Bill validation

Why it is an ongoing service

Billing errors rarely happen once. A wrong rate, a missed read or an estimated bill can repeat month after month, and across a portfolio of sites they are hard to spot by eye. Bill validation runs alongside your supply contracts for their whole term, checking each invoice as it arrives rather than looking back once a year.

How it works

1. Set up. We take your supply list, contracts and a letter of authority, and arrange for invoices to flow from your suppliers straight into validation, electronically where the supplier offers it. Ideally it starts on the first day of a new contract.
2. Every invoice checked. Each bill is read and run through automated checks against your contract, your previous reads and your meter data.
3. Exceptions investigated. Anything outside expected limits is flagged and investigated. Where a bill is wrong, it is queried with the supplier and the credit or rebill is chased through to your account.
4. Clear payment instructions. You receive a regular payment file showing which invoices are cleared to pay and which are on hold under query. It can be set up to suit your accounts payable process.
5. Reporting. A monthly report pack covers cost and consumption by site, site comparisons, budget tracking and historic performance. Your billing history stays with you, even when you change supplier.

What gets checked

• Opening reads against the previous closing reads, and estimated reads picked up.
• Unit rates and standing charges against your contracted terms.
• Pass through and non commodity charges, where your contract passes them through.
• Consumption against meter reads, expected usage and half hourly data.
• Capacity charges, availability and excess capacity penalties.
• VAT rate and Climate Change Levy, including relief and exemptions you may be entitled to.
• Reliefs and exemptions such as BICS actually being applied once you qualify.

It covers electricity, gas and water, whichever supplier you are with.

Who it suits

Businesses with several sites or meters, half hourly supplies, or a finance team processing a steady flow of energy and water invoices. The more invoices you receive, the harder they are to check by hand, and the more an error can cost before anyone notices.

Already in a dispute with a supplier? See billing disputes and back bills.

Common questions

Is this a one off check?
No. Bill validation runs for the life of your supply contracts and checks every invoice for every supply. If you want a quick, one off view of where your current contract stands, start with a free contract health check.

What does it cost?
It is priced per supply, per year. The main factor is whether your suppliers bill electronically or on paper and PDF. We quote before anything starts, so you know the cost up front.

What do you need from us?
A list of your supplies, copies of your contracts, recent invoices and a letter of authority, so invoices can be received and queried with the supplier on your behalf.

How far back can overcharges be recovered?
Often several years, subject to the supplier's terms and legal time limits. When the service starts we can review a period of historic invoices as well.

Want a quick view first? Start with a free contract health check on a recent bill.

This page is general information, not advice on your specific circumstances. Contract terms, charges and scheme rules change, so it is worth confirming the detail for your sites before making a decision.