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Stop Losing Track of Office and Workshop Supplies: A Simple Request-and-Approve System

· 4 min read
eSecured ERP Team
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A box of A4 paper, toner cartridges, gloves, detergent, cable ties. Individually they're cheap, which is exactly why nobody tracks them. Then the month-end figure for "office and workshop consumables" arrives, and nobody can explain it. Which department used what? Was it used for work at all? This guide shows a simple way to control internal supplies without slowing anyone down.

The idea: ask, approve, account for it​

Internal Supplies is for things your own staff take from stock, not things you sell. It works in three steps:

  1. A staff member submits a supply request listing what they need.
  2. An approver authorizes it, and the items are issued from the store, or rejects it with a reason.
  3. Supply Reports show what was issued, what it cost, and who used it.

Internal supplies: request, approve, report

Before you start​

  • Set up the items. Add each consumable as a Product item with a cost price. The cost price is what each issue is valued at.
  • Put stock in a store. Supplies are drawn from one of your stores, the same stores Point of Sale uses. Stock gets there the usual way, for example by approving a supplier's bill that receives into that store.

Making a request​

Open Supplies → New Request. Pick the store if your company hasn't set a default, then add:

  • a department, such as "Finance" or "Workshop". This is how usage is grouped later, so agree a short list of names with your team
  • a purpose, a short reason (your company can make this required)
  • the items and quantities. Decimals are fine, for example 2.5 litres of detergent

Under each item the form shows how much the store holds: amber if it's less than requested, red if it's out. Click Submit Request and it's saved as Pending, numbered SUP-0001, SUP-0002 and so on. Nothing leaves the store yet.

Approving​

Approvers see every pending request in Supply Requests, with the count waiting at the top. Open one and choose:

  • ✅ Authorize & Issue. The quantities come out of stock, and each line is valued at the item's cost price at that moment.
  • Reject. A reason is required, and no stock moves.

Three habits keep the numbers trustworthy:

  1. Check the on-hand figure before you authorize. The system lets you issue more than the store holds, which takes the count below zero.
  2. Decide quickly. Stock isn't held for a pending request, so a sale or another request can use it up in the meantime.
  3. Keep approvers and requesters separate. Someone who has both permissions can authorize their own request, so give the authorize permission to people who don't usually request.

Seeing where supplies go​

Supply Reports total the requests issued, the quantity, the cost of supplies, and the requests still pending or rejected for any period. Then switch between views:

  • By Item: what was used, its share of the total cost, and how much is left in stock with its value
  • By Department and By Person: who is using what
  • By Month: whether usage is creeping up
  • Issued Items and All Requests: the line-by-line detail, including rejection reasons

Click any row in the item, department, person or month views to jump to the issued lines behind it. ⇩ Export to Excel downloads all six views as one workbook, ready for a management meeting.

What it doesn't do​

Issuing supplies reduces stock and records the cost in Supply Reports, but it doesn't post an expense to your accounts. If you need the cost in your books, record it separately. Every issue does appear in the general stock ledger as a Supply Issue, next to sales, purchases and transfers, so your stock history stays complete.

Getting Internal Supplies​

Internal Supplies is an early-access feature switched on per company, and it doesn't need any other module licence. Ask your service provider to turn it on.