Case Study: Balfour Beatty successfully creates fully automated 3-way match of POs, GRNs and invoices with Causeway

With Causeway Tradex, Balfour Beatty has been providing a single e-invoicing solution for its valued supply chain for over 10 years. The solution allows suppliers to digitally submit the 500,000+ invoices and credit notes that the contractor receives annually.

Having digitised invoices, Balfour Beatty then wanted to further digitise the accounts payable process and create a fully automated 3-way match of POs, GRNs and invoices.

GRNs are an important part of construction's accounts payable process. They are documents often used by the buyer to compare the amount of goods ordered with what was actually received on site from the supplier.

Working with Causeway to digitise this process through the introduction of Causeway eGRN would be key to:

• Improve operational efficiency and create the 3-way match.
• Paying suppliers quicker from straight-through-processing.
• Enable better planning through real-time tracking of deliveries.
• Create a sustainable footprint by removing the need for paper delivery tickets.

Causeway eGRN is capable of entirely paperless operation where close integration between suppliers and buyers allows. It creates a single source of truth, adding significant value to the accounts payable process.

Working in conjunction with Causeway’s Tradex invoicing platform, the Causeway eGRN solution is designed to digitalise the process of acknowledging and verifying the delivery of goods and plant on-site increasing the speed to process.

By using Causeway eGRN, Balfour Beatty colleagues can share information from supplier to site with the use of a mobile app to capture an image of the signed GRN/POD ticket, and automatically validate invoices against purchase orders and receipts.

When the physical delivery arrives on site the person receiving and checking the goods can see the information that has been sent by the supplier in their app, such as the delivered products and quantity. If everything is as expected, then a click of a button in the app confirms the information.

This data is then shared directly with Balfour Beatty’s finance system through Causeway’s Tradex, creating a fully automated 3-way match of POs, GRNs and invoices. This ensures maximum success of invoices being processed for payment without any manual intervention, helping to comply with the Prompt Payment Code.

The need to comply with the Prompt Payment Code on government projects has significantly upped the stakes for large contractors. With Causeway's software solutions in place, this makes PO, GRN and invoice management simple.

Causeway eGRN is now active on over 230 sites with 750 user accounts.

Over 17,000 GRN/POD notes have been processed since June 2022 through the solution with an increased payment provision of up to two weeks.

The adoption of digital technology in construction is spurring productivity growth, reductions in costs, and creating new career opportunities, as well as facilitating closer relationships across the supply chain.

We are proud to continue working with Balfour Beatty, building on the successful implementation of our Causeway Tradex invoice solution, and look forward to our continued digital journey together.

With over 20 years of experience, Causeway understand how to communicate the benefits of e-invoicing and GRNs to your suppliers. If you are interested in digitising the entire invoice payment process and would like to hear how you can achieve the same results for your business, contact a member of our team here.