- 20
- February
For government agencies and state enterprises, the budget request process is complex and involves many steps — from preparing requests at the bureau/division level to budget allocation under the Annual Expenditure Budget Act. Common problems include data scattered across multiple Excel files, documents requiring multiple review rounds, inconsistent figures between departments, difficulty tracking request status, and frequent revisions causing confusion about which version is current. This article explains how an ERP budget request system solves these problems.
What Is a Budget Request System?
A budget request system manages the entire budget request process from start to finish, covering three main interconnected stages:
- Budget Request Stage — Each bureau/division prepares requests aligned with the organization's strategic plan, mission, and objectives
- Budget Act Draft Stage — Figures are adjusted based on actual allocations after review by the Bureau of the Budget and the House of Representatives
- Operational Plan Stage — Detailed monthly/quarterly spending plans are prepared and linked to the budget management system
This system is designed for government agencies, state enterprises, local administrative organizations, and any entity that must prepare budget requests following public sector processes.
The 3 Main Stages of the Budget Request Process
Stage 1: Budget Request
The first stage is the most critical as it is the starting point for all data. Each bureau/division within the organization prepares requests aligned with the established strategic plan, mission, and objectives. This stage involves the following:
- Define projects, activities, requested amounts, expected outputs, and KPIs
- Specify rationale and justification for each project, along with alignment to organizational strategy
- Classify expenditure categories such as personnel, operations, investment, subsidies, and other expenses
- The system consolidates requests from all departments and produces an organizational summary
Example data structure required at the request stage:
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Project Name | Management Information System Development Project |
| Responsible Unit | Bureau of Information Technology |
| Requested Amount | 5,000,000 Baht |
| Funding Source | Government Budget / Revenue |
| Duration | October 2026 — September 2027 |
| Output | 1 information system, 200 users |
| KPIs | 90% of users satisfied at good level or above |
Stage 2: Budget Act Draft
After the budget request has been reviewed by the Bureau of the Budget, committees, and the House of Representatives, the allocated amount may differ from what was requested — this is normal since the national budget is limited.
- The system automatically adjusts figures to match actual allocations
- If allocated less than requested, line items must be reduced or project scope narrowed
- The system records every adjustment, allowing users to review the original request amount, reduction amount, and reasons for each adjustment
- Users can instantly compare original request figures with allocated amounts to analyze variances
Example of Figure Adjustment
The IT System Development Project requested 5,000,000 Baht
Allocated 3,500,000 Baht (30% reduction)
The system displays items that need reduction, with fields for recording adjustment reasons, e.g., scope reduced from 5 modules to 3 modules
Stage 3: Operational Plan
Once the Annual Expenditure Budget Act is enacted, the next step is preparing the actual operational plan — translating allocated figures into detailed spending schedules.
- Set monthly/quarterly disbursement plans for the entire fiscal year (October — September)
- Specify activities and timelines for each project
- Integrates with the Budget System (BG-01) to set actual spending plans. The system verifies that planned amounts do not exceed allocated funding.
- Serves as the database for tracking disbursement performance throughout the fiscal year
Comparison of the 3 Stages
| Request Stage | Budget Act Draft | Operational Plan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Objective | Prepare requests from departments | Adjust to actual allocations | Prepare actual spending plan |
| Figures | As requested | As allocated | As per operational plan |
| Responsible Party | Each bureau/division | Planning/Budget department | Planning + Disbursement unit |
| Output | Request document | Draft Budget Act | Annual operational plan |
Budget Request Screens in the System
In Saeree ERP, the budget request screens are designed to cover all aspects of each project, organized into the following sections:
General Project Information
The screen displays complete project basics including project name, responsible unit, objectives, timeline, rationale, and location — allowing stakeholders to understand the project overview instantly without opening multiple documents.
Achievement Targets Table
The system supports multi-level achievement targets including:
- Agency-level outcomes — Overall targets the agency must achieve
- Outputs — Deliverables from the project, e.g., 1 system, 200 trained users
- Quantitative KPIs — Clearly measurable numbers and percentages
- Qualitative KPIs — Satisfaction levels and quality ratings
- Progress — Track completion percentage
- SLA (Service Level Agreement) — Defined service standards
Itemized Budget Table
Each project can have a detailed budget breakdown specifying line items, expenditure categories, amounts, and quarterly distribution (Q1-Q4).
Monthly Disbursement Plan Table
The system supports monthly disbursement planning across the entire 12-month fiscal year (October — September), enabling tracking of planned versus actual disbursements for each month.
Data Stored for Each Project
The budget request system stores comprehensive data for each project, which can be reviewed historically and used as reference at any time.
| Data Category | Details |
|---|---|
| General Information | Project name, responsible unit, objectives, timeline |
| Rationale | Justification, alignment with organizational strategy |
| Project Location | Map display, project site address |
| Outputs/KPIs | Quantitative/qualitative targets, SLA, progress |
| Budget | Total amount, quarterly breakdown, funding source, expenditure categories |
| Disbursement Plan | 12-month plan (October — September) |
Reports in the Budget Request System
The system includes pre-built reports that help executives and planning teams track budget status comprehensively.
| Code | Report Name |
|---|---|
| RBG-01 | Budget Registry Report - By Expenditure Category |
| RBG-02 | Annual Budget Plan Audit Report |
| RBG-03 | Executive Report for Plan Adjustments |
| RBG-04 | Budget vs. Disbursement Comparison Report - Monthly/Quarterly/Annual |
| RBG-05 | Budget Registry Report - By Project/Activity and Expenditure Category |
These reports allow executives to see the organization-wide budget overview in one place — no need to open multiple Excel files and manually consolidate figures. Reports can be exported to PDF or Excel for immediate presentation to senior management.
Why Use an ERP System Instead of Excel?
Many agencies still use Excel for budget requests, which may work to some extent. However, when organizations have multiple bureaus/divisions, numerous projects, and need multiple rounds of revisions, Excel becomes problematic. ERP systems solve these issues systematically.
| Excel Problems | How ERP Solves It |
|---|---|
| Data scattered across multiple files | Data from all bureaus centralized with instant access |
| Inconsistent figures between versions | Consistent figures across all stages with no duplicate versions |
| Difficult to compare data | Compare "Requested vs. Allocated vs. Actual" instantly |
| Cannot track status | Track request status — know which stage it's at and who is handling it |
| No integration with other systems | Automatic integration with Budget (BG) and Procurement (PR/PO) systems |
| Edit history is lost | Complete audit trail for every edit — see who changed what and when |
A well-prepared budget request is the foundation of effective budget management — when data is accurate from the start, every subsequent step runs smoothly.
— Saeree ERP Team
Conclusion
The ERP budget request system makes the budget preparation process systematic and efficient, covering 3 main stages:
- Budget Request Stage — Each department prepares requests with projects, amounts, outputs, and KPIs
- Budget Act Draft Stage — Adjust figures to allocations with full adjustment history
- Operational Plan Stage — Prepare monthly disbursement plans linked to the budget system
The system stores comprehensive data across all dimensions — from project information and KPIs to budget details and monthly disbursement plans. It includes 5 pre-built reports (RBG-01 through RBG-05) that help executives track budget status comprehensively, with automatic integration to Budget (BG) and Procurement (PR/PO) systems to eliminate duplicate work and reduce errors.
If your organization is looking for a system to manage the budget request process systematically, you can schedule a Demo or contact our consulting team for more details
