Microsoft updates purchase inquiry options in Dynamics AX 2012 R2

With the release of the cumulative update 6 (CU6) for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 on June 26, Microsoft's AX development team introduced a new purchase inquiry option. Synonymous with requests for proposal or "RFPs," purchase inquiries are used to solicit bids from potential suppliers of products and/or services. A company moving to a paperless office environment, for example, would use RFPs to request proposals for the related hardware, software, training, and services required for the project.

By creating a link for Dynamics AX users to "approve" such inquiries via the purchase order process, the purchase inquiry itself simply becomes "an additional document status for purchase orders," according to Microsoft program manager David M. Probst, "and an optional extension to the approval statuses in the purchase order process." The goods new is that when the RFP and purchase order are folded under a single function - and not handled as separate entities - both the procurement process and the supply chain become more streamlined and easier to manage.

Step-by-Step Process

In his recent Supply Chain Management for AX blog post, Probst walks readers through the newly-introduced Dynamics AX purchase inquiry process. He says the purchase inquiry allows purchasing agents to print a purchase order without confirming it; define printing options specifically for purchase inquiries; identify/filter the purchase orders that are undergoing external review; handle vendor revisions (including getting new internal approvals); track version history of changes requested by the vendor; compare current and past versions; and view and reprint sent purchase inquiries. 

When approval workflows are disabled for purchase orders, for example, new purchase orders are created with the status "Approved." When approval workflows are enabled, Probst explains, ...