You need an order within your organization – a laptop, office supplies, or perhaps a larger bulk of medical devices. How do you ensure this runs smoothly, without accounting errors, lost invoices, incomplete receipts, or unnecessary delays for suppliers' payments? 

The answer lies in a well-organized Purchase to Pay process; from the request to the payment. No more loose emails, manual Excel sheets, or unnecessary corrections, but a clear, digital process that your organization can rely on. The result? Fewer errors, less delay, and efficient collaboration between departments. 

Below, we guide you through the seven steps of this process and show how smart setup and digitalization can make a difference. 

The purchasing department receives the request and can easily check whether the request complies with internal guidelines. They evaluate aspects such as price, supplier, contractual terms, and quantity. All of this happens within the system, which immediately provides insight into relevant information like prices and supplier agreements. The order request is also automatically checked against the available budget.

In practice: The purchasing manager notices that the bulk purchase of laptops is cheaper from another supplier. With a few clicks, he assigns the cheaper option, which immediately saves costs. Due to the cheaper option, the purchase order may be submitted for approval to the connected budget holder. 

Step 3: Warehouse 

When the order request is submitted, an immediate check is made to see if the items are already in stock, or if a new order needs to be placed with a supplier to replenish the inventory. Subsequently, the items that are in stock are gathered and delivered to the requesting department on the agreed day. With each stock movement (including delivery, replenishment, correction, return, transfer, revaluation), accounting entries are made in the accounting system.

In practice: Anna has ordered 10 boxes of tea for her department from stock. Three times a week, the warehouse delivers the orders to the department where Anna works. The warehouse staff gather the orders and notice that there are no longer 10 boxes of tea in stock, only 8. Therefore, the warehouse places an order with the supplier to replenish the tea stock. On the next delivery to the department, 8 boxes arrive, but the remaining 2 boxes are on back order. Once the supplier has restocked, the last 2 boxes of tea are eventually delivered.

“A mistake in invoicing may seem small, but can have enormous financial consequences,” explains Erik, Product Owner of Purchase to Pay. “The system automatically compares the purchase order, delivery note, and invoice, which prevents errors such as overcharged invoices or duplicate payments. I remember a hospital that received an invoice for a double quantity of supplies. Thanks to 3-way matching, this was immediately noticed and corrected. Without this step, they would have paid way too much.” 

“With PEPPOL, suppliers send their invoices digitally in a standardised format. This means that invoices come directly and flawlessly into our system. The combination of PEPPOL and 3-way matching ensures that organisations not only work faster but also more securely. Everything is automatically checked, and if something isn’t right, the system immediately issues a warning.” 

He emphasises: “This not only prevents financial errors but also strengthens collaboration between procurement, finance, and suppliers. Suppliers appreciate the streamlined processing via PEPPOL, and procurement and finance can trust that only correct invoices are paid. It provides peace of mind and a professional image towards your suppliers.”