Duplicate review
INVOICE
INV-••204- Supplier
- Account ••042
- Invoice date
- •• / •• / ••••
INVOICE
INV-••204/A- Supplier
- Account ••042
- Invoice date
- •• / •• / ••••
Review exceptions
Every exception has a next step.
| Review item | Finding | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| INV-••204Invoice record | Possible duplicate | Compare |
| VAT checkTax record | Payment exception | Investigate |
| SUP-••042Supplier record | Details to confirm | Review |
Resolve the finding,
then update the payment run.
Keep the invoice comparison and decision together for the accounts payable team.
Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust’s five-person accounts payable team handled 145,000 invoices a year. The published case follows its move from retrospective recovery audits to checking payments before money leaves the organization.
Find errors before paying twice
Existing controls still missed duplicate invoices. External recovery audits found overpayments after the event, creating extra work for the team.
Bring payment checks into the workflow
A review of two fiscal years found duplicates even in previously audited data. The team then monitored invoices, VAT payments, and supplier records, reviewing or removing suspect payments before the monthly payment run.
Prevent duplicates and strengthen controls
The trust prevented $66,730 in duplicate payments over five months. The case also reports 1,000% ROI and stronger controls without adding staff. Historical recoveries were a separate result and are not included in the prevention figure.
- Reported ROI
- 1,000%
- Invoices processed annually by the AP team
- 145,000