Correct answer: A. Procedure
Explanation: The direct answer is A, Procedure. A procedure lays down the sequence in which connected activities must be completed. In this case, the purchase requisition comes first; then the department gives approval; after that quotations are obtained from vendors; finally the purchase order is issued. This is a complete purchasing workflow, not merely one rule or one technique. Option A is correct because it presents several linked steps in a fixed order. Option B, Policy, gives broad guidance, such as the organisation’s general purchasing principle, but it does not necessarily state the exact sequence. Option C, Rule, is a specific instruction about what must or must not be done, often without describing a chain of stages. Option D, Method, normally refers to the manner of performing a particular activity, whereas this question describes the entire procurement process. The clue is the sequence “first, then, then, finally.” A procedure makes work predictable, coordinated and easier to follow. Memory cue: a purchasing checklist arranged from beginning to end is a procedure.