A procurement approval cascade in Dock is a row-per-request ladder that an agent drafts from the requisition, ranks by spend tier, and submits to a dual-keyed gate. The agent proposes routing. A named human co-signs. Only then does Dock release the PO back into Coupa, SAP Ariba, or NetSuite.
Coupa, SAP Ariba, and NetSuite stay the system of record for requisitions, vendor master, and the PO. Dock is the system of record for what the agent interprets from that data: which spend tier applies, which approvers the ladder pulls in, what the agent decided, and which reviewer co-signed. Each Dock row carries a pointer back to the platform record (coupa_req_id, ariba_req_id, or netsuite_po_id), the agent identity, the decision, the reviewer, and the timestamp. When the agent needs current state, like remaining budget or supplier status, it re-fetches via fresh API reads.
The cascade table
| req_id | platform | amount | tier | ladder | reviewer | gate_status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
coupa_req_44128 |
Coupa | $4,200 | T1 | Manager, AP | jordan.kim | co-signed, PO fired |
ariba_req_99012 |
SAP Ariba | $86,500 | T3 | Manager, VP, Finance, CFO | priya.r | awaiting CFO key |
netsuite_po_3471 |
NetSuite | $312,000 | T4 | Manager, VP, CFO, CEO | govind.r | co-signed, PO fired |
Each row is a contract. The ladder is a draft until the reviewer co-signs.
One worked workflow
A $86,500 marketing tools renewal lands as a requisition in SAP Ariba. The agent reads line items, supplier record, and GL coding via Ariba's API. It writes a Dock row, sets tier = T3, and drafts the ladder: Manager, VP, Controller, CFO. It logs the rule it matched (amount >= 50000 AND category = software_renewal).
A reviewer opens the row, checks the ladder, and turns their key. The agent turns its key in parallel. Both keys present, Dock posts the approved ladder to Ariba, and Ariba fires the PO. If the reviewer rejects, the row stays open. No PO leaves the building. This is the same shape as the two-key handshake for any irreversible op.
Why this matters
Procurement control has always been about separating who proposes a purchase from who authorizes it. The COSO Internal Control Integrated Framework (2013) names this directly: control activities include "segregation of duties" and "authorization of transactions," where appropriate personnel review specific transactions before execution (COSO via internal control literature). An agent acting alone collapses that separation. A dual-keyed gate restores it without slowing the cascade to human-only speed.
The Institute for Supply Management has tracked procurement cycle time through its CAPS Research benchmarking center since 1986, comparing Fortune 1000 supply KPIs (ISM benchmarking via CAPS Research). Cycle time savings show up only when the ladder is drafted right the first time. That is what the agent is good at. The co-sign is what it should not own.
CTA
See how this pattern composes across accounting and legal on the Dock for procurement pillar.
FAQ
Q: Does Dock replace Coupa, Ariba, or NetSuite? No. Those platforms remain the system of record for the requisition and the PO. Dock holds the agent's interpretation, the draft ladder, and the signed gate. The PO fires from the platform, not from Dock.
Q: What stops the agent from just approving its own ladder? The gate requires two distinct keys: the agent's and a named human's. The agent cannot turn the human key. The identity model is covered in agent identity.
Q: How does this satisfy audit? Every Dock row carries the platform pointer, agent identity, drafted ladder, reviewer name, and both timestamps. Auditors trace from the platform PO back to the row. See agent audit and compliance.
Q: Can spend tiers differ by category? Yes. The agent reads the requisition category, GL coding, and supplier record, then matches tier rules stored as Dock rows. A $40k software renewal can route differently from a $40k capital expense.
