Fortress / 2020–2026
Making purchasing a visible workflow
A Salesforce requisition module brought non-labor purchasing, vendor negotiation and supplier information into one process.
From purchase request to spend visibility
- RequisitionSpend above $10,000
- RequirementsReview & negotiation
- Salesforce moduleObjects · Flows · Apex
- Spend trackingDiscounts & savings
- Supplier categoriesLater module extension
Requesters entered non-labor purchase requisitions in Salesforce for spend above $10,000.
Read the complete architecture & boundaries
Request entry is shown as a directional flow. The module also supported three-bid sourcing, budget-owner approvals and Finance/CXO thresholds; this simplified diagram does not depict every approval stage or exception.
- Capture the request. Requesters entered non-labor purchase requisitions in Salesforce for spend above $10,000.
- Apply commercial judgment. Vivek reviewed requirements and negotiated with vendors.
- Build visibility. The module tracked spend, discounts and savings; supplier categories were added later.
THE PROBLEM
What needed to change.
Non-labor purchasing was decentralized, making requirements, negotiations and spend difficult to review together.
MY CONTRIBUTION
Where I came in.
I designed and built the Salesforce procurement module, reviewed purchasing requirements and negotiated with vendors, working with the supporting Salesforce team.
The module used custom objects, flows and Apex to bring sourcing, approvals, budget visibility and supplier information into the purchasing process.
THE APPROACH
How it came together.
- For spend above $10,000, requesters entered purchase requisitions in Salesforce.
- I reviewed requirements and negotiated with vendors.
- We tracked spend, negotiated discounts and savings.
- We later added supplier categories, including small, minority-owned, woman-owned and veteran-owned businesses.
THE OUTCOME
What the work made possible.
The procurement workflow delivered approximately $750,000 in annual savings on roughly $10 million in addressable non-labor spend. These savings are included in the broader $1.5 million annualized sourcing savings and cost avoidance reported for Fortress.
Technical & implementation detail
Technologies described in this account: Salesforce, Custom objects, Flows, Apex.
Salesforce custom objects, flows and Apex supported three-bid sourcing, small-business participation, budget-owner approvals, Finance/CXO thresholds, budget-versus-actual tracking and auditability. Exact approval amounts, exceptions, object schemas and the division of coding work require a technical walkthrough.
The accompanying visual is a simplified explanation. It is not a production screenshot or a complete implementation specification.