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Case study · Construction & professional services

From AP discovery to an automation platform, without a preferred product

Structured discovery of the invoice-to-pay process led to a seven-part improvement agenda, an options analysis and a weighted RFP that selected a specialist AP automation platform.

40%+straight-through processing reached on the selected platform
Client
Global construction and consultancy group
Sector
Construction & professional services
Service
Technology & Partner Selection

The challenge

Invoice processing relied on manual data entry, time-consuming approvals, limited visibility of exceptions, inconsistent non-PO approval and a slow payment schedule. The AP team was compensating with labour-intensive checks. The business needed automation, but the risk was jumping straight from a general complaint to a technology purchase.

What discovery found, and what the agenda set out to fix

Current state

  • Manual invoice data entry
  • Time-consuming approvals
  • Little visibility of exceptions
  • Inconsistent non-PO approval
  • Slow, weekly payment scheduling

Seven-part agenda

  • Automated capture, validation and routing
  • Automated payment scheduling
  • Tracked exception management
  • Earlier validation and better matching
  • Standard non-PO approval
  • Supplier self-service
  • A KPI framework to measure it all

Our approach

  • Discovery before solutions. We mapped the current process with the people who run it, documenting both its weaknesses and the controls the team was already performing well.
  • A seven-part agenda. Recommendations covered automated capture and routing, payment scheduling, exception tracking, upstream validation, standard non-PO approval, supplier self-service and a performance framework. Each had measures such as processing time, exception-resolution time, automation rate and compliance.
  • Options, not assumptions. We compared keeping the current process, extending the ERP’s own capability and adopting a specialist platform, making the cost of doing nothing explicit.
  • A transparent selection. Market research, a pre-study, vendor demonstrations and a formal RFP, scored against weighted criteria covering function, architecture, commercials, data protection, auditability and integration.
  • Through to implementation. Functional requirements, integration planning and supplier communications, treating automation as a control redesign, not just effort removal.
From discovery to decision
  1. 01DiscoveryCurrent process and existing controls
  2. 02RecommendationsSeven-part agenda
  3. 03Options analysisStatus quo vs ERP vs specialist
  4. 04Market & demosPre-study and vendor demos
  5. 05Weighted RFPFunction, architecture, data, cost
  6. 06SelectionSubject to legal, privacy, security sign-off
  7. 07ImplementationRequirements, integration, suppliers
  • People decision
  • System / automated
  • Control point
Narrowing the decision
  1. 3routes considered: keep, extend the ERP, or specialist platform
  2. 2finalists scored against weighted criteria
  3. 1platform recommended, with sign-offs

The outcome

  • A specialist AP automation platform selected through a reviewable, evidence-based process
  • More than 40% straight-through processing reached on the platform as adoption matured, delivered by the wider programme team
  • Stronger pre-authorisation of spend and better data on invoice flow and exceptions

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  1. DefineAgree requirements, scope, evaluation criteria and weighting with all stakeholders.
  2. EngageRun the RFP: market engagement, evaluation materials, clarification responses and demonstrations.
  3. Evaluate & negotiateScore solutions comparably, check references, review the draft contract for term, termination, fees, liability and data-protection risk, and lead the commercial negotiation.
  4. Hand overTransition to the operations team with contract, governance, KPIs and a mobilisation plan.

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