The verdict in three sentences
For a mid-sized company handling 9,000 purchase requests a year, an approval workflow on self-hosted n8n is the most cost-effective option in 2026: no licence fee and EUR 20 to 60 a month in hosting. The 2026 market range for implementation in Dublin is EUR 13,000 to 32,000 excluding VAT, ERP connector included, over 6 to 10 weeks. The main gain shows up in average approval time, down from 6 days to 1.5, and in the end of purchases committed without a purchase order.
Email approvals: where the 6 days go
In a 750-employee medtech or services company in Dublin, a purchase request often looks like this: a spreadsheet emailed to a line manager, forwarded to financial control, then to the CFO above a threshold, and finally keyed into the ERP by procurement. Each step waits for someone to open their inbox. Requests stall during holidays, thresholds are applied inconsistently, and the external auditor finds orders placed without sign-off.
An n8n workflow applies the rules automatically: amount, cost centre, spend category, approved supplier or not. It routes the request to the right approver, sends a reminder after 24 hours, switches to the delegate when someone is away and creates the purchase order in the ERP once all approvals are in.
| Routing rule | Example threshold | Approvers |
|---|---|---|
| Small approved-supplier purchase | Under EUR 1,000 | Line manager only |
| Routine purchase | EUR 1,000 to 10,000 | Manager then financial control |
| Significant purchase | EUR 10,000 to 50,000 | Manager, financial control, CFO |
| Capital expenditure | Over EUR 50,000 | Executive committee |
| New supplier | Any amount | Procurement plus CRO and tax clearance check |
| Cost centre over budget | Any amount | Budget controller added |
What an n8n approval workflow costs in 2026
n8n comes as a free community edition you host yourself, or as a paid cloud plan. For a company that wants to keep its data in the EU under its own control, self-hosting on an Irish or EU server is the common choice.
| Item | 2026 range | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| n8n community licence | EUR 0 | Self-hosted edition |
| Server hosting and backups | EUR 20 to 60 per month | EU VPS, PostgreSQL database |
| Rules scoping and process mapping | EUR 2,800 to 5,500 | Workshops with procurement and finance |
| Request form and portal | EUR 2,800 to 7,500 | Microsoft 365 sign-in |
| Routing and reminder workflows | EUR 3,800 to 8,500 | Thresholds, delegates, escalations |
| ERP connector (Business Central, Sage 200, NetSuite) | EUR 3,000 to 8,000 | PO creation, budget lookups |
| Testing, training and documentation | EUR 1,000 to 2,500 | Two sessions for 40 approvers |
Total: EUR 13,000 to 32,000 excluding VAT depending on the ERP and rule complexity. Compare that with dedicated procure-to-pay suites, whose 2026 subscriptions often exceed EUR 15,000 a year for 750 employees.
What makes or breaks the project
Three topics take time. The first is master data quality: cost centres, suppliers and budgets must be current in the ERP, or routing goes wrong. The second is mobile approval: a site director must be able to approve from a phone in one tap, or they become the bottleneck. The third is audit trail: every decision is time-stamped with the approver's name and the reason for any rejection, and retained for at least 6 years in line with Irish record-keeping rules.
Kolonell delivers this kind of project as a custom application. A simple workflow sits between 2,500,000 and 4,000,000 FCFA (3,810 to 6,100 EUR), and a workflow with ERP connector and portal between 4,000,000 and 7,000,000 FCFA (6,100 to 10,670 EUR). Final pricing is set in the quote.
Mini case study
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Aoife, CFO of a 750-employee medical devices company in Dublin, processes 9,000 requests a year. Each one currently consumes about 25 minutes of chasing, rekeying and checking, or 3,750 hours a year. The workflow cuts that to 8 minutes per request, or 1,200 hours. The 2,550 hours saved, at a loaded cost of EUR 50, are worth EUR 127,500 a year. With a EUR 26,000 project and EUR 600 a year in hosting, payback comes in under 3 months. On top of that comes the drop in off-process spend, which the auditor put at 2% of total purchases.
FAQ
Is n8n robust enough for a mid-sized company?
Yes, the self-hosted edition easily handles tens of thousands of executions a month. For 9,000 requests a year, a EUR 40 a month server is more than enough, with daily backups.
What happens when an approver is away?
The workflow reads the Outlook calendar or a delegation table. After 24 hours without a response it sends a reminder, then hands over to the delegate after 48 hours.
Can we keep our current ERP?
Yes. The connector creates purchase orders in Business Central, Sage 200 or NetSuite through the API or a file import. It usually represents 25 to 30% of the budget.
Do we need an n8n Enterprise licence?
Not necessarily. Enterprise adds SAML single sign-on and fine-grained permissions, useful beyond 10 workflow builders; its price is negotiated with the vendor.
How long does it take to add a new rule?
A new threshold or category rule takes 1 to 2 hours for a trained administrator, with no redeployment.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your approval thresholds, your ERP and your annual request volume, and we will scope a working workflow in 6 to 10 weeks. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
