Set Up Order Approval Workflows

Why approval workflows matter

In B2B commerce, not every buyer has unlimited purchasing authority. A junior procurement specialist might need manager approval for orders over $500. A department might have a monthly budget cap. Approval workflows enforce these rules automatically, preventing unauthorized spending while keeping the purchasing process moving.

This guide covers building approval chains, setting budget thresholds, and configuring delegate rules for when approvers are unavailable.

What you will do

1. Define an approval chain with budget thresholds
2. Create the cart as a requisition (pending approval)
3. Implement approval and rejection logic
4. Configure delegate rules for absent approvers

Define approval thresholds

Set up the rules that determine when an order requires approval and who can approve it.

Budget-based approval rules

C# (.NET)

csharp Copy

public class ApprovalRule
{
    public string OrganizationId { get; set; }
    public decimal Threshold { get; set; }
    public string ApproverRole { get; set; }
}

public class ApprovalRuleService
{
    public IEnumerable<ApprovalRule> GetRulesForOrg(
        string organizationId)
    {
        return new List<ApprovalRule>
        {
            new ApprovalRule
            {
                OrganizationId = organizationId,
                Threshold = 500m,
                ApproverRole = "Manager"
            },
            new ApprovalRule
            {
                OrganizationId = organizationId,
                Threshold = 5000m,
                ApproverRole = "Director"
            },
            new ApprovalRule
            {
                OrganizationId = organizationId,
                Threshold = 25000m,
                ApproverRole = "VP"
            }
        };
    }

    public string GetRequiredApproverRole(
        string organizationId, decimal orderTotal)
    {
        var rules = GetRulesForOrg(organizationId)
            .OrderBy(r => r.Threshold);

        foreach (var rule in rules)
        {
            if (orderTotal >= rule.Threshold)
                return rule.ApproverRole;
        }

        return null; // No approval required
    }
}

Create a requisition

When a buyer submits a cart that exceeds their spending authority, convert it to a requisition instead of a purchase order. The requisition waits for approval before processing.

Submit cart for approval

C# (.NET)

csharp Copy

using EPiServer.Commerce.Order;

public class RequisitionService
{
    private readonly IOrderRepository _orderRepo;
    private readonly ApprovalRuleService _approvalRules;

    public RequisitionService(
        IOrderRepository orderRepo,
        ApprovalRuleService approvalRules)
    {
        _orderRepo = orderRepo;
        _approvalRules = approvalRules;
    }

    public OrderSubmitResult SubmitForApproval(
        ICart cart, string organizationId)
    {
        var total = cart.GetTotal().Amount;
        var approverRole = _approvalRules
            .GetRequiredApproverRole(
                organizationId, total);

        if (approverRole == null)
        {
            // Under threshold, process directly
            var orderRef = _orderRepo
                .SaveAsPurchaseOrder(cart);
            _orderRepo.Delete(cart.OrderLink);
            return new OrderSubmitResult
            {
                RequiresApproval = false,
                OrderId = orderRef.OrderGroupId
            };
        }

        // Over threshold, save as requisition
        cart.Properties["ApprovalStatus"] = "Pending";
        cart.Properties["RequiredApproverRole"]
            = approverRole;
        cart.Properties["SubmittedDate"]
            = DateTime.UtcNow;
        _orderRepo.Save(cart);

        return new OrderSubmitResult
        {
            RequiresApproval = true,
            RequiredApprover = approverRole
        };
    }
}

public class OrderSubmitResult
{
    public bool RequiresApproval { get; set; }
    public string RequiredApprover { get; set; }
    public int OrderId { get; set; }
}

Implement approval and rejection

Approvers review pending requisitions and either approve (converting to a purchase order) or reject them.

Approve or reject a requisition

C# (.NET)

csharp Copy

public class ApprovalService
{
    private readonly IOrderRepository _orderRepo;

    public ApprovalService(IOrderRepository orderRepo)
    {
        _orderRepo = orderRepo;
    }

    public IPurchaseOrder Approve(ICart requisition,
        string approverId)
    {
        requisition.Properties["ApprovalStatus"]
            = "Approved";
        requisition.Properties["ApprovedBy"]
            = approverId;
        requisition.Properties["ApprovedDate"]
            = DateTime.UtcNow;

        var orderRef = _orderRepo
            .SaveAsPurchaseOrder(requisition);
        var order = _orderRepo
            .Load<IPurchaseOrder>(
                orderRef.OrderGroupId);

        _orderRepo.Delete(requisition.OrderLink);
        return order;
    }

    public void Reject(ICart requisition,
        string approverId, string reason)
    {
        requisition.Properties["ApprovalStatus"]
            = "Rejected";
        requisition.Properties["RejectedBy"]
            = approverId;
        requisition.Properties["RejectionReason"]
            = reason;

        _orderRepo.Save(requisition);
    }
}

Configure delegate rules

When an approver is unavailable (vacation, leave), delegate their authority to another user to prevent bottlenecks.

Delegate scenario	Implementation
Temporary delegate	Set a date range during which a backup approver handles requests
Permanent alternate	Assign a secondary approver who can always approve in parallel
Escalation timeout	Auto-escalate to the next approval tier after a configurable number of days

Common issues

Issue	Cause	Fix
All orders bypass approval	Threshold set higher than typical order values	Lower the approval threshold to match your spending policies
Approver cannot see pending requisitions	Approver not in the correct role for the organization	Verify the approver’s role matches the RequiredApproverRole
Requisition stuck in pending	No delegate configured and approver is unavailable	Set up a delegate rule or escalation timeout
Budget resets unexpectedly	Budget period not aligned with fiscal calendar	Verify budget period start/end dates match your organization’s fiscal year

Related content

Continue your journey with these related pages.

📖Understand the concepts

• Optimizely Commerce

🔧Follow a guide

• Configure Checkout
• Process Returns