Event purchase order matching before you pay
The invoice has arrived and looks plausible, but no one has checked it against what was ordered or what actually turned up.
The short answer
Purchase order matching means comparing three things before a supplier is paid: what was ordered, what was delivered, and what was invoiced. Pay only when they agree, or when a difference has been explained and approved.
Matching catches wrong quantities, wrong prices and duplicate invoices while they are still easy to correct.
The three documents
| Document | What it shows | Who usually holds it |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase order | What the organiser authorised: items, quantity, price, terms. | Finance or the requester. |
| Delivery evidence | What actually arrived or was done: signed delivery note, attendance record, photographs, supplier report. | The person who received the goods or services. |
| Supplier invoice | What the supplier is asking to be paid. | Finance, through invoice intake. |
Line-by-line checks
- Confirm the invoice quotes the purchase order number and the supplier name matches the order.
- Compare each invoice line with the order line: item, quantity, unit price and total.
- Compare quantity with delivery evidence. If the order said 300 lunches and 285 were eaten, which number does the agreement say is charged?
- Check that tax and service charges are shown the way the order stated.
- Check the invoice reference has not been used before, using the invoice discrepancy log.
- Mark the invoice matched, matched with approved difference, or on hold, and record who decided.
Agree what counts as a small difference
Some organisations allow small differences, for example rounding, to pass without escalation. Set the limit with your finance lead and write it down. It is your policy, so it should be a number your finance team has agreed to, not a figure from this page.
Anything above the limit goes to the person who approved the order. Differences in the supplier's favour and in yours are treated the same way.
Who matches what
- The person who ordered confirms delivery, because they know what was meant.
- Finance compares figures and holds payment until the match is complete.
- The approver decides on differences above the limit.
- The project lead or secretariat chases the supplier for corrected invoices or credit notes.
Where this goes wrong at events
- Services are consumed on the day with no record of what was delivered.
- Catering invoiced for the headcount at ordering, not the final count agreed.
- Orders amended by email, with the invoice matching the old version.
- A change agreed on site and never added to the order.
- Invoices paid on a supplier's statement without being matched at all.
Worked example · Fictional example
Matching a catering invoice
Fictional organisation and figures, illustrative only.
Persatuan Fiktif Jurutera Awam ordered lunch for 300 delegates at RM 55 per person and tea breaks for 300 at RM 18, both before tax, on order PO-24-131. The caterer's invoice shows 300 lunches and 300 tea breaks, total RM 21,900.
The conference owner's attendance record shows 281 lunches served. The order says the final count was to be confirmed five days before the event; the secretariat had confirmed 290. The invoice is put on hold. The project lead asks the caterer to explain the 300 and to issue a corrected invoice or credit note against the agreed count, then the treasurer approves payment once the figures match.
Use this yourself
Purchase order matching sheet
Copy this table and use one row per invoice line. Fill the last column before anyone approves payment.
| Order line | Ordered qty and price | Delivered qty and evidence | Invoiced qty and price | Difference | Decision and who decided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lunch, PO-24-131 line 1 | 300 at RM 55 | 281 served, attendance record | 300 at RM 55 | 19 lunches; count agreed was 290 | Hold; ask supplier to explain and correct |
| Tea break, PO-24-131 line 2 | 300 at RM 18 | Served, confirmed by conference owner | 300 at RM 18 | None | Matched |
| Invoice reference | Not used before | Not applicable | INV-2291 | None | Matched |
| Tax and service charge | As stated on order | Not applicable | As stated on order | None | Matched |
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- Few invoices and the person who ordered also sees the delivery.
- Orders are complete and amended in writing.
- Finance already checks orders against invoices.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Many suppliers invoice at once after the event.
- Delivery was spread across several sites, people or days with no record.
- Orders and amendments are inconsistent, and invoices are being queried late.
Want invoices matched before they reach finance?
A conference project lead can collect delivery evidence during the event, compare each invoice with the order and any variation, and hand your finance team a matched pack with differences listed and chased with suppliers. Payment approval stays with your finance team.
Questions organisers ask
What if there is no purchase order?
Match against the signed quotation and the approval record, and raise the order retrospectively if your policy allows. Note the gap so it is not repeated.
Do we match every invoice?
Match all, but allow your finance team to set simpler checks for very small amounts.
Who proves delivery for services like speakers or MCs?
The person who managed them on the day, with a short written confirmation or attendance record.
Does a match mean the invoice is correct in law?
No. It shows the invoice agrees with the order and delivery. Questions about contract terms or tax go to your advisers.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.