This decision tree is part of the purchase order mismatch resolution guide, which covers what to inventory before a procure-to-pay rollout. Here the question is narrower: who can say yes.
Three systems, three owners, no single signer
A resolved mismatch leaves evidence in three places, and each place usually belongs to a different department. That split is why "who owns the records?" has no one-line answer at most mid-sized companies.
| Record | Typical system | Department that keeps it | What its owner can tell you |
|---|---|---|---|
| PO revisions and change approvals | Procurement suite or ERP purchasing | Procurement | Whether earlier revisions were archived, and for how many years |
| Receipt events and receiving overrides | ERP inventory or warehouse system | Operations | Whether over- and under-receipts carry a note |
| Invoice holds and release comments | ERP payables | Finance (AP) | How holds are released and who writes the reason |
| AP case log and supplier emails | Ticketing tool or shared inbox | Finance (AP) | How far back the case history runs |
Revision history is itself a configuration choice. In Oracle Purchasing, revisions start at 0 and step up when controlled information changes, depending on how the document type's archive was set up. So the procurement lead is the only person who can say whether old revisions exist at all. Holds have the same split ownership from the other side: Oracle and SAP both describe a matching hold as something released in a separate step, which means the reason for each release lives with AP, not with procurement.
Oracle
SAPNone of these owners can, on their own, commit the company. Each can describe records; describing is not authorizing.
The decision tree, question by question
Walk these with the procure-to-pay head on one call. Each answer moves you down the tree or opens a side branch that needs extra sign-off.
- Does the company create and keep these records itself? POs, receipts, holds and release notes generated in its own ERP almost always are. If yes, go on. If parts of the process run through a buyer-side procurement service or an outsourced AP provider, mark a branch: that service agreement decides access.
- Who sponsors? The procure-to-pay head, or whoever owns the purchase-to-pay process end to end. If no one does, the controller usually knows the hold history best.
- What do supplier agreements say? POs and invoices name suppliers, items and unit prices. If key supplier contracts carry confidentiality clauses, that is a branch for counsel. The partner notes that such terms exist; counsel reads them.
- Who signs contracts about company data? The CEO, who in an owner-run company is usually the owner. Where a fractional CFO runs finance, they can prepare the case but do not sign; see whether a fractional CFO can sign on the company's behalf. The CEO is the introduction.
- Is anything changing authority right now? A sale, a refinancing or an ownership change can move decisions to a board, lender or buyer. Ask once, plainly.
Where the tree branches to counsel or a third party
Three side branches recur in procure-to-pay.
Supplier pricing and names. The commercial content of a PO is often the part a supplier contract protects. Counsel decides what must be removed, aggregated or de-identified; why data rights matter sets out why that comes before any discussion of value.
The implementation partner's own position. If you are the integrator, the statement of work may contain confidentiality terms about what you saw during the project. Read the ERP implementation SOW confidentiality guide before raising the subject, and the note on whether referring clients hurts the relationship for how to raise it.
Outsourced AP. Where a shared service center or AP provider releases holds, its agreement governs who holds the release comments and whether they can be reused.
This is general information, not legal advice.
Roles compared (evidence table)
Each role, what it knows, and whether it can open a licensing discussion.
| Role | Holds or knows | Can authorize a licensing discussion? | Use in the introduction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Procurement systems lead | PO revision archive, approval workflow | No | Confirms revision coverage |
| Warehouse or receiving lead | Receipt events, override notes | No | Confirms receiving history |
| AP manager | Hold tables, release comments, case log | No | Confirms hold volumes and years |
| Implementation partner | Admin access during the project | No | Spots the opportunity only |
| Procure-to-pay head | End-to-end process and coverage | Usually not alone | Sponsor and first contact |
| CEO (often the owner) | Company decisions on data | Yes; authorizes and signs | The person introduced |
| General counsel | Supplier and service agreements | Advises | Reviews reuse limits |
Two companies, two paths (Illustrative)
Two fictional companies written for this page; neither is a real client or deal.
| Question | 480-person food distributor | 900-person contract manufacturer |
|---|---|---|
| Where holds are released | In-house AP team | Shared service center in another entity |
| Supplier terms | Standard purchase terms, few confidentiality clauses | Several strategic suppliers with confidentiality clauses |
| Sponsor | Procure-to-pay head | Group procurement director |
| Person introduced | CEO | CEO, with the group CFO |
| Extra review | Light supplier check | Supplier agreements and the intercompany service agreement |
Same record types, different trees. The distributor's path is short. The manufacturer's runs through counsel on two sets of agreements, yet the introduction is still to the CEO.
What stays unknown until SourceX's rights review
The partner names the executive and records the branches. SourceX's rights review then decides which records the company can license, how supplier names and prices are handled, and whether any third party must consent. Buyer interest in procurement exception workflows, and whether an offer follows, also stay open until then. SourceX licenses approved business data directly from companies for AI training and evaluation, and manages the agreement, rights review, data preparation, delivery and payout.
For SourceX, an introduced company needs 50+ full-time employees at peak (contractors excluded), a documented operating history, rights to license and an authorized contact. Companies in the U.S., Canada and the EU qualify, as do companies in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, India, Singapore, South Africa, Latin America, the UAE and Saudi Arabia when at least 90% of the data is in English. Partners sign the Channel Partner Agreement before submitting; the first valid introduction within the 90-day window is credited when the company submits a verified application. The system map shows which IDs join the three record sets, the referral brief template puts the named executive into the handoff, and AP exception handling covers holds that are not about quantity.
Next step
Refer a company. Earn up to $100,000. Default reward: 25% of Actual Supplier Payout, capped at $100,000 cumulatively per referred company. Eligibility and payment conditions apply, and a signed Schedule A or addendum can differ. A lead, meeting or signature alone does not trigger payment.
When the tree ends at a named CEO and the supplier branch is noted, register as a partner, check the company on who qualifies and read the program terms before the procure-to-pay head makes the introduction.