Improving Accounts Payable > A Strategic Imperative to Scale Construction Operations 

From our experience, the construction industry is plagued with the persistent challenge of managing accounts payable efficiently. Construction projects have scaled in complexity and scope, but the administrative functions have often lagged, particularly in accounts payable. This oversight can lead to processing issues, delayed payments, reduced cash flow, and strained vendor relationships.

Leading construction firms are addressing this gap by leveraging automation and data analytics to boost efficiency, minimize errors, and improve financial transparency. These advanced capabilities not only reduce workloads but also position companies for sustainable growth and competitive advantage.

Is it time for your construction operation to elevate accounts payable to meet the demands of modern business environments? The answer is yes, if you want to remain competitive.

Here are 4 common issues that we see and how to solve them.

1. Invoice Processing Delays

  • Pitfall: Ineffective use of resources due to manual processing of supplier invoices and 3-way match issues. This leads to errors, incremental overhead and unpredictable cashflow.
  • Solution: Implement digital automation with optical character recognition (OCR) to instantly extract invoice data, reduce processing times and errors.

2. Data Inaccuracies

  • Pitfall: Typos and misinterpretations are caused by manual data entry. These can compromise financial integrity, accuracy of reports, budget overruns and compliance risk.
  • Solution: Adopt intelligent automation for data extraction and verification, ensuring invoice data matches purchase orders and delivery receipts.

3. Vendor Management Challenges

  • Pitfall: Missed opportunities for early payment discounts and/or financial losses due to past due payment penalties. This is caused due to the complexity and inconsistency of terms across vendors.
  • Solution: Use integrated dashboards and develop ‘pay schedules’ or ‘pay calendars’ that suggest cheque runs for those which yield the highest returns (by capturing early payment discounts and avoiding overdue payment penalties). This will also manage vendor data proactively by facilitating timely negotiations and contract renewals.

4. Invoice Exceptions Causing Processing Delays

  • Pitfall: Invoice exceptions such as quantity and price discrepancies can cause significant delays and confusion, as they require manual intervention. Invoices requiring added effort are often delayed due to other priorities.
  • Solution: Integrate automated software to detect and flag exceptions, ensuring they are routed to the appropriate team members for quick resolution. This keeps your AP process moving efficiently despite inevitable discrepancies.

Need Help?

Our business consulting services team has relevant experience in the construction industry and related administrative operations to understand your business and solve your current challenges.

If your accounts payable processes are out of control, reach out to discuss how we define and/or implement solutions that will improve your AP functions and/or other business processes that are essential in supporting your construction operation’s overall success. Once these are in place, you can begin to foster a culture of compliance and accountability that leads to more accurate financial reporting, improved cash flow management and solid relationships with your vendors.

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