I've mentioned the three-way match (Purchase Orders - Received Goods - Invoices) in previous posts. Not only must the paperwork/goods as sent by vendors match, but the Accounting, Receiving, and Purchasing Departments must work together in order for things to run smoothly.
This post will focus on the relationship between Purchasing and Accounting.
I've been lucky to have been friendly and enjoy good rapport with personnel from the Accounting Departments in companies in which I have worked. I suppose, like in any business relationship, you only have to be professional and efficient, but enjoying the time you spend interacting is helpful. This is particularly so in this case because Purchasing people spend a good deal of time interacting with Accounting people.
When I was new to Purchasing, I thought the Accounting department received and paid invoices and I would have nothing to do with them. That is completely untrue no matter what level you work at in Purchasing. Right from the beginning while establishing a new vendor relationship, you should be finding out from Accounting what information they need to have appear on invoices. You should introduce them to the Accounts Receivable person at the vendor too which will help when there are issues in the future.
The Accounting people at your company will frequently come to you for help in figuring out invoices they receive. It is often difficult for them to match the information to PO's even if the PO numbers are included. This is often because there are pricing discrepancies (violating the three-way match rule), because the item descriptions are so different, or because the vendor goes by various names.
See the next post for more on this topic.
Comment Preview