Event supplier invoice intake
Supplier invoices for the conference are arriving in three inboxes, and nobody knows which have been seen.
The short answer
Invoice intake is the first step after a supplier bills you: one address receives every invoice, one register records it the same day, and five quick checks decide whether it goes to approval or back to the supplier.
Intake does not approve or pay. It makes sure each invoice is visible, matched to an order and routed to the right approver.
Set the route before the first invoice
Tell every supplier, in the purchase order or contract, where invoices must be sent and what they must show: your organisation's name, the order number, the event name, the supplier's details and the period or items billed.
Forward anything sent elsewhere to the intake address the same day, so the register is complete.
Intake steps
- Save the invoice file under a consistent name: supplier, invoice number, date.
- Enter it in the register with date received, supplier, invoice number, amount, due date and order number.
- Check it against the order: same supplier, items and price, and not more than was ordered.
- Search the register for the same supplier and invoice number to catch duplicates.
- Check there is evidence the goods or service were delivered, such as a delivery note or the event owner's confirmation.
- Route clean invoices to the approver and send mismatches to the discrepancy log with a note to the supplier.
The five quick checks
| Check | What you look for | If it fails |
|---|---|---|
| Order | A matching purchase order exists | Ask the requester for the missing order or approval |
| Price and quantity | Lines agree with the order | Log in the discrepancy log and query the supplier |
| Duplicate | Same supplier and number not already logged | Mark duplicate; do not route |
| Delivery | Evidence of delivery or completion | Hold until the event owner confirms |
| Details | Legal name and bank details agree with the supplier record | Hold; use the bank-detail verification step |
What the register lets you see
- Which invoices are waiting and for how long.
- Which approvals are overdue before a due date is missed.
- The total invoiced against each order, as input to the cash-flow forecast.
- What remains to be received before final reconciliation.
Questions for your finance adviser
Ask what an invoice must show to be accepted by your organisation and for its records, how long to keep invoices and who may see them. Those answers belong to your finance and tax advisers.
Worked example · Fictional example
Seventeen invoices in the last fortnight
Fictional organisation and illustrative figures only.
A fictional corporate communications team receives 17 supplier invoices in the two weeks after its annual forum. The register shows 13 clean, three with price differences and one that repeats an earlier invoice number from the same caterer.
The clean ones go to the approver the same day. The price differences are logged and queried. The repeat is marked as a duplicate, and the caterer is told which invoice is already in the register.
Use this yourself
Invoice intake register
One row per invoice. Add columns your finance contact needs, such as cost centre.
| Date received | Supplier | Invoice no. | Amount | Due date | Order no. | Checks passed | Routed to, date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- Few suppliers and one person watches the finance mailbox.
- Every purchase has an order before the supplier starts.
- Approvers reply in a few days.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Invoices arrive by email, post and hand from many people.
- Orders are placed informally and by different team members.
- Approvals sit with committee members who are hard to reach.
Need invoice intake handled for you?
A conference project lead can run the intake address, keep the register, run the quick checks against orders and put each clean invoice in front of the right approver with its paperwork. Queries to suppliers are logged until closed, and approval and payment stay with your organisation.
Questions organisers ask
Who should receive supplier invoices?
One shared address or one named person with a deputy. Avoid personal inboxes for an event with many suppliers.
What if an invoice has no order number?
Do not reject it automatically. Ask the requester whether an order or approval exists, then add the reference or query the supplier.
Should we pay on the due date or early?
Pay on the agreed due date after approval. Early payment is a cash-flow decision for your finance contact.
Can the register live in a spreadsheet?
Yes, if one person owns it and it is backed up. The invoice reconciliation worksheet can help with matching.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.