In 2013, the Province of West Flanders successfully switched to the digital processing of supplier invoices, working closely with Arco for scanning and recognition of documents, and with the contractor, Cipal for routing, approval and entering accounting data in Mercurius software.
A clear project-based approach ensured that scope and responsibilities were clearly defined from the outset. As a result, the service was quickly put in place.
A clear, no-nonsense approach with smooth communication lines facilitated good contact among the parties concerned. The level of support provided was excellent, with questions or problems being dealt with accordingly.
Stijn Lombaert, Registry Director and Management & Organisation Officer
Quicker and more accurate monitoring of budgets, which requires incoming invoices to be processed as quickly as possible in the accounting department.
The ‘Policy and Management Cycle’ works on a transactional basis. Prompt and correct accounting treatment requires modified process support.
All invoices now arrive with the accounting department at head office, which speeds up registration (shorter turnaround times) and also reduces the risk of invoices getting lost or misplaced.
Speed:
Accuracy:
Recent European legislation stipulates that, in the future, invoices have to be paid within 30 calendar days. This is now possible thanks to quicker turnaround times.
Outsourcing:
Clear SLA provided and achieved in practice:
The province processes no fewer than 25 000 invoices a year. On some work days (outside the holiday period), it is not unusual to receive around 250 invoices, which are all scanned in on the same day. Arco has proven to be capable of processing these volumes without any problems or delays. The smooth working relationship between the provincial authorities and Arco ensured that any problems in the start-up phase were tackled quickly and efficiently.
Outsourcing such large volumes of invoices to an external entity raised doubts at the start. However, they quickly receded after the service quickly became operational and demonstrated that it could work highly effectively. Arco’s flexibility, in particular, was an important factor in fine-tuning invoice enrichment.
Scanner software turned out to be easy to use, which kept the time spent on training down and acceptance levels high.
Cipal Mercurius accounting software is equipped with a workflow module. Invoices are submitted to the workflow and approvers check all the details before approving or rejecting them.
Scanned documents are stored in a legally-compliant digital archive. The Arco portal contains all the invoices in accordance with legal requirements. Invoices are enriched with digital signatures, have clear time stamps and cannot be altered. An audit trail records every step in the process, eliminating the need for a paper archive.
Like the central archive of invoices, all other decentralised archives become redundant too. For instance, budget managers no longer keep invoices linked to commitments, but instead search for them digitally using accounting apps.
