Invoicing

Invoices in Discovery can be of two varieties: Vendor Invoices and Client Invoices.

The journey of a Vendor Invoice from existing outside of Discovery into a paid Client Invoice requires that it travel along several way-points in our G.E.A.R progression.

Let's explore both Vendor Invoices and Client Invoices, their components and how each is handled as they advance through the G.E.A.R. progression.

Vendor Invoices originate from a Vendor for Services rendered at one or more Locations. Each Vendor Invoice is tied to a single Vendor, however a Vendor Invoice may contain many lines items covering multiple Service Addresses. Vendor Invoices can be audited against a Vendor Contract and can be used to generate a matching line items on a Client Invoice.

Here are the basic components of a Vendor Invoice:

• Vendor Name
• Vendor Account Number
• Invoice Date
• Invoice Number
• Invoice Total
• Amount Due
• Service Address

Vendor Invoice Flow

Every Vendor Invoice is directed sequentially along a predesignated course that not only pulls a vendor invoice into Discovery for data distillation, but also audits and prepares it to be converted into a Client Invoice. Of the 4 phases comprising the G.E.A.R. platform, 3 of them are focused on Vendor Invoices. These Vendor Invoice phases are centric to Discovery:

• Gather | Collect Vendor Invoices into the Discovery repository.
• Extract | Digitize Vendor Invoice data and store within a relational database.
• Audit | Reconcile and adjust Vendor Invoice data to latest Vendor Contract.

Gather

Gathering Vendor Invoices into Discovery is a straight forward process. This can occur manually, or depending on what portal access options the Vendor provides, Vendor Invoices can be fetched automatically using Discovery's Vendor Portal Credentials feature. This intelligent invoice retrieval system covers 95% of the North American Market. Please see the How Do I? articles below for more detail on how to Gather Vendor Invoices into Discovery.

To learn more about the Gather phase, please visit Gathered Vendor Invoices.

Extract

Vendor Invoice data not only provides the basis for auditing charges later against a Vendor Contract, but extracted information is especially valuable for reporting purposes. Vendor Invoice data is cataloged into Discovery by way of the Extract (OCR Extraction) phase.

More detail is available on this data structure in the Extracted Vendor Invoices article.

Audit

After Gathered and Extracted into Discovery, a Vendor Invoice may be revised if one or more of its line items are charged outside of the contracted terms and conditions. These revisions materially impact the approved amount of the invoice and what line item details that are included on resulting Client Invoices. This occurs during the Audit phase.

To learn more about the Audit process, please visit How Do I Audit a Vendor Invoice?

How Do I?

• How do I Gather my Vendor Invoices into Discovery?
• How do I see my Gathered Vendor Invoices?
• How Do I Download and Archive Gathered Vendor Invoices?
• How do I edit Extracted fields on a Vendor Invoice?
• How Do I Process a Vendor Invoice and Ready it for Auditing?

Client Invoices

Client Invoices are those sent to a Client Company for payment and reflect any changes arising through Vendor Invoice auditing. Client Invoices are generated in Discovery's Revenue area. Client Invoices and may include any additional fees you choose to apply.

Invoices generated for a Client that are comprised of any combination of the following:

• One or more Billable Expenses, which originate differently depending upon the Client Service's Is Pass Through setting:
  • Is Pass Through = Yes: Approved Vendor Invoice Line Items with the type "Commercial Service", "Rolloff Per Haul", "Rolloff Per Ton", "Extraneous Charge."
  • Is Pass Through = No: Approved Vendor Invoice Line Items with the type "Extraneous Charge."
• One or more Recurring Fees from non-pass through Client Services.
• One or more Client Service Fees.
• One or more Billing Group Fees.

Client Invoices have their visual Display adjusted from the Invoice Template selected on the associated Sub Account. The underlying data is not transformed, but powerful customization is possible here, allowing for grouping and visualization of the Client Invoice according to a Tenant or Client's specific needs.

Accounting Functionality

Client Invoice Statuses:

1. Not Approved - The client invoice is not approved, typically because it fails an auto-approval rule. It will remain in this status until voided or approved.
2. On Hold - An invoice that has been removed from the normal process for manual interaction. Typically used to hold a bill so that Employees can take various actions regarding the invoice prior to sending the invoice to the customer.
3. Approved - An Invoice that has passed automatic validation rules or has been manually approved by an Employee. This invoice is ready to go out via the Sub Account’s delivery method (print, email, or both).
4. Sent - An invoice that was sent to the customer (email or print), has an open balance greater than 0, and is not yet Delinquent.
5. Delinquent - An invoice that has an open balance greater than 0 after the stated Due Date of the invoice. Delinquent invoices are eligible for Delinquent Notices, which are typically emailed to the customer requesting payment on the open invoice..
6. Paid - An Invoice that has reached a $0 balance after being Sent, through a combination of at least $0.01 being paid by the customer, and optionally a credit applied to the invoice.
7. Voided

Print Batches

Approved Invoices can be queued for printing in a batch. Invoices for Sub Accounts that have a delivery method including “Print” will be included in a Print Batch.