Simplifying approvals to better run your business

Let's review your approval flows together
Netsuite
Clear approval rules are essential to manage risk and protect your cash flow, as well as keep operations running smoothly. BDO has developed a NetSuite bundle to help organisations implement approval flows that are effective, transparent and scalable.
 

The challenge with approval flows

In many organisations, approval rules have built up over time. Thresholds no longer reflect reality, manual assignments still point to individuals who have left the company, and controls end up are either too loose or too heavy. The result is predictable: delayed decisions, lost early-payment discounts, frustrated teams and weak audit trails. 

Pilling on extra steps will not fix this. The real gain comes from rethinking how approvals work, so controls stay tight without slowing the business down. 

Why well-designed approval flows matter

When approval processes are properly calibrated, the benefits extend across the entire organisation:

Stronger controls

Reduce errors and improper payments without unnecessary friction.

Governance

Faster processing

Speed up transaction cycles and preserve supplier discounts.

Efficiency

Clear governance

A meaningful audit trail without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.

Audit trail

Free-up capacity

Remove repetitive approval tasks so teams can focus on higher-value work.

Productivity

Introducing the BDO Approval Bundle for NetSuite

The BDO Approval Bundle is a packaged set of NetSuite configurations and best practices, designed to deploy consistent approval rules quickly while remaining flexible enough to reflect your organisation's specific requirements. It brings together technical delivery and practical governance in one coherent solution.

Key capabilities

Multi-level approvals
Define approval chains by subsidiary, department, amount or any other relevant criteria.
Dynamic routing
Assign approvers by role and rule rather than by name, so the flow adapts as your team changes.
Customisable criteria
Trigger approvals by transaction type, amount, entity, or custom fields specific to your business.
Escalations & reminders
Reduce bottlenecks with automated follow-ups and escalation rules that keep things moving.
Delegation
Cover absences without disrupting the approval flow, no manual workarounds required.
Full audit history
Detailed records of every approval, rejection, comment and change, ready for internal review or external audit.

Where it adds the most value

The more your approval paths branch (different approvers depending on department, subsidiary, transaction amount or type), the faster NetSuite workflows tangle. Rules start overlapping, nobody's quite sure which one applies when, and every small change risks breaking something further down the line. The bundle untangles it. It pulls the logic into one place and keeps approvals easy to read, without giving up the flexibility you need.

The bundle is well suited to scenarios where standard workflows fall short or where additional control is warranted: 

  • Standalone invoices or transactions that sit outside normal workflows 
  • Purchase orders used for three-way matching, requiring structured approval before commitment 
  • Invoices that fail a budget check or three-way match, flagged for human review 
  • Creation or modification of sensitive vendor records, such as bank account details 
  • Any critical record or transaction that requires a tailored, documented control

How BDO supports your rollout

You get more than a technical package. Our team works alongside yours to ensure the solution reflects how your organisation operates, not just how a system is configured by default.

  1. Scoping workshops to define your approval rules, priorities and edge cases
  2. Configuration and testing directly in your NetSuite environment
  3. User training and clear operational documentation for day-to-day use
  4. Admin training and enablement: practical sessions and documentation so your NetSuite admins can make routine adjustments, manage permissions, and update configurations.
  5. Post-deployment support and adjustments based on real usage

The result: control that keeps the business moving

With the bundle in place, you can expect shorter transaction waiting times, faster and clearer responses to audit queries, reduced manual follow-ups and rework, and stronger controls that do not impede daily operations. 

The goal is a process that applies the right level of oversight to the right transaction, not one that defaults to the most steps. The BDO Approval Bundle helps achieve that balance on NetSuite, combining practical governance with clear traceability. 

Ready to review your approval flows?

Speak with a BDO NetSuite specialist!