What do you set to determine whether a material can be procured?

The determination of whether a material can be procured primarily relies on the attributes within the material master data. The material master serves as a central repository of information regarding materials in SAP, and the attributes defined within it (such as purchasing group, procurement type, and sourcing information) are crucial in defining the procurement process for that material.

For instance, the material master data specifies whether a material is a stock material, a non-stock material, or a service. It also contains essential details about the purchasing organization, which relates to the procurement strategies that can be applied. Thus, when evaluating the procure ability of a material, the system assesses all these attributes to determine the acceptable procurement methods and processes.

In contrast, vendor selection criteria are utilized after the procurement process has begun to identify suitable suppliers but do not directly define whether a material can be procured. Stock level thresholds are more about inventory management rather than the procurement state of a material. Lastly, purchase requisition settings relate to the internal processes for requesting materials but assume that the material is already determined to be procured based on its master data.