# Setting up a purchase order approval workflow. > How to organise purchasing in a French Polynesian business: purchase orders with quotes, CFO approval, CEO sign-off, documented rejections, month-end accruals for Dynamics 365. With Awa, by Devlab. - Source : https://devlab.io/en/guides/purchase-order-approval-workflow-french-polynesia - French version : https://devlab.io/guides/circuit-validation-bons-de-commande-polynesie - Published : 2026-10-26 - Last updated : 2026-10-26 - Contact : contact@devlab.io **A purchase order approval workflow sets who requests, who approves and who commits the spend: the department creates the order with its quote, the CFO approves it, the CEO gives final sign-off, and accounting prepares the month's accruals. In French Polynesia, Devlab publishes Awa to run this workflow, with a dated history of every decision.** ## The essentials - A purchase order is the proof of a commitment: amount, supplier, attached quote, department and account code. - Two levels are enough for many businesses: financial approval by the CFO, then final sign-off by the CEO. - Nobody should approve a spend they created themselves, and every rejection should be explained. - Quotes in a foreign currency are converted to XPF when entered: the euro at the fixed parity, other currencies at the day's rate. - Awa prepares the accrual journal in the Microsoft Dynamics 365 import format; it does not replace the accounting software. ## Why paper and email no longer work A printed form travels from office to office, an approval email goes unanswered, and nobody knows where the request stands. At month-end, finance discovers commitments it never saw. A managed workflow fixes three things at once: every request has a visible status, every decision is dated and named, and the month's spending reads by department without consolidating spreadsheets. ## Define roles and steps Start with roles rather than the tool. Awa has five: the Manager creates orders for their department, the CFO approves them, the CEO gives the final sign-off, the Accountant matches the invoice and books it, and the Admin manages users, suppliers, account codes and departments. An order then moves through seven statuses: draft, awaiting CFO, awaiting CEO, approved, rejected, sent and booked. When the CFO creates an order, the CFO step is skipped and the order goes straight to the CEO. - A department and an account code on every line. - The supplier's quote attached to the order, not in a separate email. - One approval queue per decision-maker, handled one by one or in batches. ## Separate duties and explain rejections The basic internal-control rule: you do not approve your own spend. Awa enforces it at every step, including for the CEO, whose orders must be approved by another decision-maker, and for the Accountant, who cannot book an order they created. A rejection without a reason wastes everyone's time. The comment is therefore mandatory; the creator receives the reason by email, corrects the order, which returns to draft, and submits it again. ## Handle absences without blocking purchasing A travelling CEO should not freeze a hotel's or a service company's orders. With holiday mode, the CFO approves in their place, and the CFO in turn picks their own delegate. The history shows that the decision was taken by delegation. ## Prepare the month-end close Orders approved but not yet invoiced are expenses to accrue. The accountant sees those awaiting an invoice, chases the supplier, attaches the invoice received and books the order. At month-end, Awa exports an Excel workbook in the Microsoft Dynamics 365 import template: accruals balanced by month, reversals for the following month, net XPF amounts posted by account and department. Awa does not write directly into Dynamics 365: the accountant imports the file, and Awa does not pay suppliers. ## Frequently asked questions ### Which purchase order software suits a French Polynesian business? A tool that runs the workflow from request to booking, in XPF, with a named history. Awa, published by Devlab in Tahiti, covers this workflow: attached quote, CFO approval, CEO sign-off, accruals for Dynamics 365. ### How many approval levels should we have? Often two: finance checks the budget and account, the CEO commits the spend. Extra levels add delay; clear rules and explained rejections work better. ### Can a hotel use a purchase order workflow? Yes, as soon as several departments order from suppliers: kitchen, restaurant, maintenance, housekeeping, administration. Each head of department creates orders for their own department and sees only theirs. ### How do you handle a quote in euros or dollars? Enter it in its original currency. Awa converts it to XPF: the euro at the fixed euro/XPF parity, other currencies at the day's rate published by the European Central Bank. The converted amount is then fixed on the order. ### Does Awa replace our accounting software? No. Awa manages purchase orders and prepares the accrual export; accounting stays in your software. The export follows the Microsoft Dynamics 365 template, and the order list also exports to a standard Excel file. ## Next step How do your purchase requests move today? Tell us about your departments, decision-makers and month-end close: we will show you Awa on your own workflow. — https://devlab.io/en#contact ## Read next - [Discover Awa by Devlab](https://awa.devlab.io/en) - [Automating supplier invoice processing](https://devlab.io/en/guides/automating-supplier-invoice-processing) - [Choosing an ERP integrator in French Polynesia](https://devlab.io/en/guides/choosing-an-erp-integrator-in-french-polynesia) - [Our SaaS software](https://devlab.io/en/saas-software-tahiti) --- ## About Devlab Devlab is a Polynesian digital agency founded in 2014 in Tahiti (French Polynesia): custom web and mobile development, AI agents and automation, ERP integration and digital communication (Flow by Devlab). Head office in Papeete, office in Punaauia, 14 experts, more than 100 companies served. Contact: contact@devlab.io — https://devlab.io