> Big corps like to keep the ability to pay for stuff out of the hands of individuals and isolated in bureaucratic nightmares
I'd say my experience is exactly the contrary. Middle managers in my experience in mega corps have a lot of expense latitude for these kinds of things, expedited approvals, corporate credit cards. At least in the finance and tech world.
Could very well just be my company that's jaded me a bit about spending along with the work I did at HP. Both have a pretty strong penny-pinching attitude for common employees and lower-level management.
