At the end of the day, there is a cost factor to Coupa and other BSMs, beyond the price of the software. “The true cost of implementation and maintenance can be much higher than the initial charge,” says Brian Barr, CPA, Supply Chain Senior Consultant for cost-recovery leader CPRS. Barr is an oil & gas industry expert who has spent more than 20 years guiding finance and supply chain projects in leading Fortune 100 companies. “Ongoing system maintenance, keeping up the coding system, being sure every invoice is coded properly, all these take man-hours,” Barr said. “And many times, available man-hours have been reduced because headcount was reduced in the accounting department due to the BSM implementation.”

CPRS specializes in working with corporate data to identify all forms of systemic duplicate payments, especially those occurring outside the scope of typical ERP and BSM systems. Aggregating invoice line-item detail provides greater visibility into spend. CPRS’ proprietary Pearl™ software suite and best-in-class auditing methodology uncover errors and overcharges impacting the bottom line. This can include data ingestion, review work, claim creation, claims tracking, and reporting. Your AP Audits can evolve from historical reviews covering multiple years to routine checks occurring close to the transaction, ensuring overpaid funds are quickly recouped.

If you’re considering a Business Spend Management system, contact the auditing experts at CPRS first to see how our 30+ years’ experience and proven methodologies can help your business recover lost profits.