Procurement Documents

Software Request Form Template (Free, Word)

A free, vendor-neutral software request form for IT intake, with the business need, an already-owned check, data and access, cost and renewal terms, security review, sourcing route and approvals.

7 pages Microsoft Word Updated November 15, 2026
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Software Request Form Template (Free, Word)

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What's inside

The sections in the document, in order.

  1. Requester details
  2. What’s needed and why
  3. Already owned check (IT completes)
  4. Data and access
  5. Cost and term
  6. Security and privacy review (security and privacy teams complete)
  7. Architecture and integration review (IT completes)
  8. Sourcing route (procurement completes)
  9. Approvals
  10. Asset management record (IT completes after purchase)

Use this software request form when someone in your organization wants new software, a SaaS subscription or a cloud service, or wants to renew or expand one. It's step 1 of the IT procurement process: every purchase starts as a request in one place, saying what's needed, for whom, why, the expected cost and what data it will touch. The rest of the form follows the guide's next steps, so each reviewer adds to the same record.


The requester answers what they know: the business need, the users, the data, the cost and how the tool is being bought today. IT checks whether you already own something that does the job, security and privacy set a risk tier and ask for matching evidence, IT reviews integration, and procurement picks the sourcing route. The approvers sign one table, and the last sections record what your asset records and renewal calendar need.


Use it for tools people are already using, too. SaaS can arrive as a free trial or a credit card purchase that IT only hears about once the tool is in use. By then, clicking "I agree" may have accepted the vendor's terms, and company data may already be in the tool. The form records both, so the tool gets the same review as a new request.


What's inside this template


  • Requester details and the request type: new, renewal, more users or modules, or a tool already in use through a free trial or card purchase
  • What's needed and why: the business need, the problem today, the users, must-haves, alternatives considered and the deadline
  • An already-owned check for IT: unused licenses, a tool that already does the job, or an edition upgrade that adds the missing feature
  • Data and access, and cost and term: data types, personal data, systems to connect, single sign-on, the billing model, auto-renewal and the notice date
  • A security and privacy review with example risk tiers and the evidence each tier needs, plus an architecture and integration review
  • A sourcing route decision (existing contract, quotes or RFQ, RFI or RFP) and an approvals table for the business owner, IT, security, privacy, procurement, finance and legal
  • An asset management record (owner, license metric and quantity, renewal date and notice deadline) and a decision and next steps checklist

Download the editable Microsoft Word version below. The full text is on this page, so you can read it before you download.

How to use this template

The requester completes Sections 1, 2, 4 and 5. IT, security, privacy, procurement and the approvers complete the rest, and IT fills in Section 10 once the purchase is made. Use one form per product or service.

  1. Set the form up for your organization. Replace the placeholders: where requests go, your purchasing policy, your risk tiers and which roles approve at each tier or value. Put the form in your service desk or intake tool, so every request starts in one place, including renewals and tools bought on a card.
  2. Have the requester fill in their sections. Ask only what the requester knows: the need, the users, the data, the cost and term, and how the tool is being bought today. “Don’t know” is an acceptable answer, and the reviewers fill the gaps. For a larger purchase, attach the requirements, gathered as the requirements gathering guide describes.
  3. Check what you already own. IT completes Section 3 before anyone contacts a vendor, searching the asset and contract records for unused licenses, a tool that already does the job, or an edition upgrade that adds the missing feature. If one fits, close the request there.
  4. Review security, integration and the sourcing route. Security sets the tier in Section 6 and asks for the evidence that tier needs, such as a completed vendor security questionnaire for a high-risk vendor. Start before a product is chosen, while a finding can still change the decision. IT reviews sign-in, integrations and hosting, and procurement picks the route: an existing contract, quotes or an RFQ, an RFI or an RFP. RFP vs RFQ vs RFI compares them.
  5. Approve, buy and record. Each approver records a decision, a date and any conditions in Section 9. Procurement writes the conditions into the contract, checks the vendor’s order form against what was negotiated and raises the purchase order. IT then completes Section 10 and adds the notice deadline, not only the renewal date, to the renewal calendar.

Software request form vs purchase requisition vs purchase order

The names are easy to mix up, and organizations use them differently. Some add the software questions to their purchase requisition, and others keep a separate intake form. Either way, the questions should be answered before anyone commits to a vendor’s terms.

How they differ:

  • Software request form. Decides whether to buy at all, and on what conditions: the need, what you already own, the data and access involved, security and integration, the sourcing route and approvals. It comes first.
  • Purchase requisition. An internal request to spend from a budget, approved by whoever your policy names, such as the budget holder. Once approved, it’s the basis for a purchase order.
  • Vendor order form. For software and SaaS, the vendor often has its own order form, which forms part of the contract and usually sets the products, quantities, prices and term. Check it against what you negotiated before you sign.
  • Purchase order. Your formal order to the supplier, stating what you’re buying, the quantity, the price and the terms. In IT procurement, you raise it after checking the vendor’s order form.

How to keep the form quick to use

An IT request form only works if people use it instead of a corporate card, so make it the easy route. These habits help:

  • Take every request in one place, such as your service desk, rather than by email or chat.
  • Ask the requester only what they know. IT, security and procurement fill in their own sections.
  • Check what you already own first. A request that unused licenses or an existing tool can meet closes without a purchase.
  • Scale the review to the risk. A low-risk tool, one that holds no sensitive data, has no access to your systems and is easy to replace, needs a short checklist rather than the full questionnaire. The vendor security assessment guide describes the tiers.
  • Let small purchases combine approver roles, but don’t skip security or contract review because the price is low.
  • Treat free trials and card purchases as requests, and block new purchases of tools you’ve decided to consolidate.
  • Tell the requester the decision and the reason, and what to use instead if the answer is no.

The full template

This is the complete text of the Word document. Fill in the [bracketed] placeholders and delete the italic guidance before you use or send it.

Setting up this form: replace each [bracketed placeholder] with
your organization’s details, adjust the risk tiers and approver roles to
match your policy, then delete this note. Keep or delete the other
italic notes, which guide the reviewers. Blank cells and ☐ boxes are
filled in for each request. The requester completes Sections 1, 2, 4 and
5; IT, security, privacy, procurement and the approvers complete the
rest. Use one form per product or service.

Complete this form before you buy, renew or sign up for any software,
SaaS or cloud service, including free trials and tools paid for on a
card. Send it to [service desk link or email]. If you don’t know an
answer, write “Don’t know” and a reviewer will fill it in.

1. Requester details

Field Answer
Name, job title and team
Email and phone
Business owner, if not you: the person accountable for the tool and
its renewal
Cost center or budget holder
Request type ☐ New ☐ Renewal ☐ More users, modules or a higher edition ☐ Already
in use through a free trial or card purchase
Date of request (and request ID, added by IT)

2. What’s needed and why

Question Answer
Software or service requested, with the edition and vendor or
reseller if known
Business need: what will it be used for?
The problem today: how is this done now, and what’s wrong with
it?
Users: which teams or roles, and how many people?
Must-haves: what it must do, connect to or comply with
Alternatives considered, including tools already in use here
Needed by, and why that date

For a larger purchase, attach the requirements document.

3. Already owned check (IT
completes)

Search the asset and contract records before anyone contacts a
vendor.

Check Result and details
Unused licenses of the same product ☐ Yes ☐ No
A tool already owned that does the job ☐ Yes ☐ No
An edition upgrade or add-on that adds the missing feature ☐ Yes ☐ No
The product already in use elsewhere, under a contract this could be
added to		 ☐ Yes ☐ No
Records searched ☐ Assets ☐ Contracts ☐ Card and expenses ☐ Single sign-on
applications
Outcome ☐ Use what’s owned and close the request ☐ Add to an existing
contract ☐ Continue

4. Data and access

Question Answer
What data will the tool store, process or see? ☐ None, or public only ☐ Internal business data ☐ Confidential, such
as finances or contracts ☐ Regulated, such as [health records, payment
card data or other types that apply to you]
Will it store or process personal data? If so, about whom, and what
kind?		 ☐ No ☐ Staff ☐ Customers or the public ☐ Don’t know. Details:
Where will the data be stored, if known?
Which systems must it connect to, and what data moves between
them?
What access will the tool or the vendor have to company
systems?		 ☐ None ☐ Read-only ☐ Can change data ☐ Administrator rights ☐
Software installed on company devices ☐ Don’t know
Will users sign in through single sign-on? ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Don’t know
Does it have AI features that use company data? ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Don’t know

5. Cost and term

Question Answer
Estimated recurring cost, per month or per year
Estimated one-time costs, such as setup, data migration, integration
or training
Billing model ☐ Subscription per user ☐ Subscription per other unit: ☐ Usage-based
☐ Perpetual license plus maintenance ☐ Free ☐ Don’t know
Quantity: users, units or expected usage
Contract term and start date
Does it renew automatically? If so, by what date must notice be
given?		 ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Don’t know. Notice date:
How is it being bought today? ☐ Not yet bought ☐ Free trial ☐ Corporate card or expenses ☐
Purchase order ☐ Existing contract
Has anyone accepted the vendor’s online terms, for example by
clicking “I agree”? Is company data already in the tool?		 Terms accepted: ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Don’t know. Data in the tool: ☐ Yes ☐
No ☐ Don’t know
Budget and quote ☐ In the approved budget ☐ Not budgeted ☐ Quote attached

Public bodies: route free trials and online sign-ups through
procurement before anyone accepts the terms. They can include terms a
public body may not be allowed to accept, such as open-ended
indemnities.

6.
Security and privacy review (security and privacy teams complete)

Start this review before a product is chosen, while a finding can
still change the decision. The tiers are an example: replace them with
the tiers in [your vendor risk policy]. For the questionnaire, use your
own or RFPhub’s free Vendor
Security Questionnaire Template.

Example tier What puts a tool here Evidence to ask for
High Sensitive or regulated data, privileged access, or a service the
organization can’t run without		 Full security questionnaire; SOC 2 Type II report or ISO/IEC 27001
certificate with its statement of applicability; penetration test
summary; data processing agreement; sub-processor list
Medium Internal business data, or a connection to some company systems Short questionnaire; independent evidence; data processing agreement
if personal data is involved
Low No sensitive data, no access to company systems, easy to
replace		 A checklist: single sign-on or multi-factor authentication, where
data is stored, how to delete it
Item Entry
Tier assigned, and why ☐ High ☐ Medium ☐ Low. Reason:
Evidence received, with a scope that covers this service and current
dates		 ☐ Questionnaire ☐ SOC 2 Type II report ☐ ISO/IEC 27001 certificate
and statement of applicability ☐ Penetration test summary ☐ Data
processing agreement ☐ Sub-processor list
Findings, and what happens to each: fix before signing, fix by a
contract date, compensating control, accept the risk (signed by the
business owner, with a review date) or reject

7.
Architecture and integration review (IT completes)

Check Result and notes
Single sign-on (SAML or OIDC) in the edition being bought ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Not needed
User provisioning (SCIM) ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Not needed
Where the product is hosted, and in which region
Overlap with systems already in use
Custom work or services the license quote doesn’t include
Who supports it after go-live ☐ IT ☐ The requesting team ☐ The vendor ☐ A partner
System to connect Data exchanged Method: native connector, API, middleware or custom Who builds it and maintains it through upgrades

8. Sourcing route
(procurement completes)

Route chosen Use it when
☐ Existing contract or reseller agreement A current contract already covers the need. Public bodies: a
statewide, another agency’s or a cooperative contract, where your rules
and the contract’s terms allow it
☐ Quotes, or an RFQ to resellers The product is chosen, and only price and terms differ
☐ RFI The market isn’t known yet. Choose the next route from the
responses
☐ RFP Solutions differ, and they’ll be judged on more than price
Item Entry
Does [purchasing policy name] require a more formal route at this
value?		 ☐ Yes ☐ No. Route required:
Reason for the route chosen

For an RFP, score proposals against weights set before they
arrive, and run a proof of concept when a demo can’t prove a requirement
that matters. Public bodies: confirm the route with your procurement
office or counsel, because the rules vary by jurisdiction, agency and
purchase value.

9. Approvals

Set in [purchasing policy name] which roles must approve at each
tier or value. Small purchases can combine roles, but a low price
shouldn’t mean skipping security or contract review.

Role Name Decision Date Conditions
Business owner (the need and the renewal) ☐ Approved ☐ With conditions ☐ Not approved
IT (fit, deployment and support) ☐ Approved ☐ With conditions ☐ Not approved
Security (tier and evidence) ☐ Approved ☐ With conditions ☐ Not approved
Privacy (personal data) ☐ Approved ☐ With conditions ☐ Not approved ☐ Not required
Procurement (route, terms and contract record) ☐ Approved ☐ With conditions ☐ Not approved
Finance (budget and recurring charges) ☐ Approved ☐ With conditions ☐ Not approved
Legal (agreement, data processing terms and online terms) ☐ Approved ☐ With conditions ☐ Not approved ☐ Not required

10.
Asset management record (IT completes after purchase)

Field Entry
Product, edition and version, and the vendor or reseller
Business owner
License metric: the unit paid for, and what counts toward it, such
as whether inactive users do
Quantity licensed
Contract or order reference, and where it’s stored
Start date and term
Renewal date, and any renewal price cap
Notice deadline: the last date to give notice
Renewal reminder set for

Record the notice deadline, not only the renewal date. Set the
reminder early enough to review usage, negotiate or run a
competition.

11. Decision and next steps

Item Entry
Decision ☐ Approved ☐ Approved with conditions ☐ Not approved ☐ Met by
software already owned
Decided by and date
Reason, and what the requester should do instead if not
approved
Next step Owner and due date
☐ Tell the requester the decision
☐ Write the approval conditions and security findings into the
contract
☐ Check the order form against what was negotiated: license metric
and true-ups, quantity, price, renewal cap, service levels, data
processing agreement, security commitments, data return and exit,
auto-renewal and notice period
☐ Raise the purchase order
☐ Move a trial or card subscription onto the contract, or cancel it
and get confirmation that company data is deleted
☐ Set up single sign-on and user provisioning
☐ Complete Section 10, add the notice deadline to the renewal
calendar and file this form with the contract record

Frequently asked questions

What is a software request form?

A software request form is what an employee completes to ask for new software, a SaaS subscription or a cloud service, or to renew or expand one. It records the business need, the users, the data involved and the expected cost, and gives IT, security, procurement and finance a place to review and approve the request. It’s the first step of IT procurement, before anyone commits to a vendor’s terms.

What should an IT purchase request form include?

Who is asking and why, the users, the problem today and the alternatives considered. Then the data the tool will touch, the systems it connects to, the cost, the billing model, the term and any auto-renewal notice date. Reviewers add a check of what you already own, security and integration reviews, the sourcing route, approvals and the details your asset records need.

Who approves a software purchase request?

The roles involved are the business owner who needs the tool, IT, security and privacy, procurement, finance and legal, and your purchasing policy sets which of them must approve at each risk tier or value. Small purchases can combine roles, but a low price shouldn’t mean skipping security or contract review. Each approver should record a decision, a date and any conditions.

Does every software request need an RFP?

No. If an existing contract already covers the need, buy through it, and when the product is chosen and only price and terms differ, ask for quotes or send resellers an RFQ. Send an RFI when you don’t know the market, and an RFP when solutions differ and you’ll judge them on more than price. Your policy may also require a more formal route above values it sets.

What if someone has already signed up for the software?

Treat it as a request. A free trial or card purchase may already hold company data, and clicking “I agree” may have accepted the vendor’s terms. Record both on the form, run the same reviews, and either move the tool onto an approved contract or cancel it and get confirmation that the data is deleted.

Related guides and templates

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Guides for this purchase

RequirementsRequirements Gathering for Software Purchases: Template and Traceability MatrixCollect and write requirements before the RFP goes out.GuideHow to Write an RFP: A Section-by-Section GuideWhat goes in each section of an RFP.ScoringRFP Scoring Matrix and Evaluation Criteria: How to Score ProposalsBuild a scoring matrix and score every proposal the same way.

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