When the signature arrives after the purchase order
Late approvals are common in busy quarters. Here is how we treat them in a financial reading of the application file.
A purchase order dated 4 March with a final approval email dated 11 March is not automatically fraud. It is, however, a break in the control the policy claims to run. When we audit procurement approval applications, we record the commitment date and the last approval date side by side.
If policy requires approval before commitment, the exception is clear. If policy is silent, we still note the sequence so finance can decide whether the gap is cultural drift or an intentional exception path that was never written down.
The practical fix we see most often is not a new form. It is a calendar rule: applications that will meet a supplier deadline inside five business days get a marked fast lane with a named alternate approver, so the signature trail stays ahead of the PO rather than chasing it.