Accounts Payable Management and Procure-to-Pay Controls Training Course

Programme Summary

Accounts payable management and procure-to-pay controls is a one-week training course for senior finance leaders at strategic level, culminating in an accounts payable control and improvement plan for their own organisation. Accounts payable handles a large share of cash leaving the organisation, yet manual invoice handling, weak vendor data and loose approvals expose it to duplicate payments, fraud and late-payment costs. The approach examines the full procure-to-pay cycle, from vendor onboarding and matching to automation, working capital and performance reporting. Mars Training Centre UK delivers this programme in accounts payable management.

The Business Case

Every invoice paid twice, every fictitious vendor and every missed early-payment discount is cash the organisation does not recover easily. A controlled accounts payable function protects cash, supports supplier relationships and closes the books faster. Leaders who redesign the cycle around clean vendor data, matching rules and automation reduce processing effort while giving auditors and treasurers better information.

• Payment Accuracy and Fraud Exposure: Improve as three-way matching, vendor master controls and segregation of duties stop erroneous and fraudulent payments.
• Cost per Invoice and Cycle Time: Fall as e-invoicing, workflow approvals and first-pass matching replace manual handling.
• Working Capital: Strengthens as payment terms, payment runs and days payable outstanding are managed deliberately.

Principles and Evidence Base

• COSO Internal Control – Integrated Framework: Structures control activities and segregation of duties across the procure-to-pay cycle in Sessions 1 and 3.
• Three-Way Matching: Provides the purchase order, goods receipt and invoice check designed and tuned in Session 2.
• ACFE Classification of Billing Schemes: Frames the shell company, non-accomplice vendor and personal purchase schemes analysed in Session 3.
• Days Payable Outstanding: Anchors the working capital analysis of payment terms in Session 4.

Intended Participants

• Leaders accountable for the integrity and cost of supplier payments.
• Controllers who own month-end close, accruals and reconciliations of supplier balances.
• Heads of shared services who run high-volume invoice processing.
• Senior managers sponsoring accounts payable automation or e-invoicing projects.

The programme serves government entities, energy and utilities, construction, retail and healthcare organisations.

Learning Outcomes

1. Participants will be able to diagnose control gaps and inefficiencies across their procure-to-pay cycle.
2. Participants will be able to design matching rules, tolerances and exception handling for supplier invoices.
3. Participants will be able to construct vendor master data governance that prevents fictitious and duplicate suppliers.
4. Participants will be able to evaluate e-invoicing and automation options against cost, control and readiness.
5. Participants will be able to justify payment term and payment run policies using days payable outstanding.
6. Participants will be able to prioritise accounts payable performance indicators for management reporting.

Programme Structure

Day 1: Accounts Payable Management in the Procure-to-Pay Cycle

Where do cost, delay and risk arise between purchase request and payment?

• Procure-to-Pay Process Mapping
• Accounts Payable Operating Models and Shared Services
• COSO Control Activities in Supplier Payments
• Approval Hierarchies and Delegation of Authority
• Accounts Payable Health Check Diagnostic

Day 2: Invoice Processing and Matching

How are invoices validated quickly without paying the wrong amount?

• Two-Way and Three-Way Matching Rules
• Price and Quantity Tolerances
• Exception Queues and Root Causes of Mismatches
• Non-Purchase Order Invoices and Policy Controls
• Credit Notes, Debit Notes and Supplier Statement Reconciliation

Day 3: Vendor Data, Fraud and Duplicate Payments

How are fictitious vendors, altered bank details and duplicate payments stopped?

• Vendor Onboarding and Master Data Governance
• Bank Detail Change Verification
• ACFE Billing Schemes and Red Flags
• Duplicate Payment Detection and Recovery Audits
• Segregation of Duties and Access Reviews

Day 4: Automation, Payment Terms and Period-End

How do technology, payment policy and close procedures change performance?

• E-Invoicing and Optical Character Recognition Capture
• Workflow Automation and Robotic Process Automation
• Payment Terms, Early Payment Discounts and Payment Runs
• Days Payable Outstanding and Supplier Relationships
• Period-End Accruals and Cut-Off Controls

Day 5: Applying Accounts Payable Controls and Improvement

How are controls, automation and metrics combined into one plan?

• Control Gap Review of a Participant Process
• Accounts Payable Performance Dashboard Design
• Automation Business Case and Sequencing
• Peer Challenge of Improvement Plans
• Accounts Payable Control and Improvement Plan Presentation

Methodology

The programme is built around data workshops using sample supplier, invoice and payment files from public and private organisations. Participants map processes, test matching rules, search payment data for duplicates and red flags, and model the cash effect of payment terms before applying each tool to their own function.

• Suggested activity: Analysing a payment file for duplicate and suspicious transactions.
• Suggested activity: Setting matching tolerances for a high-volume invoice stream.
• Suggested activity: Modelling the working capital effect of changed payment terms.

Capstone Output

Each participant completes an accounts payable control and improvement plan for their organisation. It contains a process map with control gaps, matching and vendor data rules, fraud safeguards, an automation roadmap, payment term policy and a set of performance indicators, ready for review by the finance director or audit committee.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is accounts payable management training suitable for finance leaders outside the accounts payable team?

Yes. It suits finance directors, controllers and shared services heads. It assumes senior finance experience but no specialist accounts payable background.

Which frameworks underpin accounts payable management and procure-to-pay controls?

It draws on the COSO Internal Control – Integrated Framework, three-way matching practice, the ACFE classification of billing schemes and days payable outstanding as a working capital measure.

How is the accounts payable control and improvement plan used at work?

You take back a plan your finance director or audit committee can approve, with control fixes, automation steps and indicators to track progress.

How does accounts payable management differ from procurement management programmes?

It focuses on invoice processing, supplier payments, controls and working capital after the purchase is made, while procurement programmes address sourcing, tendering and supplier selection.