1. The following documents are forwarded to Accounts Payable for temporary filing and reconciliation (as applicable):
Purchase requisition and purchase order
Delivery slip and receiving report
Vendor invoice
2. Once the Accounts Payable Clerk has received all of the above documents, the following steps are completed to ensure that the purchasing procedure was respected and the invoices are correct:
The invoice is to be checked for the validity of purchased items or services, accuracy of amounts and the correctness of the payables to the vendor’s record.
The vendor invoice will be stapled on top of the receiving report and delivery slip followed by the purchase order and purchase requisition.
The purchase order should be evaluated for proper authorization, nature of the purchase and pricing as shown on the invoice reviewed for validity.
The quantities shown delivered on the invoice will be compared to the receiving report. Any discrepancies must be followed-up and resolved prior to commencing with the voucher process.
Calculations on the invoice will be recomputed (i.e. quantities received multiplied by
unit price and totals).
Correctness of the payable to the vendors’ record will be checked against the
documentation received.
All invoices are checked to ensure they have been properly approved for payment by
the relevant Head of Department.
3. Recording the merchandise / services payable
In some cases, the receiving report has been completed prior to receiving the vendor’s invoice. But at this stage, the inventory system records a “waiting for bill” entry. This “pro-forma” invoice uses the costs from the purchase order.
Upon receipt, the actual vendor’s invoice is compared to the “waiting for bill” entry already recorded in the inventory system. This is the final comparison for accounts payable accuracy. The vendor’s prices or discounts may vary from the purchase order, or the vendor’s quantities may vary from the actual quantity received per the receiving report, or other variances may exist in freight and other charges. All discrepancies must be resolved immediately and the correct amount owed recorded in the accounting system.
When invoices are received at the time of delivery, they should be checked to the physical delivery and matched with the purchase order and immediately entered into the inventory system.
Where the hotel does not have an inventory system all invoices are entered directly into the accounts payable sub ledger. The verification process remains the same.
Expenses such as utilities, rent, taxes, repairs, professional fees, etc. are generally not recorded through the purchase order/receiving routine. However, there may be other documentation such as contracts and other agreements to support the charges. These should be filed in the applicable vendor file as documentary support. Upon receipt of the invoice, the charges should be entered into the payable system and coded to the appropriate expense account.
Once invoices have been entered into the system, they must be filed in the respective vendor files, in date order.