Understanding Procurement Roles and Permissions
1. Introduction
Purpose: This guide explains the different roles available in Spendesk's Procurement module and their specific permissions to help administrators assign appropriate access levels to users.
Overview: You'll learn about each role's capabilities, what they can and cannot do, and when to assign each role to your team members. This includes both system-wide roles and context-specific access rights.
Prerequisites:
Administrator access to manage user roles
Basic understanding of your procurement workflow
2. Role Overview
Spendesk Procurement has system-wide roles and context-specific access rights:
System-Wide Roles
Procurement Manager - Full administrative access
Library Editor - Can manage reference data
Library Viewer - Read-only access to reference data
Requester - Can create and manage their own requests
Context-Specific Access Rights
Business Owner - Contract-specific ownership
Task Assignee - Assigned to specific request tasks
Follower - Monitoring specific requests
Cost Center Owner - Access to cost center-related activities
3. System-Wide Role Permissions
Procurement Manager
Who should have this role: Procurement team leads, administrators, and users who need full system access.
What they can do:
✅ View, create, edit, and delete all contracts
✅ View, create, edit, and delete all vendors
✅ Upload and manage all documents
✅ View and manage all procurement requests
✅ Access all analytics and reporting features
✅ Manage workflows and approval processes
Library Editor
Who should have this role: Users responsible for maintaining vendor databases, contract libraries, and reference data.
What they can do:
✅ View all contracts, vendors, and documents
✅ Create, edit, and delete contracts
✅ Create, edit, and delete vendor information
✅ Upload and manage documents in the library
✅ View procurement requests (limited to their involvement)
What they cannot do:
❌ Manage other users' procurement requests
❌ Access advanced analytics features
❌ Modify workflow configurations
Library Viewer
Who should have this role: Users who need visibility into contracts and vendor information but shouldn't make changes.
What they can do:
✅ View all contracts and download contract files
✅ View vendor information and contact details
✅ View and download documents from the library
✅ See procurement requests they're involved in
What they cannot do:
❌ Create, edit, or delete any information
❌ Upload documents
❌ Access requests they're not involved in
Requester
Who should have this role: All employees who need to create procurement requests.
What they can do:
✅ Create new procurement requests
✅ Edit their own requests (when allowed by workflow)
✅ View contracts and vendors related to their requests
✅ Upload documents to their own requests
✅ Track progress of their requests
What they cannot do:
❌ View other users' requests
❌ Edit vendor or contract information
❌ Access the full contracts and vendors library
❌ Create or modify vendors
4. Context-Specific Access Rights
Business Owner (Contract-specific)
Who gets this role: Users designated as responsible for specific contracts.
What they can do:
✅ View full contract details they own
✅ Edit contract information they own
✅ Manage contract renewals
✅ Upload contract documents
✅ Receive contract-related notifications
What they cannot do:
❌ View contracts they don't own (unless they have Library Viewer+ role)
❌ Edit system-wide contract settings
❌ Access other procurement features beyond their contracts
Task Assignee (Request-specific)
Who gets this role: Users assigned to specific tasks within a procurement request.
What they can do:
✅ View the full request details
✅ Complete assigned tasks
✅ Upload documents related to their tasks
✅ Add comments to the request
✅ Receive notifications about their tasks
What they cannot do:
❌ Edit unassigned tasks
❌ Change request settings
❌ Access unrelated requests
Follower (Request-specific)
Who gets this role: Users who need to monitor specific requests without direct involvement.
What they can do:
✅ View request details
✅ Receive request notifications
✅ Add comments
✅ View documents
What they cannot do:
❌ Edit request details
❌ Complete tasks
❌ Change request settings
Cost Center Owner
Who gets this role: Business members responsible for specific cost centers.
What they can do:
✅ View all procurement requests for their cost center
✅ View contracts associated with their cost center
✅ Access dedicated "My Cost Center Requests" tab
✅ Monitor spend and budget impact
✅ Receive notifications about cost center requests
✅ Filter and sort requests by status, date, amount
What they cannot do:
❌ Edit requests or contracts directly
❌ Change procurement settings
❌ Access requests from other cost centers
❌ Modify workflow configurations
5. Complete Permission Matrix
System-Wide Actions
Action | Procurement Manager | Library Editor | Library Viewer | Requester |
Contracts | Full access | Full access | View only | Limited* |
Vendors | Full access | Full access | View only | Limited* |
Documents | Full access | Full access | View only | Own requests |
Requests | All requests | Limited** | Limited** | Own only |
Analytics | Full access | Limited | Limited | None |
*Limited: Only items related to their requests
**Limited: Only requests they're involved in
Context-Specific Actions
Action | Business Owner | Task Assignee | Follower | Cost Center Owner |
View Request | Own contracts only | Assigned requests | Followed requests | Cost center requests |
Edit Request | No | Assigned tasks only | No | No |
Add Comments | Yes (own contracts) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Upload Documents | Yes (own contracts) | Yes (task-related) | No | No |
Receive Notifications | Yes (own contracts) | Yes (tasks) | Yes (all updates) | Yes (cost center) |
6. Best Practices
For System-Wide Roles
Procurement Managers:
Assign this role sparingly to maintain security
Regularly review who has this level of access
Library Editors:
Perfect for procurement coordinators who manage vendor relationships
Consider for users who frequently update contract information
Library Viewers:
Ideal for finance teams who need contract visibility
Good for department heads who need vendor information
Requesters:
Default role for most employees
Provides necessary access without security risks
For Context-Specific Access
Business Owners:
Regularly review contract details and renewal dates
Keep contract documentation up to date
Monitor contract performance and compliance
Task Assignees:
Complete tasks within designated timeframes
Provide clear documentation for completed tasks
Communicate blockers or issues promptly
Followers:
Use the commenting feature for relevant updates only
Monitor request progress without interfering
Unfollow requests no longer relevant
Cost Center Owners:
Regularly review the "My Cost Center Requests" tab
Monitor budget impact of procurement activities
Coordinate with procurement managers on policy compliance
7. Troubleshooting
Common Issues:
"I can't see a contract I need"
Solution: Check if you're assigned the correct role. Library Viewer or higher is needed for full contract access, or you need to be the Business Owner for specific contracts.
"I can't edit vendor information"
Solution: Only Library Editor and Procurement Manager roles can edit vendor data.
"I can't see someone else's request"
Solution: Requesters can only see their own requests. You need to be assigned to the request as Task Assignee/Follower, or be the Cost Center Owner.
"I can't upload documents"
Solution: Requesters can only upload to their own requests. Library Editor+ role is needed for general document management, or you need to be a Task Assignee for specific requests.
"I can't see my cost center's requests"
Solution: Verify your cost center owner assignment in your user settings.
"I'm not receiving task notifications"
Solution: Check if you're correctly assigned as Task Assignee or Follower for the specific request.
"I can't edit a contract I own"
Solution: Ensure you're set as the Business Owner in the contract settings, or verify you have Library Editor+ role.
8. Assignment Guidelines
When to Use Each Role:
System-Wide Roles:
Assign based on overall job function and security requirements
Consider the principle of least privilege
Review assignments regularly
Context-Specific Access:
Automatically assigned based on workflow actions
Business Owner: Set when creating contracts
Task Assignee: Assigned through workflow configuration
Follower: Added manually or through workflow rules
Cost Center Owner: Set in organizational structure
Need help assigning roles or understanding permissions? Contact your system administrator or reach out to support for assistance.