Setting Up Order Approval for B2B on 1C-Bitrix

Imagine: a manager creates an order worth 150,000 rubles, but it disappears into a void—no automatic notification, no status. The director learns about it a week later via email, but by then the supplier has already canceled the reservation. Many face this problem. We configure a full order approval cycle on 1C-Bitrix to eliminate losses. In this article, we will discuss setting up statuses, notifications, and multi-level approval using real examples.

Why Manual Approval Is Evil

Manual order processing creates chaos: orders are lost, duplicated, and deadlines drag on. According to research, up to 30% of orders are lost during manual processing in B2B. Automation on Bitrix provides a clear status for each order (APPROVAL, APPROVED, REJECTED), automatic notifications tied to mail events, and an audit trail (who, when, what changed). This reduces the load on purchasers by up to 40%.

How Order Approval Works in B2B

A standard scenario: an employee creates an order with status "Pending Approval" → a notification goes to the manager → the manager confirms or rejects in their dashboard → if confirmed, the order moves to processing; if rejected, the employee receives a notification with the reason. More complex schemes take into account the amount (up to 50 thousand — no approval needed, from 50 to 200 thousand — one level, from 200 thousand — two levels) or the product category.

A makeshift custom scheme is 3 times slower to implement than our setup using Highload-blocks—we have already refined the templates. Automation via Highload-blocks reduces order processing time by half compared to standard mechanisms.

How to Configure Order Statuses for Approval

In Bitrix, an order has a status (b_sale_status). We add custom statuses:

• APPROVAL — pending approval
• APPROVED — approved, moved to processing
• REJECTED — rejected

Adding statuses: CSaleStatus::Add() or via the control panel Store → Settings → Order statuses. When an employee (not the company owner) creates an order, the OnSaleOrderSaved handler checks the user's role. If the role requires approval and the amount exceeds a threshold, the order status changes to APPROVAL, and standard processing is temporarily paused.

How to Set Up Step-by-Step Approval

Here is a simple guide for a typical single-level scheme:

1. Create custom statuses: APPROVAL, APPROVED, REJECTED in the "Order statuses" section.
2. Assign rights: for the "approver" role, grant permission to change the status.
3. Configure the mail event B2B_ORDER_APPROVAL_REQUEST with a letter template containing the amount and a link.
4. Write a handler for the OnSaleOrderSaved event: if the order is created by a user with the "employee" role and the amount > threshold, change the status to APPROVAL.
5. Create a page in the user dashboard with a list of orders in APPROVAL status. Add "Approve"/"Reject" buttons.
6. On click, call CSaleOrder::UpdateStatus() and send a notification to the initiator.

Notifications and Approval Interface

Upon transition to APPROVAL, the mail event B2B_ORDER_APPROVAL_REQUEST is sent to the approver. The email contains: item list, total, and a link to the approval page. The approval page in the dashboard shows a list of orders in APPROVAL status for the current user (or for the company if they have the approver role). Buttons: "Approve" / "Reject" with a reason field. On click, an AJAX request goes to a handler that changes the order status via CSaleOrder::UpdateStatus() and sends a notification to the creator.

What Are the Approval Levels?

For a two-level scheme, we use a Highload-block order_approvals: UF_ORDER_ID, UF_APPROVER_ID, UF_LEVEL (1, 2), UF_STATUS, UF_COMMENT, UF_DATE. The order moves to main processing only when all related records have status approved. If rejected at any level, the order receives status REJECTED, and the chain is interrupted.

What's Included in the Setup

We guarantee correct operation under loads up to 10,000 orders per day. Our experience spans many years with 50+ Bitrix projects and certified specialists. Contact us for a quote—we will select the optimal order approval scheme for your business. Get a consultation on automating B2B processes on Bitrix.

Single-level approval setup: 1 week. Multi-level scheme with flexible rules: 2-3 weeks. Cost is calculated individually for your scenario.

Additional resources: CommerceML — data exchange standard with 1C, Bitrix24 REST API for integration with external systems.

B2B Portal Development on 1C-Bitrix

A dealer in Krasnoyarsk enters 50 SKUs, needs an instant invoice with his own price, credit limit, and delivery from the nearest warehouse. A retail catalog won’t cut it. We build such portals on 1C-Bitrix — with personalized price matrices, dealer cabinets, and real-time 1C integration. Over 50 B2B portals launched, 12-month warranty, certified 1C-Bitrix specialists with 10+ years in development. Submit a request for a free audit of your current pricing system — we will analyze your structure and propose a tailored architecture.

How does pricing work in a B2B portal?

Retail has one price. B2B has a matrix: price types in b_catalog_price multiplied by user groups, cumulative discounts, currency conversions, contractual conditions. A mistake here sinks the project.

Price types and user groups. Bitrix sets types via CCatalogGroup. Standard set: retail, small wholesale, wholesale, dealer, distributor. Each counterparty belongs to a user group, the group to a price type. Reality is more complex: one dealer may see wholesale prices for electronics and distributor prices for accessories. That requires custom logic in the OnSaleBasketItemBeforePriceSave handler.

Discounts — progressive by volume (from 100 pieces → minus 5%, from 500 → minus 12%), cumulative over a period, seasonal, category-based. Combined through priorities in b_sale_discount. With 20+ rules, debugging becomes a quest.

Credit limits. The counterparty gets a shipping credit threshold. Current debt syncs from 1C via the register РасчетыСКонтрагентами (Settlements with Counterparties). Exceeding the limit blocks order placement.

Contract prices — the price list is tied to a specific contract: validity period, number, prolongation conditions. Expiration switches prices to base ones automatically. Implemented through order custom fields and the OnSaleComponentOrderProperties handler.

Currency — mandatory for foreign trade. Conversion at the Central Bank rate (CCurrencyRates::ConvertCurrency()) or a fixed contract rate.

Compare CommerceML and REST for price sync: CommerceML is simpler but 4x slower on catalogs over 10,000 items, and it can’t handle credit limits. REST API via 1C HTTP service is 3x faster and fully flexible but requires 1C-side modifications. According to the 1C-Bitrix Developer's Guide, real-time sync of directories and balances is critical for B2B portals.

What does the dealer cabinet include?

• Orders — full history with filtering by statuses, dates, amounts. Repeat previous order in one click — saves hours for regular purchases.
• Finances — balance of mutual settlements, reconciliation statement, payment history. No more waiting three days for accounting — data available instantly, pulled from 1C via REST or CommerceML.
• Documents — invoices, waybills, sales invoices, UPD, certificates. Generated in 1C, PDF pushed to the portal via integration. One-click download.
• Dealer employee management — admin creates accounts with role permissions: purchasing manager places orders, accountant sees only finances, director sees the big picture. Extended standard Bitrix user groups.

Quick order: SKU + quantity = invoice

A B2B client doesn’t browse beautiful cards. They need a form: SKU, quantity, next line.

• Quick order form — auto-suggest of name and price when entering SKU. AJAX search by b_iblock_element.XML_ID or PROPERTY_ARTICLE. 50 items in 3 minutes.
• Import from Excel/CSV — client exports from their system, uploads to the portal. Auto-matching of SKUs, availability check, order generation. Parsing via PHPExcel or PhpSpreadsheet.
• Basket with full information — weight, volume, number of packages, estimated delivery cost before checkout.

Why is 1C integration critical for a B2B portal?

Without up-to-date data from 1C, the portal is useless. Manager changed the price of nails — in 15 minutes a dealer in Krasnoyarsk sees the new price.

We often use a hybrid: CommerceML for catalog, REST for prices, stocks, and documents.

EDI: legally significant paperless exchange

For large B2B projects:

• Providers — Kontur.Diadoc, SBIS, Kaluga Astral. Invoices, certificates, waybills in electronic form with legal force.
• CEP — qualified electronic signature. The counterparty signs right in the cabinet.
• Roaming between operators — without it, half of partners with a different EDI operator are left out.

Multi-branch operation

• Regional warehouses — client sees stock of the nearest warehouse and can choose the shipping one. Product available in Novosibirsk but not in Moscow → portal shows both options with different lead times.
• Automatic manager assignment — dealer from Krasnodar works with Ivan, from Yekaterinburg with Marina. Based on UF_REGION in the counterparty card.
• Local conditions — minimum order amount, delivery terms, lead times — differ by region.

B2B Portal Development Process

B2B portal development includes five stages.

What is included in the work

• Complete project documentation (terms of reference, architecture diagram, integration protocols)
• Server environment setup and deployment (On-Premise or cloud)
• Migration of all user data and configurations
• Portal administrator training (2 online sessions)
• Warranty support for 12 months with response within 4 hours

After launch — technical support and development. A B2B portal is a living system that evolves with the business.

Average time savings for a manager on order processing — up to 20 hours per week, which translates to approximately $15,000 annual savings per dealer. A self-built portal typically takes 6 months to develop, while a Bitrix-based solution is ready in 2 months.

Typical mistakes to avoid at the start

1. Verify price types and user groups before going live.
2. Keep discount rules to a minimum (3–4) — 20+ rules cause debugging nightmares.
3. Test 1C integration on real data during pilot.
4. Grant dealer access only after load testing with 50 concurrent users.

Contact us to discuss your project — we will prepare a preliminary estimate and propose the optimal solution. Get your free audit of pricing mechanics today.