Office of Procurement Services

Approval Workflow Guide

Overview of the approval process 

At VCU, the approval process is a structured sequence designed to ensure fiscal compliance and transparency. The workflow moves upward from the expense owner to ensure every transaction is verified for business necessity and policy adherence.

What is an Authorized Approver?

An Authorized Approver is typically a supervisor, manager, or fiscal official. Their role is to act as a gatekeeper for University funds by verifying three pillars:

Business purpose

Does the expense support VCU’s mission?

Policy compliance

Does the expense follow VCU and State guidelines (e.g., lodging rates, meal per diems)?

Documentation

Are all receipts itemized, legible, and attached?

The standard approval sequence 

1Submission

A Delegate or the Expense Owner creates and submits the report.

2Certification

If a delegate submitted the report, it routes to the Expense Owner first to certify the expenses are accurate.

3Administrative review

The report routes to the Supervisor or Manager to verify the business necessity of the trip or purchase.

4Fiscal review

The report routes to the Index/GL Owner who reviews the allocation against the budget and fund-specific limitations.

5Compliance Audit

The report undergoes an automated Pre-Audit check for policy “flags.”

6Final AP review

For reports requiring high-level oversight, the Expense Management and Reimbursement Team performs a final audit.

7Payment processing

Once final approval is met, the reimbursement is triggered via the traveler’s preferred payment method (Direct Deposit or Check).

Approval actions and features 

Decision options

Approvers have three primary actions they can take on a report or specific line item:

 

✔ Approve

Validates the expense for payment.

↩ Return

Sends the item back to the traveler for correction (requires a comment explaining the reason).

✎ Adjust

Allows the approver to decrease an amount (e.g., capping a meal to the maximum allowed per diem) without returning the whole report.

Approval methods 

✉ Email approval

Approvers can review and approve/return the entirereport directly from their VCU email.

☰ Dashboard approval

Approvers can log in to the Emburse application to view their Approval Gallery, allowing for line-item adjustments and a detailed view of attachments.

☷ Approval queues

Some departments use shared "Queues" where multiple authorized individuals can see and process reports, ensuring no single person creates a bottleneck.

Advanced routing: line-item functionality

VCU Line-Item Routing

VCU utilizes Line-Item Routing. This means every expense on a single report can follow an independent path.

The benefit: If one item is flagged for a grant review but five other items are standard travel, the five standard items can be paid out immediately while the single flagged item is reviewed separately.

Example: A report containing a $15 taxi ride and a $150 business meal will split; the taxi may be auto-approved by the supervisor, while the meal (exceeding $100) routes to AP Review for additional justification.

Best practices for VCU approvers

Ensure reports are fully approved within 60 days of the expense date to avoid tax implications for the traveler.

Always check that lodging and airfare reflect the most economical options available at the time of booking.

Encourage travelers to use the Pre-Approval (Encumbrance) feature for overnight travel. This secures funding early and speeds up the final reimbursement.

A traveler may never approve their own expenses. Ensure "Delegate" roles do not conflict with "Approver" roles for the same cost center.

★  Pro tip

 If you are traveling or away from the office, remember to set your Approval Delegate in Emburse settings so that reimbursements for your team are not delayed during your absence.