Supplier management
Keep supplier details and payment instructions ready for the next invoice.
Accounts Payable Automation
From supplier invoice to approved payment.
Accounts payable automation software for invoice capture, three-way matching, approval routing and controlled payment runs.
Live
View filterPendingMatch
| Bill Number | Vendor | Vendor Invoice Number | Bill Date | Purchase Order | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLL-40371 | VND-236 | BLL-45346 | 19 Oct | PO-39833 | 42,849.82 |
| BLL-18239 | VND-228 | BLL-74233 | 18 Oct | PO-70313 | 12,675.22 |
| BLL-10632 | VND-059 | BLL-63144 | 01 Oct | PO-44591 | 42,700.78 |
| BLL-55587 | VND-236 | BLL-71941 | 04 Oct | PO-58895 | 12,407.77 |
| BLL-32719 | VND-159 | BLL-22978 | 07 Oct | PO-65012 | 12,610.48 |
| BLL-22526 | VND-092 | BLL-66322 | 11 Oct | PO-98371 | 7,326.16 |
Illustrative records derived from the system specification.
Built around the way you buy
AP managers and controllers managing supplier invoices, payment approvals and disbursements.
- Defined tables
- 27
- Operational views
- 13
- Defined roles
- 7
- Reports
- 8
Defined in the planned system specification.
What’s inside.
Accounts payable automation software for invoice capture, three-way matching, approval routing and controlled payment runs.
Invoice capture
Bring supplier invoices into a reviewable queue with their original documents.
Invoice matching
Check what was ordered, received and billed before approving a payment.
Approvals and disputes
Give each invoice a clear decision owner and each exception a visible resolution.
Payment runs
Prepare a clear payment proposal, then release it with the right authority.
Vendor reporting
See outstanding invoices, payment progress and year-end document readiness.
Keep every supplier invoice moving
View filterPendingMatch
| Bill Number | Vendor | Vendor Invoice Number | Bill Date | Purchase Order |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLL-40371 | VND-236 | BLL-45346 | 19 Oct | PO-39833 |
| BLL-18239 | VND-228 | BLL-74233 | 18 Oct | PO-70313 |
| BLL-10632 | VND-059 | BLL-63144 | 01 Oct | PO-44591 |
| BLL-55587 | VND-236 | BLL-71941 | 04 Oct | PO-58895 |
| BLL-32719 | VND-159 | BLL-22978 | 07 Oct | PO-65012 |
| BLL-22526 | VND-092 | BLL-66322 | 11 Oct | PO-98371 |
View filterYouPending
- BAS-23732 in 1 d
- BAS-69738 in 7 d
- BAS-12037 in 2 d
- BAS-78112 in 2 d
- BAS-21262 in 7 d
BAS-23732
- Bill.Vendor
- BLL-678
- Bill.Total
- 9,409.45
- Bill.Department
- BLL-659
- AssignedAt
- 09 Oct
Illustrative preview · actions are unavailable here.
View filterStatusApprovedPartiallyPaid
View filterStatusDraftApprovednext 7 days
View filterStatusOpenInVendorReviewAwaitingCredit
View filterStatusSentPrintedClearedReturned
View filterStatusActiveOnHold
View filterDraftSourceEmailOCRReceivedDate >= today − 7 days
| Bill Number | Vendor | Vendor Invoice Number | Bill Date | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLL-28687 | VND-199 | BLL-81704 | 13 Oct | 31,226.47 |
| BLL-31500 | VND-104 | BLL-78136 | 07 Oct | 41,847.67 |
| BLL-99289 | VND-211 | BLL-89992 | 26 Sep | 43,706.59 |
| BLL-58611 | VND-184 | BLL-78010 | 10 Oct | 7,575.12 |
| BLL-24855 | VND-143 | BLL-38957 | 11 Oct | 44,210.90 |
| BLL-19469 | VND-145 | BLL-56282 | 09 Oct | 6,555.31 |
View filterAvailableDiscountWindowEnds >= today
| Vendor | Bill | Discount Amount | Discount Window Start | Discount Window Ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VND-060 | BLL-85135 | 11,080.36 | 09 Oct | 13 Oct |
| VND-102 | BLL-26280 | 21,426.13 | 08 Oct | 16 Oct |
| VND-170 | BLL-45487 | 21,313.43 | 30 Sep | 02 Oct |
| VND-114 | BLL-40673 | 31,272.81 | 11 Oct | 13 Oct |
| VND-133 | BLL-32095 | 38,525.35 | 02 Oct | 11 Oct |
| VND-113 | BLL-66245 | 31,618.90 | 30 Sep | 09 Oct |
View filterApproved
| Run Number | Run Date | Scheduled Pay Date | Bank Account | Total Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PR-29733 | 03 Oct | 11 Oct | BA-944 | 28,360.52 |
| PR-46499 | 18 Oct | 27 Oct | BA-353 | 1,423.07 |
| PR-44903 | 26 Sep | 30 Sep | BA-751 | 19,792.64 |
| PR-64904 | 04 Oct | 07 Oct | BA-135 | 27,219.29 |
| PR-74328 | 07 Oct | 14 Oct | BA-915 | 46,284.95 |
| PR-61829 | 29 Sep | 08 Oct | BA-502 | 10,309.80 |
View filterOutcomeMismatchPartialMatch
| Bill | Matched At | POMatch | Receipt Match | Quantity Variance Percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLL-69011 | 26 Sep | Match | Match | 11 |
| BLL-98692 | 10 Oct | NoPOFound | NoReceiptFound | 21 |
| BLL-58376 | 06 Oct | Mismatch | PartialReceipt | 27 |
| BLL-50964 | 03 Oct | Match | Mismatch | 26 |
| BLL-48990 | 13 Oct | NoPOFound | Match | 0 |
| BLL-20264 | 30 Sep | Mismatch | NoReceiptFound | 17 |
View filterVendor = current Vendor User's vendor
| Bill Number | Vendor Invoice Number | Bill Date | Due Date | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLL-38639 | BLL-44507 | 05 Oct | 14 Oct | 9,648.40 |
| BLL-93137 | BLL-57945 | 26 Sep | 30 Sep | 34,050.51 |
| BLL-96491 | BLL-89840 | 15 Oct | 18 Oct | 4,988.04 |
| BLL-51662 | BLL-60219 | 03 Oct | 07 Oct | 4,940.36 |
| BLL-62147 | BLL-54061 | 09 Oct | 11 Oct | 26,379.40 |
| BLL-37537 | BLL-15246 | 19 Oct | 23 Oct | 37,330.63 |
View filterTaxYear = current yearRequired1099 = TRUE
| Vendor | Form Type | Form1099 Box | Total Paid | W9 On File At Year End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VND-045 | 1099-NEC | NEC-Box1 | 15,431.45 | no |
| VND-236 | 1099-MISC | MISC-Box1-Rents | 34,431.41 | no |
| VND-195 | 1099-NEC | MISC-Box3-Other | 37,573.63 | no |
| VND-018 | 1099-MISC | MISC-Box6-Medical | 19,097.65 | no |
| VND-131 | 1099-NEC | NEC-Box1 | 38,398.83 | no |
| VND-063 | 1099-MISC | MISC-Box1-Rents | 43,169.04 |
Connect the records behind every payment
Top Vendors by Spenddrill-down
Trailing-12-months total Cleared Payments per Vendor, ranked, with month-over- month delta and concentration metric (top-10 share of total AP spend). The strategic-sourcing input. Drills into per- Vendor Bills and into BillLines by GLAccount.
opens My Bills (Vendor User)| Bill Number | Vendor Invoice Number | Bill Date | Due Date | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLL-38639 | BLL-44507 | 05 Oct | 14 Oct | 9,648.40 |
| BLL-93137 | BLL-57945 | 26 Sep | 30 Sep | 34,050.51 |
| BLL-96491 | BLL-89840 | 15 Oct | 18 Oct | 4,988.04 |
| BLL-51662 | BLL-60219 | 03 Oct | 07 Oct | 4,940.36 |
- Draft
- PendingMatch
- PendingApproval
- Approved
- PartiallyPaid
- Paid
- Voided
- Disputed
- BillNumber
- BLL-38639
- VendorInvoiceNumber
- BLL-44507
- BillDate
- 05 Oct
- DueDate
- 14 Oct
- Total
- 9,648.40
- AmountPaid
- 9,822.99
- AmountOutstanding
- 39,345.33
ownerVendor User
Go from the big picture to the records behind it. This example connects a report, its source view and one illustrative record.
Illustrative records. Connections and approval states follow the authored specification.
From invoice capture to confirmed payment
From supplier invoice to approved payment.
Illustrative previews from the system specification.
-
01
Capture
Bring the supplier invoice and supporting documents into one draft.
Invoice to approval -
02
Match
Compare the bill with the order and actual receipt evidence.
Invoice to approval -
03
Approve
Route the reviewed amount to its authorized decision owner.
Approver, AP Manager or Controller / CFO decides within the configured tier.
Invoice to approval -
04
Prepare payment
Select eligible balances and review terms, holds and discounts.
Prepare and release payments -
05
Release
Authorize the proposal before producing bank instructions.
Controller / CFO authorizes payment release after AP Manager review.
Prepare and release payments -
06
Confirm settlement
Reconcile the actual bank result and retain exceptions.
Prepare and release paymentsPayment NumberVendorBillAmount
Give every decision a clear owner
Decision checkpoints where approval stays with your team.
Approve
Approver, AP Manager or Controller / CFO decides within the configured tier.
Invoice to approvalRelease
Controller / CFO authorizes payment release after AP Manager review.
Prepare and release paymentsKeep payment decisions accountable
Human approval and system automation have different jobs.
Approve
Approver, AP Manager or Controller / CFO decides within the configured tier.
Release
Controller / CFO authorizes payment release after AP Manager review.
Three-way matching
Approval routing
bill-intake-from-email-or-ocr — appEventTrigger on AP-inbox + BillAttachments.record.created OCR pipeline extracts header + lines, fuzzy-matches Vendor, creates Bills + BillLines + BillAttachments in Status: Draft, emails AP Clerk.
three-way-match — appEventTrigger on Bills (Status: PendingMatch) walks PO + Receipt against MatchTolerances, writes ThreeWayMatchResults, flips Status: PendingApproval (FullMatch) or Disputed (Mismatch).
approval-routing-by-amount-tier — appEventTrigger on Bills (Status: PendingApproval) reads BillApprovalMatrix, creates BillApprovalSteps per tier, emails approvers in sequence, flips Status: Approved on final approval.
gl-post-on-approval — appEventTrigger on Bills (Status: Approved) aggregates BillLines by GLAccount, creates draft JournalEntries + JournalEntryLines over in fin-accounting via integration bridge.
payment-run-creation — weekly scheduleTrigger + on-demand queries due Bills, applies EarlyPayDiscounts where window open, creates PaymentRuns (Status: Draft) + PaymentRunItems per Bill.
ach-file-export — appEventTrigger on PaymentRuns (Status: Funded with ACH items) builds NACHA file, creates PaymentBatches, transmits to bank, creates Payments rows in Status: Sent.
check-print-export — appEventTrigger on PaymentRuns (Status: Funded with Check items) builds check-print register PDF, creates PaymentBatches, creates Payments rows in Status: Printed.
vendor-discount-take — daily scheduleTrigger + appEventTrigger on Bills (Status: Approved) computes discount + effective APR, writes EarlyPayDiscounts (Status: Available); inclusion in a PaymentRunItems flips Status: Taken.
1099-yearend-aggregation — January 5 scheduleTrigger + on-demand walks 1099-eligible Vendors, aggregates Cleared Payments by reportable bucket for prior TaxYear, writes Form1099Tracking (Status: Computed), flags missing-W9 exceptions; Controller flips Status: ReadyToFile, Payroll FilingPartner transmits and writes back Form1099FilingRef.
bill-paid-bank-reconciliation — appEventTrigger on Payments (Status: Cleared via fin-accounting bank- feed callback) updates Bills.AmountPaid, advances Bills.Status to PartiallyPaid / Paid, posts Cash-Cr / AP-Dr settlement JE to fin-accounting; Returned items route Bills back to Status: Approved for reissue. Integrations: inbound from AP-inbox email connector, OCR / document-AI service, scm-procurement (PO + Receipt mirror when present), pm-subcontractor (PayApplications inbound), the bank (NACHA upload acks, ACH return notifications, check clearing, wire confirmations), and fin-accounting (JE posting acknowledgments + bank-feed Cleared callbacks). Outbound to fin-accounting (draft JournalEntries + JournalEntryLines on bill approval and on payment clear), the bank (NACHA ACH files, check- print registers, wire instructions), Payroll (Form1099Filings list for IRS transmission via the FilingPartner), the document store (BillAttachments PDFs, NACHA files, check registers, 1099 forms), and email (vendor remittance advice, approval requests, dispute notifications, 1099 form distribution to recipients).
The right workspace for your AP team
Controller / CFO
Final signoff on payment runs, top-tier bill approval, year-end 1099 release. Sees every Vendor, every Bill, every Payment in full detail.
Dispute NumberVendorBillReason
Billing Error
AP Manager
Owns the AP function end-to-end. Runs the weekly payment cycle, manages Vendor relationships, tracks Disputes through to resolution, owns the year-end 1099 file readiness. The named approver in mid-tier bill bands.
AP Clerk
Operational role — the day-to-day Bills processor. Captures / keys / OCRs vendor invoices, runs three-way match, prepares PaymentRunItems for AP Manager review.
Approver
Line-of-business approver — typically a Department head or Project lead. Approves Bills against own cost-center per the BillApprovalMatrix tier band that maps to the Approver role. Sees own department / project bills only.
Bill NumberVendor Invoice NumberBill DateDue Date
Vendor User
External portal seat — implicit (typically delivered via a vendor-portal sub-app or a shared-link mechanism). Submits invoices via email or portal upload, sees own payment status, updates own remit-to address (subject to AP Manager verify).
Viewer
Executive read-only — board members, outside auditors, FP&A analysts.
See what is due, disputed and paid
Start with the question. Follow it to the records behind the answer.
List report
AP Aging
Open Bills bucketed 0–30 / 31–60 / 61–90 / 90+ days past due, by Vendor, with cumulative AmountOutstanding per bucket and the running total. The AP Manager's daily landing report and the Controller's cash-need forecast input. Drills from Vendor to individual Bill to BillLines.
View AP AgingSource view · Illustrative records
VendorBill NumberBill DateDue Date
Drill-down
Top Vendors by Spend
Trailing-12-months total Cleared Payments per Vendor, ranked, with month-over- month delta and concentration metric (top-10 share of total AP spend). The strategic-sourcing input. Drills into per- Vendor Bills and into BillLines by GLAccount.
View My Bills (Vendor User)Source view · Illustrative records
Bill NumberVendor Invoice NumberBill DateDue Date
List report
Three-Way Match Exception Rate
Per period: count and percent of Bills with Outcome: Mismatch or PartialMatch, broken down by Vendor and by discrepancy type (quantity vs. dollar variance). The control-effectiveness report — a rising mismatch rate from one Vendor flags either a process break or a vendor-side billing problem.
AP Clerk
View Three-Way Match MismatchesSource view · Illustrative records
BillMatched AtPOMatchReceipt Match
No POFound
List report
Discount Capture
Per period: total EarlyPayDiscounts Available, total Taken, total Skipped / Expired, capture rate percent, dollars captured, and weighted-average EffectiveAPR. The CFO's "are we leaving money on the table" report.
View Discount OpportunitiesSource view · Illustrative records
VendorBillDiscount AmountDiscount Window Start
Drill-down
Payment Run Summary
Per PaymentRun: ItemCount, TotalAmount, TotalDiscountTaken, breakdown by PaymentMethod (ACH / Check / Wire), Funded / Posted timing. Drills into per-Bill PaymentRunItems and into per-Vendor Payments.
Controller / CFO
View This Week's Payment RunSource view · Illustrative records
Run NumberRun DateScheduled Pay DateItem Count
List report
1099 Year-End Readiness
Per TaxYear: count of Vendors with Required1099 = TRUE, count missing W-9, count Computed / ReadyToFile / Filed, total reportable dollars by Form1099Box. The pre-January-31-deadline Controller report that drives W-9 solicitation and the FilingPartner handoff.
View 1099 Readiness (Current TaxYear)Source view · Illustrative records
VendorForm TypeForm1099 BoxTotal Paid
1099-MISC
List report
Vendor Disputes & Credits
Per period: count of Disputes opened, closed, average days-to-resolution by Reason type; total VendorCredits issued, applied, remaining balance. The AP Manager's vendor-management report.
Controller / CFO
View Open DisputesSource view · Illustrative records
Dispute NumberVendorBillReason
Billing Error
Drill-down
Cash Disbursement Forecast
Forward- looking 4-week forecast of cash out: Approved Bills bucketed by DueDate (current week / next week / wk+2 / wk+3), net of available EarlyPayDiscounts and held PaymentRunItems. The Treasury / Controller cash-planning report.
View This Week's Payment RunSource view · Illustrative records
Run NumberRun DateScheduled Pay DateItem Count
Prepare AP work with an agent
Let your AI agent help with everyday work. Set its permissions during setup and keep approvals with your team.
- Invoice intake
- Email and document captureBills, BillAttachments · in and out
- Subcontractor applicationsin and out
- Purchasing and accounting
- ProcurementPurchaseOrders, GoodsReceipts · in and out
- General ledgerin and out
- Payment and filing partners
- Bank connectionPayments · in and out
- Filing partnerForm1099Filings · in and out
- Agents
- Your agentWorks within the permissions you assign
Your agent works within the permissions you assign.
List the work that needs attention. Keep the approval with the assigned reviewer.
Download Proto Agent setup guide$ curl -fsSL https://www.erp.ai/skill.md
› open Accounts Payable Automation and list records waiting on approve
Invoice to payment · records listed with owner and age
› approve the first one at approve, as its approver
Approval requiredWaiting for the assigned reviewer
Your questions, answered.
How the system works, what you can configure and how to get started.
How do I get started?
Click Start now, then use Proto to configure Accounts Payable Automation for your business. Set up your workflows, import your data and invite your team.
Is this a general ledger?
No. The system manages the AP operating workflow. A configured ledger connection receives journal requests and returns posting results. Bank reconciliation and the full period close remain in their owning systems.
Can it match invoices to purchase orders?
The model links bill lines to purchase-order and receipt evidence and records tolerance-based match results. Configure the source ownership and matching rules, then verify them with representative receipts and discrepancies before launch.
Can we handle bills without a purchase order?
Permitted non-PO bills follow their configured approval route with supporting evidence. A missing order reference does not automatically make an invoice valid or describe it as three-way matched.
Who can release supplier payments?
AP Manager reviews the proposal and Controller / CFO authorizes release through the configured route. AP Clerk preparation and technical connector access do not substitute for that release decision.
Does a bank file mean the supplier has been paid?
No. Keep generated, transmitted, acknowledged, cleared and returned outcomes separate. Update the payable using the attributable bank result and preserve failed attempts when a replacement is needed.
Can suppliers see other supplier records?
Vendor User is limited to own-supplier documents, bills and permitted payment status. The implementation must enforce that boundary in direct access, exports and linked records as well as the visible portal.
Does the system file tax forms automatically?
The model supports readiness review and a controlled handoff to a configured filing partner. Verify tax-year and form rules, resolve missing documents and record the external filing result. A prepared record is not proof of accepted filing.
Implementation
Start with a controlled supplier and invoice population, then expand after reconciliation.
Read the implementation plan- 01
Confirm scope
Agree supplier populations, approval bands, source ownership, bank methods and filing ownership. Identify the ledger and identity directories that remain external.
Team and ERP.ai - 02
Prepare source data
Resolve duplicate vendors and invoice identifiers. Confirm opening bills, credits, pending payments and tax-document exceptions.
Team and ERP.ai - 03
Configure decisions
Controller / CFO reviews the authority policy with the administrator, who binds authenticated identities to scopes and approval tiers. Test independent bank verification and payment release with both allowed and rejected actions.
Controller / CFO - 04
Connect handoffs
Verify intake retries, procurement references, draft journals, payment acknowledgements and filing results in a controlled environment.
Team and ERP.ai - 05
Reconcile the pilot
Trace matched, disputed, partially paid, returned and corrected cases. Compare balances with the source records before widening the supplier population.
Team and ERP.ai - 06
Operate and review
Assign exception owners and monitor connector failures, stale approvals and reconciliation differences.
Team and ERP.ai
Pricing
The base account and ordinary manual work in ERP.AI's official interface are $0. Viewing, searching, creating, editing, approving, deleting and exporting records in that interface do not consume read or write credits. There is no per-user fee.
Machine work: external API-key requests, imports, workflows, agents and scheduled jobs. Successful external API-key reads and writes use the operation rates below. Starting a managed execution from the interface still starts that metered service.
Pricing and account rules| Machine work | Included per $1 of credit |
|---|---|
| List/filter or get record calls | 20,000 |
| Search or aggregate calls | 4,000 |
| CSV or PDF exports | 100 |
| Record writes | 4,000 |
| Imported or synced records | 200,000 |
| File upload in MB | 2,000 |
| Workflow runs | 2,000 |
| Code-node compute beyond included in CPU-sec | 12,000 |
| Agent executions | 2,000 |
| Scheduled jobs or webhook activations | 20,000 |
Read and write rates apply to successful external API-key requests. Ordinary manual work in the ERP.AI interface is $0.
prepaid creditsSmallest pack $5, purchased credits never expire.
Explore the complete system.
Follow the operating model from the process to the people, records and decisions behind it.
Industries
Reference
Roles and permissions
Separate invoice entry, bill approval, payment release and supplier access.Reports and analytics
Explain aging, supplier spend, invoice exceptions and payment outcomes.Data model
Trace a supplier invoice from source evidence to decision and payment.Integrations
Connect invoice intake, purchasing evidence, accounting and payment results.Implementation
Start with a controlled supplier and invoice population, then expand after reconciliation.Agent and automation
Use an agent to prepare AP work while keeping financial decisions attributable.
