are involved at each stage. This structured approach helps maintain compliance, accountability, and control across all procurement activity.

The system is designed to be configured around the specific requirements of your council or authority.

During implementation, a detailed specification process is carried out to understand your structure, workflows, and governance requirements. This ensures the platform aligns with how your organisation operates.

Where needed, additional configuration or customisation can be applied, helping you get the most value from the purchase order system while supporting your internal processes.

Data security is a core part of the system's design.

All systems are hosted within a private UK Azure cloud environment, with encryption applied to both stored data and data in transit. This ensures that procurement and financial information is protected at all times.

In addition, continuous monitoring, advanced threat detection, and adherence to strict security standards help safeguard your data and maintain a secure operating environment.

Support is available from our UK-based technical team whenever assistance is required.

Each organisation has nominated administrators or power users who can access the secure support portal to raise tickets and track their progress. This ensures that any issues are logged, managed, and resolved efficiently.

This structured support approach helps maintain clear communication and minimises disruption to your procurement processes.

No on-site installation is required, as the system is fully cloud-hosted.

This removes the need for internal IT teams to install or maintain hardware and software. This removes the need for internal IT teams to install or maintain hardware and software. The purchase order system can be accessed via a web browser, allowing for a fast and straightforward deployment.

As a result, council and authority teams can begin using the system quickly, with minimal disruption, while updates, maintenance, and security are handled as part of the service.