Part 4: Invoices & receipt confirmation

Invoices close the loop on procurement. A contract captures the agreed value, a purchase order commits the funds, and an invoice confirms what was actually delivered and billed.

In biosuite, every invoice is linked to its purchase order (and contract, if applicable). This makes it possible to compare what was ordered with what was invoiced – and to confirm that goods or services have been received before the invoice is approved for payment.

This process is called receipt confirmation, and it is a key step in maintaining financial control and auditability.

Invoice functionality is available on the Advanced plan, with ad-hoc invoice management also available on the Professional plan.

There are two ways invoices enter biosuite:

Upload with AI-assisted extraction

You can upload an invoice file (such as a PDF) directly in biosuite. When you do, biosuite automatically reads the document and extracts key information – invoice number, date, amounts, line items, and supplier details.

The extracted values are presented for your review. If biosuite's reading differs from the actual invoice, you can correct any field before saving. Changed values are clearly highlighted so you can see what was adjusted.

This significantly reduces manual data entry and the risk of transcription errors.

Ad-hoc invoice creation

On the Professional plan, you can also create invoices manually from a purchase order. This is useful when you want to track an invoice against a PO without uploading a file – for example, when the invoice has already been received and processed elsewhere but you want to maintain the record in biosuite.

Every invoice in biosuite should be linked to a purchase order. This link is what enables the matching and confirmation process.

When registering an invoice, you select the relevant PO. If the supplier has already been identified (either from the uploaded document or manually), the list of available POs is filtered accordingly.

If a PO is linked to a contract, the invoice is also automatically associated with that contract. This means the contract's spend tracking is updated without any extra steps.

Once an invoice is linked to a purchase order, biosuite compares the two to check whether they align. This is called three-way matching – it compares the purchase order, the invoice, and the receipt confirmation.

Three simple scenarios can occur:

Invoice matches the PO exactly

If the invoice amount matches the approved PO, the invoice is ready for receipt confirmation. The designated reviewer confirms that the goods or services have been received as agreed, and the invoice is approved.

Invoice is within tolerance

Small differences may occur due to taxes, regulatory fees, or shipping costs. If the invoice total is within the company's defined tolerance percentage, it follows the same receipt confirmation flow and can be approved without changing the original PO.

Example: A CRO invoice for a completed patient enrollment milestone includes local taxes and handling fees, bringing the total slightly above the PO line value but within the 5% tolerance.

Invoice exceeds the PO or contract value

If the invoice exceeds the approved PO amount or the remaining contract value beyond the tolerance, it cannot be approved as-is. The discrepancy must be reviewed, and the PO or contract must be updated (for example, through an amendment) before the invoice can be receipt-confirmed.

Example: A clinical data management service invoice includes an additional agreed scope extension that was not covered by the original PO. The PO needs an amendment before this invoice can proceed.

In all cases, every invoice requires receipt confirmation.

Receipt confirmation is the step where someone verifies that the goods or services described in the invoice have actually been received.

In biosuite, receipt confirmation is performed by the person who created the purchase order. This makes sense because the PO creator is typically the person who requested the service and is best placed to confirm whether it was delivered.

When an invoice is submitted for confirmation, the PO creator receives an email notification with a direct link to the invoice. They can review the invoice details, compare them against the PO, and confirm receipt with a single action.

Once confirmed, the invoice moves to a receipt confirmed status, meaning it has been verified and is ready for the next step in your finance process.

If you are a PO creator and invoices are waiting for your confirmation, you will see them in the Pending my confirmation tab on the invoices page.

This tab shows all invoices that have been submitted for your review, with a count badge so you can see at a glance how many are waiting.

This ensures that invoices do not sit unnoticed – you always know when action is needed from you.

biosuite sends email notifications at two key moments in the invoice lifecycle:

• When an invoice is submitted for confirmation, the PO creator receives an email with the invoice details and a direct link to review and confirm

• When the receipt is confirmed, the person who submitted the invoice is notified that the confirmation is complete

These notifications keep both parties informed without requiring anyone to check biosuite manually.

When you open an invoice, you see a split-screen layout:

• On the left, the uploaded invoice file is displayed as a preview (if a file was uploaded)

• On the right, the invoice details are shown – invoice number, date, supplier, amounts, line items, linked PO, and status

This side-by-side view makes it easy to compare the original document with the recorded data and to verify that everything is correct before confirming receipt.

Every invoice in biosuite follows a clear status progression:

1. Draft – the invoice has been created or uploaded but not yet submitted for confirmation

1. Pending receipt confirmation – the invoice has been submitted and is waiting for the PO creator to verify receipt

1. Receipt confirmed – the receipt has been verified, and the invoice is ready for further processing (such as payment or ERP transfer)

1. Pushed to ERP – the invoice has been exported to your accounting system (available on the Advanced plan)

This progression ensures that every invoice goes through proper verification before it is considered complete.

When viewing a purchase order, the Invoices tab shows all invoices linked to that PO.

A summary bar at the top of the tab displays:

• PO total – the approved purchase order amount

• Total invoiced – the sum of all linked invoices

• Remaining – how much of the PO amount has not yet been invoiced

This gives you an immediate picture of how much of the purchase order has been consumed and how much remains.

On the Advanced plan, receipt-confirmed invoices can be grouped into batches and pushed to your ERP or accounting system.

Each batch is assigned a unique push number (for example, PUSH-00001) and records who pushed it and when.

After pushing, you can mark a batch as posted confirmed once it has been verified in the ERP system. This provides a complete audit trail from invoice receipt through to final posting.

biosuite does not replace your ERP – it works alongside it. The ERP push feature ensures that verified, receipt-confirmed invoices are transferred cleanly, with all relevant data intact.

The invoices section is organised into tabs:

• Upload invoice – upload a new invoice file for AI-assisted extraction (if you have permission)

• Pending my confirmation – invoices waiting for your receipt confirmation (with a count badge)

• All invoices – the full list of invoices

You can search and filter the list to find specific invoices quickly.

Invoice data can be exported to CSV or Excel format from the list view. This is useful for sharing with finance teams, preparing reports, or reconciling with your ERP system.