Purpose. Documents and routes approval for all operational expenses, software subscriptions, and infrastructure purchases.
Applicability. Required for all new operational expenses, software subscriptions, infrastructure purchases, and tool renewals above the de minimis threshold defined in the Operational Manual.
# Form M — Expense & Software Approval Request
## Purpose
Form M provides the formal request-and-approval workflow for ecosystem operational expenditures, including new software subscriptions, infrastructure purchases, recurring tool renewals, and one-time operational costs. It ensures financial decisions are reviewed by the appropriate approver tier, correctly attributed to the billing entity, and entered into the systems registry (Form G) where applicable. Strategic and privileged documents are not stored in any tool or platform approved through this form.
## Owner & Maintenance
**Owner:** LLC CFO (Finance / Operations), in coordination with the Ecosystem Systems Administrator for infrastructure tools.
**Update cadence:** Submitted at the time of the expenditure request; approval steps completed within the timeframe specified in the Operational Manual. Completed forms are filed in the Finance folder (Governance Drive).
**Live record location:** Governance Drive — Finance / Operations folder.
## Fields Tracked
### Request Information
- Date submitted
- Requestor name, role, and department
- Software / service / product name
- Vendor / provider
- Purpose / business justification (narrative)
- Estimated cost: monthly and annual
- Billing entity (C6, LLC, or Co-op)
- Recurring: Yes / No — billing frequency if recurring
- Replaces existing tool: Yes (tool name) / No
- Confirmation that strategic and privileged documents will not be stored in this system
### Approval Workflow
- **Step 1 — Department / Supervisor:** Approver name, role, and date
- **Step 2 — Finance / Operations (LLC CFO):** Approver name, role, and date
- **Step 3 — Ecosystem Systems Administrator** (for infrastructure and software tools): Approver name, date, and Form G entry confirmation
## Workflow
1. **Requestor submits** Form M with full cost and business justification information to their department supervisor.
2. **Step 1 approver** (supervisor) reviews and signs, confirming the expense aligns with the department's operational needs and budget.
3. **Step 2 approver** (LLC CFO) reviews the financial and billing entity details, confirms budget availability, and signs.
4. **Step 3** (Ecosystem Systems Administrator) — For software and infrastructure tools: confirms the tool does not duplicate existing systems, verifies that the tool is appropriate for the permission level of its intended users, enters the system in Form G after provisioning, and updates Form F if a new digital asset is created.
5. **Filing** — Completed Form M is filed in the Finance / Operations folder; a copy is provided to the requestor.
## Cross-References
- **Form G** — Software tools approved via Form M are entered in Form G upon provisioning.
- **Form F** — New digital assets or accounts created as a result of a Form M approval are entered in Form F.
- **Form H** — If the new tool requires individual user access grants beyond the initial requestor, Form H is completed for each access request.