MANAGED AP OPERATIONS | EXPERTISE, TECHNOLOGY AND ACCOUNTABILITY
Build an AP operation around accurate, on-time payments.
ARDEM owns invoice processing, exception follow-through and the payment activities in your agreed scope. We combine AP specialists, controls and automation to keep work moving under your defined approval and payment authority.
Share your invoice volumes, entities, systems and the bottlenecks you need resolved. You do not need a finished process or technical specification.
Documented Controls | Defined Service Levels | NDA Available | Email Follow-Up
ARDEM provides managed accounts payable outsourcing for recurring, high-volume and multi-entity operations. We design, build, run and improve the AP workflow, whether you need a new solution, a stronger existing process or ownership of an established operation.
Accounting expertise, process design and technology work together in one managed operation. Configured automation and AI-assisted capture handle suitable repeatable steps; AP specialists review uncertainty, investigate discrepancies and pursue missing information. ARDEM owns staffing, training, daily execution, quality review, exception follow-through, reporting and corrective action within the agreed scope.
Supporting business operations since 2004.
Growing invoice volumes are only part of the burden. Missing invoices, unresolved exceptions and repeated follow-up can leave your finance team checking and chasing work instead of reviewing approval-ready items. ARDEM manages the processing and follow-through in your agreed scope.
Your finance team may be dealing with:
ARDEM can take responsibility for the defined AP workflow and agreed result, with approval and authorization controls documented for the engagement.
Select the AP responsibilities you need managed, from invoice processing through vendor, payment and reporting workflows. ARDEM defines the systems, rules, exception owners and agreed outputs for each scope.
ARDEM manages invoices from AP inboxes, vendor portals, EDI feeds, scanned documents and other approved channels. AI-assisted capture where appropriate and configured validation prepare data for coding, matching and delivery; specialists review uncertain fields and discrepancies.
Services can include:
For capture, validation, PO and non-PO matching and delivery controls, explore managed invoice processing services.
Configured rules route missing information, mismatches and overdue approvals to the right owner. ARDEM specialists pursue PO and receipt gaps, price or quantity discrepancies, incomplete coding and approval delays, documenting the resolution or authorized escalation.
ARDEM can support:
ARDEM manages designated AP mailboxes and approved vendor communication, using workflow status and documented histories to answer inquiries and pursue missing or corrected records. Specialists handle discrepancies, reconciliation follow-through and dispute escalation.
Support can include:
For supplier balances, missing invoices and unresolved statement differences, see vendor statement reconciliation services.
ARDEM manages agreed payment-run preparation, due-date priorities, payment files, authorized payment execution, status follow-through and reconciliation support. Configured checks and tracking support the workflow; payment authority and escalation follow the documented controls.
Support can include:
ARDEM connects operational reporting to management action. Processing, exception and payment data within scope are reviewed against agreed measures to identify recurring causes, assign corrective action and measure approved improvements.
ARDEM can provide reporting on:
Accounting Process Improvement with Accounts Payable Outsourcing
These 19 responsibilities help define the scope, controls and handoffs of your accounts payable operation. ARDEM brings the agreed responsibilities together in a managed workflow, using technology where it improves delivery and specialist review where judgment is needed.
The engagement defines which responsibilities ARDEM owns, the decisions your team retains and the controls and measures for completion. Related accounting work is included only where agreed.
Clear responsibilities. One accountable AP operation.
The operating model comes first. ARDEM can work in your approved systems, use its own technology or connect the two. The design defines how invoices arrive, how exceptions are resolved and what the receiving system must accept.
Our operations leads manage staffing, training, quality review and daily delivery. The engagement defines your team’s retained decisions and ARDEM’s responsibilities. Use the executive brief to compare scope, cost and delivery ownership.
We agree what success means for your AP operation. Then we build the workflow, establish the controls and manage delivery against those measures. When performance falls short, ARDEM investigates the cause and owns the corrective action within the agreed scope.
The operating model defines accounting rules, approval thresholds, access, payment authorization and escalation paths. Depending on the engagement, ARDEM can prepare payment files or execute authorized payments within those controls. Responsibilities are documented before production, with clear action owners and no ambiguity about what must happen next.
Success is more than the number of invoices touched. Measures can include accepted invoice output, processing turnaround, pending-item age, exception resolution, rework and on-time payment performance where payment operations are included.
Before production, ARDEM and your team define each measure, its baseline, the start and stop points of the service clock, and the dependencies that affect completion. Reporting connects the target, actual performance, reason for a gap, action owner and next step.
Recurring supplier issues, missing receipts, coding corrections and approval delays can reveal where the operation needs to change. ARDEM validates those patterns, recommends practical improvements and owns the work to implement approved changes within scope.
Illustrative example: If the same suppliers repeatedly submit invoices without purchase-order references, ARDEM validates the pattern and recommends a supplier instruction or purchasing-process change. Your team approves the policy change; ARDEM implements agreed workflow updates and compares exception rates, age and rework with the baseline. The finding informs a business decision, while the operating review shows whether the approved change worked.
View a sample AP operating review connecting results, unresolved items, corrective action and management recommendations.
A Sr. ARDEM Accounts Payable Consultant will contact you by email to discuss your requirements.
The operating model defines authorized systems, access roles, processing locations, data-handling and retention requirements, permitted AI use and responsibilities for each stage. Client policies and assurance requirements are reviewed for the proposed scope.
Configured validation and documented quality checks confirm required fields and agreed output rules. Uncertain or inconsistent records follow a specialist review or exception path, with acceptance requirements defined for the receiving system.
Work status, unresolved items, action owners and recurring performance reviews make responsibility visible throughout the operation. Applicable security and assurance documentation is reviewed for the systems and scope proposed.
Client Case Studies
Payment reliability, transition continuity and controlled high-volume processing.
Retail payment continuity
ARDEM connected Dynamics 365 processing, vendor follow-through and store-level utility tracking to keep a global retailer’s vendor and utility payments moving.
Multi-entity AP transition
During a Coupa migration, ARDEM combined knowledge transfer, daily invoice processing, supplier adoption and exception follow-through to maintain AP continuity.
High-volume invoice processing
Ahead of an IFS migration, ARDEM managed invoice intake, vendor and GL validation, quality review and exceptions, alongside approximately 4,000 utility invoices monthly.
Results and volumes reflect the documented engagements. In the energy case, invoice images were available within 24 hours; structured XLS data followed a separate five-day delivery schedule.
“You guys Rock!! Thank you for your immediate attention on this project!”
“I am really impressed to see the pending invoices count, it’s decreasing and I am happy that everything looks really good.“
“You guys doing a very good job and I don’t have any concerns.”
“Everything has been great, and I especially appreciate how timely you are on responses.”
“We are happy with the turnaround time and service.”
“I think it’s been going really well and the assist is much appreciated from the team, especially with their properties. Been a big help so thank you.”
“Thank you guys for continuing to do a good job for us. We really appreciate it.
I’m really pleased by all the things that you guys have taken on, including
taking on board the UK that’s going really well. So we really appreciate it.“
“The team is amazing and I can’t see any issue with the processing you are handling everything very well.”
“It has been fantastic working with ADREM. With each project we give them, they continuously prove that they are worth our business. They can always be trusted for a well executed, professional, and speedy experience.”
“ARDEM provides an easy way to scale up or down based on volumes. There is no way we can keep up with the higher volumes, so the team has kept us up to date.”
“If you’re out of time and resources to get a critical project done call ARDEM! They’re quick to understand your goal and equally as quick to get it done and done right!”
“I have been working with Ardem for a few years – they are always responsive, professional and go the extra mile”
“I have had a very positive experience working with ARDEM. Everyone on the team is easy to communicate with and very adaptable to what we need. If there is ever a mistake made, they take the time to understand why it happened, and correct it going forward. Very impressed with their work so far!”
“A client begged us to get data form them same-day to meet an audit deadline. After jumping through a million registration hoops, we got them connect. [ARDEM] not only GOT to the account before I had a chance to…but then added TONS of history and ALSO for each datapoint aggregated usage, supply, delivery, etc. for two separate meters.”
“We have worked with ARDEM for about 10 years. They provide excellent customer service and accurate data entry. Thank you!”
“Open communication in a timely fashion. Excellent customer service.”
“We are very pleased with the professionalism and attentiveness of the ARDEM employees.”
“Very helpful, collaborative and clear communicators.”
“They are available whenever we need them even in short notice. So professional and efficient. It has been a pleasure working with ARDEM over the past few years.”
“They are always professional and very easy to work with. Responding quickly and efficiently.”
Share your invoice volumes, entities, systems and the bottlenecks you need resolved. You do not need a finished process or technical specification.
ARDEM can run the AP workflow in your approved accounting or ERP environment, use ARDEM technology or connect both. The design defines access, business rules, invoice handoffs and the outputs your finance team needs.
Operations and technology leads prepare access, reference data, procedures and suitable automation. We test representative invoices, exceptions and downstream acceptance, then manage daily delivery and resolution against the agreed measures. Your team retains the decisions and approvals documented for the engagement.
Review AP transition planning and controls, or see the access and readiness requirements for the proposed workflow.
Share your invoice volumes, entities, systems and the bottlenecks you need resolved. You do not need a finished process or technical specification.
ARDEM can build a new AP workflow or improve the operation you already have. We map how invoices enter the process and what each entity requires. The design connects validation, approvals and exception resolution to the output your team needs.
The solution can work in your approved AP or ERP environment, use ARDEM technology, or connect both. Integrations may use APIs, scheduled exchanges or secure files, depending on system capabilities and review requirements. Design includes field mapping, access, reconciliation and handling failed or rejected transfers.
AI-assisted invoice capture and configured automation handle suitable repeatable steps. AP specialists investigate missing information, mismatches and cases requiring judgment. We test ordinary invoices, difficult exceptions and downstream acceptance before expanding production.
Share your invoice volumes, entities, systems and the bottlenecks you need resolved. You do not need a finished process or technical specification.
ARDEM Invoice Manager is part of ARDEM’s cloud platform offering, used by our team to support the managed AP service. It brings email intake, AI-assisted capture of PDF invoice headers and line items, human data review, work tracking and supplier conversations into the workflow.
Our AP specialists combine this automation with approved systems and documented procedures to manage the agreed invoice work. Coding, matching, approvals and downstream accounting activities are designed around the engagement. Explore ARDEM Cloud Platforms for the wider technology environment.
OCR and AI-assisted extraction prepare required invoice fields for configured checks and specialist review. Checks can cover required fields, vendor and entity references, calculations, potential duplicates and matching tolerances. System connections deliver the agreed format and cadence; failed transfers and rejected records stay in the resolution workflow until acceptance or an agreed disposition is confirmed.
Processing and exception data can reveal recurring bottlenecks. ARDEM validates the evidence, recommends practical actions, implements approved changes within scope and measures results against a reliable baseline and follow-up data.
Share your invoice volumes, entities, systems and the bottlenecks you need resolved. You do not need a finished process or technical specification.
ARDEM plans the handover around the AP results, controls and continuity your finance team needs. We agree responsibilities, prepare the workflow and test readiness before production. The sequence depends on your systems, scope and available access.
Review invoice volumes, entities, deadlines and the opening backlog. Agree what ARDEM will manage, what your team will approve and which outputs and measures define completion.
Map intake, coding, matching, approvals and exception paths. Prepare authorized access, reference data, system handoffs and knowledge transfer, with clear owners for accounting questions and unresolved items.
Test representative PO and non-PO invoices, difficult exceptions and rejected system records. Confirm validation, escalation and downstream acceptance against agreed readiness criteria before expanding production.
Operations leads manage processing, quality review, trained backup coverage and exception follow-through within the agreed scope. Performance reviews connect results and outstanding issues to corrective actions and approved improvements.
Accounts payable outsourcing can cover selected activities or a broader operation. Start with the result you need, the work preventing it today and the responsibilities you want a partner to take on. For focused capture, validation and matching requirements, explore managed invoice processing services.
Additional staff can be appropriate when your organization already has strong processes and supervision. Software can suit standardized work when an internal team can maintain the rules, resolve exceptions and manage adoption. A managed service combines the required people, technology, controls and delivery ownership around agreed results.
These approaches can be combined. ARDEM can build and run a solution using your systems and suitable automation, rather than requiring a choice between technology and human expertise.
Compare implementation, integrations, recurring processing, quality review, exception work, reporting and the internal effort you will retain. A lower unit price is not a complete comparison when the scopes or required outcomes differ.
Ask who owns rejected records, missing documents and supplier questions. Confirm how approval delays and performance gaps are resolved. Request evidence from a comparable workflow rather than relying on an unqualified accuracy or savings promise.
Staffing, AP automation and managed accounts payable outsourcing each solve different problems. Use the comparison below to assess the ongoing owner of the work, exception follow-through, retained approval decisions, service measures and total cost. The best model depends on your process, systems and internal capacity.
| Buyer decision | Additional AP staff | Standalone AP software | Managed AP outsourcing with ARDEM |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you are buying | More processing capacity under your management. | Software licenses and configured automation. | A defined AP operation with people, workflow, technology and delivery ownership. |
| Who runs daily AP | Your finance team assigns work, supervises staff and manages queues. | Your team maintains business rules, monitors queues and runs work outside automation. | ARDEM operations leads manage staffing, processing, quality review and follow-through within agreed scope. |
| Who resolves exceptions | Internal AP staff and business owners investigate and pursue missing information. | Your team handles mismatches, missing receipts, supplier questions and cases outside configured rules. | ARDEM tracks, routes and follows up on defined exceptions and supplier inquiries; retained decisions are assigned to your team. |
| Systems and setup | Usually uses your current ERP and processes; you own training and access. | Requires configuration, integration, testing and internal process adoption. | Can work within your approved ERP, use ARDEM technology or connect both, subject to the agreed design and tests. |
| Approvals and payment authority | Your company retains approval and payment decisions. | Approval routing can be automated; payment authority remains governed by your controls. | Approval rights and payment authority are documented. ARDEM prepares files or executes payments only where explicitly authorized. |
| Quality, reporting and SLAs | Your managers define, review and act on performance measures. | Dashboards report workflow activity; people still own outcomes and remediation. | Quality, accepted outputs, turnaround, aging, exceptions and corrective actions are governed against agreed measures. |
| Volume changes and continuity | Requires hiring, training, backup planning and internal coverage. | Repeatable work can scale, but new scenarios and exception spikes need operational support. | Staffing, trained backup, volume bands and service changes are planned against the contracted scope. |
| Total cost to evaluate | Pay, benefits, recruiting, supervision, backup coverage and rework. | Licensing, implementation, integration, internal operations, maintenance and unresolved exception effort. | Transition and recurring service fees, integration needs, volume assumptions, retained approvals and change controls. |
| Typically a good fit | Your AP process is stable and you mainly need extra capacity. | Work is highly standardized and you have the team to own day-to-day operations. | You want accountable daily delivery across recurring, complex or multi-entity AP workflows. |
These are typical responsibilities, not universal rules. Confirm the proposed scope, approvals, access controls, service levels and exclusions in the agreement. Models can be combined.
Read the AP outsourcing FAQs or use the executive operating model brief to prepare your comparison.
Review the operating model, inspect relevant evidence and understand the transition. These resources are available without completing a form.
See how different engagements address scale, systems change and payment continuity.
Understand how performance, open issues and corrective actions can be reviewed.
Clarify access, automation, testing and continuity before launch.
ARDEM’s managed AP services are designed for businesses with recurring invoice workloads, complex processing requirements or operations spanning multiple entities and systems. Common needs include growing invoice volumes, unresolved exceptions, vendor inquiries and approval delays. We review your workload and operating requirements to determine the appropriate service scope.
Yes. An engagement can cover selected responsibilities, such as invoice processing or vendor statement reconciliation, or a broader AP workflow. We define the responsibilities, systems, business rules, quality checks and reporting required for the agreed scope. ARDEM manages ongoing execution and tracks outstanding work and exceptions through resolution. Your team retains the decisions and approvals defined for the engagement; payment preparation or authorized execution can be included in the agreed scope.
AI-assisted extraction can capture invoice fields where it fits the documents and required controls. Configured checks can validate required data, vendor and entity references, calculations, potential duplicates and matching tolerances. Workflow technology routes invoices and exceptions and tracks status. AP specialists review uncertainty, investigate discrepancies and handle decisions requiring judgment. The design determines which steps are automated and where review belongs. See the invoice-processing workflow and validation controls.
The item stays visible in the exception workflow. An ARDEM specialist reviews the source, reference data or mapping, follows the approved correction or escalation path, and tracks resubmission or an agreed disposition. Sending a file or extracting data is not the same as completion: acceptance by the receiving system is a separate milestone defined in scope. Review the transition scenarios and acceptance checks.
Yes. ARDEM can run and improve the operation in your approved systems, use its own tools where appropriate or connect both. We review available access, APIs or file exchanges, business rules and handoffs before selecting the design. A new platform is not required for every engagement. Explore ARDEM Invoice Manager as one possible component of the managed service.
Transition planning defines the systems, processing locations, authorized roles, data-handling and retention requirements, and any permitted AI use. Where AI is proposed, the review addresses what data it may access, permitted uses, any model-training restrictions and the human review points. Applicable client policies and security or assurance documentation are reviewed for the proposed delivery scope before production.
ARDEM owns the ongoing workflow responsibilities assigned in the engagement, including maintaining configured rules and connections where that work is in scope. Accounting policies, approval thresholds and authorization decisions remain with the designated business owners. Proposed changes follow the agreed approval and testing process, with updated procedures and clear escalation when an upstream system or reference source changes.
We agree baselines and measures for accepted output, turnaround, processing quality, rework, exception age and on-time payments where included. Reviews connect results to causes, corrective-action owners and proposed improvements. Approved changes are measured against the baseline where the necessary data is available. View a sample AP operating review to see how delivery measures and management recommendations fit together.
Pricing depends on invoice volume, document complexity, entities, coding and matching rules, exception workload, systems, turnaround and the activities ARDEM manages. A useful proposal separates implementation and integration from recurring processing, quality review, vendor support and reporting.
We review representative invoices, the current operation and the result you need. The comparison covers the full service and the work your team would retain. Price per invoice is only one part of that decision.
Published cost example: In a utility and invoice document-processing engagement, ARDEM reported a 30% reduction in processing cost using automation-assisted extraction, normalization and human quality review. That is a result from the documented engagement, not a standard AP discount or energy-cost saving. Review the processing-cost case study.
We define processing windows, cutoffs, priority rules and escalation paths around the operation. Invoice intake, validated output, approval completion and payment execution are different milestones; each needs a clear measure. ARDEM tracks blocked items and owns follow-through on the actions needed to move them forward. Volume, source quality and approval or system dependencies inform the agreed service levels.
Yes. Depending on the available data and service scope, AP reporting can show recurring exception causes, approval bottlenecks, coding corrections, vendor discrepancies and workload patterns. ARDEM validates these patterns and brings practical recommendations to your finance team. Findings can inform purchasing, supplier documentation, approval policies or resource planning. We implement approved changes within scope and measure their effect where reliable baseline and follow-up data are available.
A Sr. ARDEM Accounts Payable Consultant will follow up by email to understand your requirements. Useful starting information includes your invoice volumes, accounting systems, entities involved and the challenges you want to address. Where appropriate, we involve AP operations and technology specialists to help define the next steps.
Turn incoming supplier invoices into validated records for your AP system.
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Identify missing invoices, credits and differences that require follow-through.
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Coordinate AP, AR and recurring accounting under a defined operating model.
ExploreTell us what needs to improve and when. Include your approximate invoice volume, entities and systems. A senior ARDEM accounts payable consultant will respond by email and bring in operations or technology specialists as needed.
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