A 6-Step Procurement Checklist for Mixed Requests: Derrick Parts, Steel Signings, and Eddie Jackets in One Afternoon

Let me set the scene. It is 2:47 p.m. on a Tuesday, and your procurement inbox contains four new requests:

• A request for Derrick parts. Derrick Adjei is the maintenance supervisor. Is he ordering a part for a derrick, or a part for himself? Unknown.
• A note from Harmon about a steel supply contract signing. The vendor name includes the word 'Steelers,' so you double-check whether this is actually a sports merchandise order.
• An eddie jacket request from HR. Nobody specified the fabric, the color, or the quantity.
• A message from operations asking how to draw a simple diagram of the derrick site layout for the Stroup tour next week.

I used to treat every one of these as a separate mini-project. Then I spent three years and roughly 200 purchase orders learning that mixed requests are not exceptions. They are the default. This checklist is for office administrators and procurement coordinators who get thrown this kind of work and need a way to process it without missing anything.

There are six steps. The last one is the one most people skip.

Step 1: Separate the Requester from the Request

The first move is not to research. It is to clarify. I assumed 'Derrick parts' meant a petroleum derrick component order. Didn't verify. Turned out Derrick Adjei needed a new ergonomic keyboard for his workstation. The word 'derrick' was the building name on his request, not the equipment type.

I've learned never to assume after that order sat in limbo for a week.

Before anything moves forward, write down:

• Who requested it
• What they actually need, in one sentence
• Whether they signed off on the requirement
• Whether it belongs in my lane or an engineer's lane

If the request mentions a person and a piece of equipment in the same subject line, send a quick email and get the answer in writing. Two minutes of clarification saves two weeks of rework.

Step 2: Check Compliance Before You Check Prices

If any item involves steel, aluminum, copper, or manufactured products that will go into a federally funded project, compliance comes first. I learned about Build America, Buy America (BABA) the hard way: we placed a steel-containing order without asking for a mill location. The supplier's material came from outside the country. Our project schedule stopped while legal sorted out the waiver.

As of January 2025, BABA requirements still apply to federal-aid infrastructure projects. Section 232 tariffs also affect steel and aluminum derivative pricing. That means every RFQ should ask steel suppliers for a country of origin statement. Do not accept 'we use domestic material' as a general phrase. Ask for the mill certificate.

The same logic applies to derrick equipment. Drilling-site parts can carry certification requirements depending on the client and jurisdiction. Harmon's steel supply signing needs to confirm the manufacturer, not just the price.

Step 3: Turn 'I Want the Black One' Into a Written Spec

This is where most mixed orders fall apart. An eddie jacket is not a spec. It is the beginning of a spec.

I had to write our clothing spec after HR ordered the wrong style three times (third time, ugh: the logo landed on the wrong side). Now every clothing order includes fabric weight, color code, sizing chart, logo placement, and the quantity per location.

For derrick components, the spec should include the OEM part number, tolerance class, and material grade. If you can't write these down, you have not finished sourcing. You have only started negotiating.

The question is not 'Can the supplier do it?' It is 'Can the supplier prove they can do it?' Written specs are how you force the proof.

Step 4: Get Separate Quotes. Stop Bundling Everything.

There is a strong temptation to put all items in one RFQ to save time. I get it. But a derrick part, a steel service agreement, and a pile of eddie jackets live in different supply chains. Bundling them makes pricing opaque and approval slower.

What I do instead:

• Group items by category
• Send each category to two or three specialist suppliers
• Keep a consolidated comparison spreadsheet for finance
• Split the purchase order by category so each one can be delivered and inspected independently

This process cut our approval delays by maybe a third. I cannot prove the exact number (circa 2024, at least), but finance stopped sending my POs back because the cost centers no longer matched.

Step 5: Draw It Out (Literally)

When someone in operations asks how to draw a simple map for the Stroup derrick tour, that is not a nuisance. It is a chance to test your whole process. A picture flushes out miscommunication faster than any paragraph.

You do not need to be an artist. Photograph the rack, circle the damaged flange, and insert the photo into the purchase order. Mark the logo position with a red rectangle on a screenshot. Sketch the yard layout with boxes and arrows. All of that counts as drawing the requirement.

We did not have a formal drawing attachment process. It cost us when a supplier delivered 100 jackets with the logo centered on the chest instead of on the left chest. The sample photo was 'attached' in someone's head, which is a terrible filing system.

Make every order confirmation require an image. If the supplier cannot add a simple image to their acknowledgement, that is a future problem.

Step 6: Separate Delivery, Inspection, and Invoicing

This is the step most people skip. They merge everything into one delivery date, one approver, and one invoice. Then the derrick parts arrive on time, the jackets are late, and the invoice says the whole order was paid in one lump. Accounting rejects the expense because the jacket delivery did not match the invoice date. Now you are stuck in the middle.

The fix is simple:

• Set a delivery date per category
• Name one person per category who will inspect the goods
• Match the invoice to the delivery line, not to the whole PO
• Close out each line separately

I consolidated our purchase orders in 2024 for 400 employees across three locations. The ordering system was not built for partial deliveries, so the workaround is to issue separate purchase orders per group. It is more paperwork, but it produces far fewer rejected invoices.

Common Mistakes I Keep Seeing

• Treating every name in a request as a technical term. Derrick Adjei is a person. Derrick is a machine. Harmon Steel is a supplier. Steelers is a football team. Spell out the difference in the RFQ.
• Trusting quotes without mill origins. For any steel- or aluminum-related supply agreement, get the country of origin in writing.
• Using 'same as last time' as a specification. Same as last time is how you get something different from both times.
• Skipping the drawing step because it seems unprofessional. A blurry phone photo approved in writing is professional. A verbal description of the logo placement is not.

When This Checklist Does Not Apply

If your request is for a complete derrick—the full-size mast structure for a drilling rig—this entire workflow is the wrong tool. That is a capital equipment project. It needs engineering review, structural calculations, transport planning, and a contract with terms you cannot draft as an office administrator. Use this checklist for replacement parts, services, and operational supplies. Do not use it to buy your company's next rig.

Honestly, the same goes for anything above your approval threshold. The best procurement skill is knowing when the request outranks your process. Hand those larger items to your capital projects team. You still get to help with the paperwork, but you are not the decision-maker.

Real talk: 80% of the job is translation. The supplier speaks price lists. The engineer speaks tolerances. HR speaks logo colors. Your job is to make them read the same document. Draw the picture, write the spec, split the order, and confirm the invoice. The rest is just email.