Abstract: The article describes the reasons for the creation of the department of centralized provision of troops, decisions taken at the stages of the formation of the Provision Order, local management bodies of the armed forces. From the very beginning, the organizational principles of the new department were also defined. This step was due to the need to centralize the supply of food to the army and navy, as well as the creation of a special management and control body for the activities of local food authorities. The article also tells about the work of the proviantmasters - the first administrators of the food department, about the activities of the Provision Commissions and their contribution to the development of the army supply system. During the formation of the Provision Order, many different decisions were made on this problem. As a result of the study, the processes that formed a new department for the Russian state were identified. The sources of the article are mainly archival materials of the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts (RGADA), as well as literary sources. During the creation of the Provision Service, the main tasks that the department faced, including the military, were highlighted — the formation of a provision corps, the construction of military structures, the formation of food establishments, the provision of food for troops, the formation of food warehouses and the provision of soldiers' food.