Payments and cash-flow coordination
Event supplier bank-detail verification process
An email arrives from a supplier saying their bank account has changed, and the payment run is tomorrow.
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The short answer
Treat every new or changed bank detail as unverified until someone has confirmed it through a channel you already trusted before the request arrived. A second person then checks the record against that confirmation before any payment uses it.
The check takes minutes. A wrong payment can take weeks to chase, and whether it can be recovered is a question for your bank and adviser.
Where the risk comes from
Event finance is busy, many suppliers are new, and payments are often urgent. Requests to change account details by email are a common way for payments to go to the wrong party.
The aim is not to distrust suppliers. It is to make the confirmation independent of the message that asked for the change.
The verification sequence
- Record the request: date, who sent it, which supplier, old and new details.
- Do not reply to the message or use contact details inside it. Look up a number from the signed contract, the original quotation or a previous trusted invoice.
- Call that number and speak to a person you can name. Ask them to read back the account name, bank and account number, and confirm the change.
- Compare the account name with the supplier's registered name on the contract. Record any difference and ask the supplier to explain it in writing.
- A second person, who did not take the call, checks the record and compares it with the payment instruction before release.
- Mark the details verified with date and both names. Make a small first payment only if your policy allows it, and ask your finance adviser first.
Situations and the usual response
| Situation | Response |
|---|---|
| Change request arrives by email only | Verify by call-back as above before updating the record |
| Supplier details given first time on an invoice | Verify against the contract and one independent contact |
| Account name differs from the supplier name | Hold payment and obtain a written explanation |
| Urgent request on the day of the event | Keep the same check, and agree in advance who may approve exceptions |
| Request to pay a third party | Escalate to the decision owner and your adviser |
Records and privacy
Bank details are sensitive. Store them in a restricted file or finance system, give access only to those who pay or approve, and avoid sending them in chat messages.
Questions about how long to keep supplier records and who may see them belong to your finance and data-protection contacts.
Worked example · Fictional example
A changed account two days before payment
Fictional organisation and details only.
A fictional association secretariat receives an email from its AV supplier giving a new account, with the payment due in two days. The secretary does not reply. She calls the number on the signed quotation and speaks to the supplier's accounts clerk, who confirms the change and reads the account back.
The account name matches the supplier's company name on the contract. A second person checks the call record and the payment sheet, and both names are noted. Payment goes out on the due date.
Use this yourself
Bank-detail verification record
Complete one record per supplier change. Keep it with the payment approval for that supplier.
- Supplier name as on contract:
- Date and channel of the change request:
- Old details and new details recorded (stored securely):
- Contact number taken from: contract / quotation / earlier trusted invoice
- Call made on [date] to [name and role]; details read back and confirmed: yes / no
- Account name matches contract name: yes / no; explanation received in writing if no
- Checked by second person (name, date):
- Verified date and who may now pay to these details:
- Exceptions or doubts passed to the decision owner:
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- You pay a small number of suppliers whose contacts you already know.
- One finance person and one checker are available.
- Your organisation already has a payments policy.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Many suppliers or a large event with several people able to change records.
- Payments are made by more than one organisation, such as a client and an agency.
- You have no written rule on who may approve an exception.
Need the verification step built into payments?
A conference project lead can set up the call-back step and record sheet, make sure no supplier detail is changed without it, and bring each verified supplier to the payment approval with the evidence attached. Your bank and finance adviser stay responsible for payment controls and recovery questions.
Questions organisers ask
Is an email from the supplier's usual contact enough?
No. Email can be copied or spoofed. Confirm by phoning a number you held before the request.
Who should be the second checker?
Someone who did not take the call and does not enter the payment. Often this is a second finance contact or the event owner.
What if the supplier is hard to reach?
Pay to the previously verified details if they are still valid, or hold the payment. Do not use unverified details to save time.
Can a project lead verify details for us?
A project lead can run the process and keep the records. Your organisation still decides and releases the payment.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.