London Borough of Camden uses RBS’s Accounts Payable e-Invoicing service to the max

• Cost control: staff and processing costs reduced by £250k per annum
• Efficiency: paper handling eliminated; faster processes, fewer queries
• Compliance: contractual and VAT compliance is built into the process
• On-boarding: 90 per cent of the 4,300 suppliers got on-board
• ROI: within twelve months

As part of a project to streamline purchase to pay operations, the London Borough of Camden is using RBS’s Accounts Payable e-Invoicing service. RBS’s AP Automation service which is fully integrated with their Cedar Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.

The importance of supplier on-boarding

Approximately 90 per cent of the suppliers Camden initially identified for e-Invoicing are now
submitting their invoices electronically.

With RBS e-Invoicing, critical mass is important to achieve maximum benefits, but on-boarding suppliers can sometimes be a challenge for organisations.

RBS’s service eases the path by offering connection options to suit suppliers with varying IT capabilities:

1. Suppliers can upload invoices from their existing system or EDI provider, use the ebPrinter application to ‘print’ from their accounting system to the hub, or use the Webscreen/Document Flip feature to create their e-Invoices.”
2. Unlike competitive e-Invoicing solutions, does not charge suppliers to use the service
3. Users can view documents on the RBS e-Invoicing hub at any time, via the internet.

From AP automation to full einvoicing

To assist buying organisations in maximising their paper reduction and process efficiencies, RBS also offers a complete invoice scan and capture service. Suppliers send their invoice to a PO Box address, where the paper invoice is scanned, validated and enriched, and if necessary, referred to a manual acceptance desk to resolve queries.

Camden has recently implemented this service with 4,300 suppliers as it also helps to migrate
many of them to full electronic invoicing.

Compliance matters

RBS e-Invoicing is also helping Camden to embed contractual compliance into its accounts payable process:

1. Invoices received through the service are secure, digitally signed and compliant with
   HMRC VAT requirements.
2. To be accepted, the invoices must also meet Camden’s purchase order
   requirements.
3. The unique Inbox/Outbox Workflow feature of RBS’s e-Invoicing service strengthens
   the control over document content and quality for both sides to the transaction.
4. Suppliers may view pro forma invoices in the system before submitting
5. Buyers are able to approve, reject or query invoices after receipt in their Inbox.

Payback achieved

The average implementation time for the e-Invoicing solution is three months and Camden achieved return on its investment in well under a year. Now all incremental savings go straight to the bottom line, supporting the provision of public services in the borough.

The opinion of RBS and Camden

• Camden’s Head of Purchase to Pay, Andrew Coulson:“The move is a win win both for the Council and its suppliers. Ending manual handling of paper invoices has reduced our costs by over £250k per annum. It speeds up processing of invoices, so suppliers get paid promptly and ensures their invoices are compliant with our requirements.”
  
• Colin Lowen, Director, Local Government, Corporate & Institutional Banking, RBS:
  
  “Camden has been extremely proactive in promoting e-Invoicing to their supply chain. Invoices are now delivered electronically, directly into Camden’s ERP system, enabling greater visibility and faster payment

More information

To find out more about RBS’s E-invoicing solutions,  visit http://rbs.co.uk/e-invoicing

Or contact Saeed Rezavi , Product Head e-Invoicing: [email protected]