> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://hub.equipme.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://hub.equipme.io/dokumentation/procurement/approvals.md).

# Handling approvals

Reviewing, approving or rejecting approval requests; approvers and observers, status, history and what happens after the decision.

**Path:** sidebar → "My company" → **"Approvals"** (managers: "My organization" → "Approvals"; the number shows open requests)

This is where you decide on order requests that need your approval. Who has to approve is defined by the administrator under [Configuring approvals](/dokumentation/procurement/approval-settings.md). If the list is always empty, **automatic approval** is probably active.

## Terms

| Term                | Meaning                                                                                           |
| ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **"Requested by"**  | Who made the request                                                                              |
| **"Requested for"** | Who the service is intended for. This determines who has to approve.                              |
| **"Assigned to"**   | The approvers. If there are several, **the first decision** counts.                               |
| **"Observer"**      | Sees the request, is notified and may also decide, e.g. a representative stored for the approver. |

## The overview

### "Open requests" tab

"Approval requests that require your decision." You see requests where you are an approver or observer, that you made yourself, or that you are allowed to see because of your role. Administrators see all open requests.

Columns: "Status", "Requested by", "Requested for", "Assigned to", **"My role"** ("Approver", "Observer", "Requester" or "Permission"), "Requested on", "Title", "Justification", "Assigned to group" and, for multi-stage processes, "Previous approver".

If you expand a row, you see the items with service, category, supplier, type, contract term, costs and options.

### "Completed requests" tab

Requests that have already been decided, for viewing only.

## Reviewing a request

A click opens the details on the right:

* **"Assignment details"**: requested by/for, observers, approvers.
* **"Justification of the service request"**: the requester's justification.
* **"Requested service"**: all items with supplier, type, term, costs, configuration, delivery address, warehouse, group and requested date.
* **"Current services from *****Name*****"**: the recipient's existing equipment. Services in the same category are at the top and highlighted. This helps you spot duplicate orders.
* **"History"**: all steps with date, person and comments.
* **"Financial Overview"**: recurring and one-time costs (if you are allowed to see prices).

## Approving or rejecting

1. In the details, click **"Approve"** or **"Reject"**. You can select several requests in the list and decide on them together.
2. Depending on the settings, enter a **"Justification"** (5 to 500 characters if mandatory).
3. Confirm.

{% hint style="info" %}
The decision always applies to **all items** of a request. There is no partial approval. If an item should not be ordered, it can be removed beforehand in the order requests.
{% endhint %}

## What happens next

| Decision     | Result                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
| ------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Approved** | The items appear under [Order requests](/dokumentation/procurement/order-requests-and-checkout.md) → "Approved" and are ordered there. **They are not ordered automatically**, not even for services with "Approve automatically". The requester is notified by email. |
| **Rejected** | The items are removed; their state remains in the history. The requester receives an email with the justification.                                                                                                                                                     |

With **custom approval** (workflow), another stage may follow your decision. The next stage then shows you as "Previous approver".

## Changing approvers and observers

As long as a request is open, authorized users can choose **"Add approver"** or **"Add observer"** in the details, or remove people using the x. An optional justification is saved in the history. A person can only have one role per request. This is useful, for example, during vacations or when a second opinion is needed.

## Status of an approval request

| Status         | Meaning                                                                       |
| -------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **"Pending"**  | Waiting for a decision                                                        |
| **"Approved"** | Released                                                                      |
| **"Rejected"** | Rejected, or the item was removed from the order requests before the decision |
| **"Closed"**   | In multi-stage workflows: a parallel request was approved by someone else.    |
| **"Canceled"** | In multi-stage workflows: a parallel request was rejected by someone else.    |

The history also shows "Opened", "Participant added", "Participant removed" and "Swapped".

## Automatically approved requests

Some requests are approved without a human decision. They appear with the status "Approved" and the note "Authorized by System" in the history. When this happens is described under [Configuring approvals](/dokumentation/procurement/approval-settings.md#when-is-a-request-approved-automatically).

## For employees: checking the status of your own requests

Under "My workspace" → **"My equipment"**, the profile on the right (desktop) shows the **"Approvals"** area with your own requests in the **"Pending"** and **"Completed"** tabs. A click opens the details for viewing. In addition, the service card under "My equipment" shows whether a service is still waiting for approval; clicking the status opens the request.

## Emails

| Notification                                                               | When                                                          |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| "New approval request"                                                     | Immediately to approvers and observers                        |
| "New approval requests (bundled)"                                          | Hourly between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. (CET) as a digest email      |
| "Self-service order placed" / "Order request placed for a third party"     | To the requester **as soon as** the request has been approved |
| "Self-service order canceled" / "Order request for third parties canceled" | To the requester on rejection, with the justification         |

Configure these under [Email notifications](/dokumentation/settings/email-notifications.md).

## Frequently asked questions

**Why do I see a request even though I am not an approver?**

The "My role" column gives the reason: observer, requester or a permission (e.g. as an administrator).

**I am on vacation. Who approves?**

If a **representative** is stored in your employee profile, they are automatically added as an observer and may decide. In addition, administrators can add approvers manually.

**Where can I see who approved?**

In the request's history ("Authorized by") and in the order requests in the "Approved by" column.


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