Invoicing

Once shipment execution is completed, the carrier sends a freight charge invoice for settlement. OTM can validate the invoice cost against the planned shipment cost, approve it, and then allocate that cost back to the originating Order Releases or Purchase Orders.

The three steps are: Match → Approve → Allocate.

Invoice Matching:

A Match Rule identifies which shipment corresponds to an incoming carrier invoice, by comparing reference numbers and the Service Provider. In this scenario the invoice carries the Shipment ID (SID) as a reference number, which is matched to the same reference on the shipment record.

Financials > Payment Rule Management > Match Rule

Match Rule configuration showing Service Provider and SID refnum matching

Note: In a real-world scenario the reference numbers can be BOL Number, Container Number, or any other carrier-specific reference. The Match Rule links the incoming invoice to the correct shipment regardless of which reference number your carrier uses.

Once the Match Rule is defined, trigger the matching process on the invoice:

Invoice > Actions > Auto Match Invoices

Invoice list showing Auto Match Invoices action in the Actions menu

After matching, the link between invoice and shipment is recorded in the INVOICE_SHIPMENT table. You can verify this with:

SELECT * FROM INVOICE_SHIPMENT WHERE INVOICE_GID = 'TCRP.20180518-0001'

The Invoice Routes/Ports tab also shows matching and approval notes alongside the matched shipment details:

Invoice Routes/Ports tab showing matched shipment details and match notes

Invoice Approval:

OTM determines which approval rule to apply based on the rule attached to the approving user’s profile. Create an Invoice Approval Rule that covers the expected invoice range:

Financials > Payment Rule Management > Invoice Approval Rules

Invoice Approval Rule screen showing approval range $1 to $1000

This rule approves all invoices between $1 and $1,000. Next, attach this rule to an Approval Rule Profile:

Approval Rule Profile screen with the invoice approval rule attached

Then attach the profile to the user record so OTM knows which rule to apply when that user approves invoices:

User record screen showing the Approval Rule Profile field populated

With the rule and profile in place, approve the invoice from the invoice record:

Invoice > Actions > Approve

Invoice Actions menu showing the Approve option

The invoice status changes to Approved, and the freight cost is now ready to be allocated back to the originating Order Releases and Purchase Orders in the next step.

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Tender Process

Voucher Allocation

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