Centralized Accounts Payable

Centralized Accounts Payable

Centralized Accounts Payable is for businesses that manage their Accounts Payable centrally for a group of Abel databases e.g. all branches within a country. Managing suppliers centrally reduces local administration and offers potential cost savings and benefits such as contracted supplier pricing.

Manage Supplier Details Centrally

You can manage supplier details from a Corporate database so all branches that deal with a supplier use the same supplier code and direct credit bank details. This enables their invoices to be grouped for payment and assists in managing the supplier relationship (e.g negotiating bulk discounts).

Corporate database staff enter the suppliers details and select which branches to replicate them to. Abel replicates the supplier details to the databases that contain the selected branches. Branch users can enter additional details in their local database to record local address and contact information for the branch of the supplier that they deal with.

This diagram shows supplier details replicated to three branch databases that the user has selected.

Pay Supplier Invoices Centrally

Abel’s central Accounts Payable processes enable branch staff to enter and authorize supplier invoices while Corporate office staff manage the payments and produce remittance advices:

• Branches receive supplier invoices and enter them into Abel. When supplier invoices are posted, Abel automatically transfers them to the Corporate database. The branch supplier invoices are marked as “Posted – Invoice Transferred”.
• Branch staff (with appropriate security credentials) review the supplier invoices in their local branch database and authorize them for payment.
• The branch copy of an authorized supplier invoice is marked as “Closed – Authorized ” and Abel records the initials of the person who authorized it.
• Corporate Office staff view authorized invoices that are due for payment and initiate the supplier payment process. When Abel builds the supplier payments, it groups invoices for the same supplier code into one payment. Remittance advices list all the invoices that are being paid.
• Corporate Office staff can also view and follow up invoices that are due for payment but have not yet been authorized by Branch staff.
• When the Corporate Office posts the payment, the supplier invoices are fully settled, completing the invoice’s life cycle.

Corporate Office staff can also enter Supplier Invoices directly into the Corporate database. These invoices follow the same steps described above except that they complete their whole life cycle in the Corporate database. Abel will aggregate supplier invoices for the same supplier into one payment whether the Supplier Invoices originated in the Branches or were entered directly into the Corporate database.

This diagram shows supplier invoices copied from Branch databases to the Corporate database and also shows approved invoices aggregated into one supplier payment.