How to Scan Supplier Bills into Draft Bills
Why typing supplier bills by hand costs time and causes errors
Supplier invoices arrive as photos, scans and PDFs. Someone has to type the supplier, the date, the invoice number and every line into the purchase screen. On a long bill that takes time, and a transposed quantity or price is easy to miss.
Bills also wait. The invoice sits in an inbox until someone has time to key it, and the payables figure is wrong until it is entered. When the paper copy is filed separately, nobody can see the original next to the bill that was posted.
Scanning the bill into a draft removes most of the typing but keeps a person in control. The scan is read into a draft that changes nothing until you post it, the original file stays attached, and anything the reader could not match is written down for you to fix.
Why this happens
- Every bill line is retyped from paper or a PDF.
- The supplier's own item codes are not set up, so lines are hard to recognise.
- The original invoice is stored apart from the bill in the system.
- Bills are keyed late, so payables and matching are out of date.
Biznsbook addresses this through image or pdf upload, supplier and line matching, link to the open order, draft before posting in the Purchase module, on the same orders, receipts, bills and stock records.
Purchasing problems rarely start with one big mistake. They start with a price nobody checked, a bill keyed twice, or goods used before anyone looked at them. Recording each step where it happens removes those gaps.
Step-by-step: Scan Supplier Bills into Draft Bills
Written for buyers, store keepers and accounts payable teams in small and mid-sized businesses. The steps follow Purchase in Biznsbook.
- Open Draft bills. Go to Purchasing → Draft bills. You need the Create purchases permission to scan a bill.
- Choose the scan. Under Scan a supplier bill, pick an image or a PDF of the supplier invoice, up to 20 MB, and choose Read into a draft.
- Read the result message. The supplier, bill date, invoice number and lines are read from the scan. The message tells you how many lines matched a product.
- Check what did not match. Lines that did not match, such as freight or items not set up, and a supplier name that was not recognised are written in the draft's remarks. Choose view scan to open the original file.
- Open the draft for posting. Choose Post. The invoice form opens with the saved lines. Check every value against the scan and add what is missing.
- Save and post. Choose Save & post. If every matched product is on one of the supplier's open orders, the draft was linked to the latest such order, so bill matching checks it when it posts.
Review results after the first full monthly cycle. Adjust roles, mappings, or approvals where the same exception repeats.
Inside Biznsbook, each Purchasing screen explains its own steps. This article explains the business process behind those screens.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Mistake 1: Every bill line is retyped from paper or a PDF. Repeating this each month usually shows up first in a supplier paid the wrong amount, late, or for goods that never arrived.
- Mistake 2: The supplier's own item codes are not set up, so lines are hard to recognise. Repeating this each month usually shows up first in a supplier paid the wrong amount, late, or for goods that never arrived.
- Mistake 3: The original invoice is stored apart from the bill in the system. Repeating this each month usually shows up first in a supplier paid the wrong amount, late, or for goods that never arrived.
- Mistake 4: Bills are keyed late, so payables and matching are out of date. Repeating this each month usually shows up first in a supplier paid the wrong amount, late, or for goods that never arrived.
Each of these shows up later as a supplier balance nobody can explain. Fix it on the order, receipt or bill rather than in a side spreadsheet.
Best practices that hold up as you scale
- Open Draft bills — Go to Purchasing → Draft bills.
- Choose the scan — Under Scan a supplier bill, pick an image or a PDF of the supplier invoice, up to 20 MB, and choose Read into a draft.
- Read the result message — The supplier, bill date, invoice number and lines are read from the scan.
- Check what did not match — Lines that did not match, such as freight or items not set up, and a supplier name that was not recognised are written in the draft's remarks.
- Open the draft for posting — Choose Post.
Keep the order, the receipt and the bill linked, so every payment can be traced back to what was ordered and what arrived.
How Biznsbook supports this workflow
image or pdf upload is part of Biznsbook Purchase. It works on the same purchase orders, goods receipts and supplier bills, so stock, payables and the ledger stay in step.
supplier and line matching is part of Biznsbook Purchase. It works on the same purchase orders, goods receipts and supplier bills, so stock, payables and the ledger stay in step.
link to the open order is part of Biznsbook Purchase. It works on the same purchase orders, goods receipts and supplier bills, so stock, payables and the ledger stay in step.
draft before posting is part of Biznsbook Purchase. It works on the same purchase orders, goods receipts and supplier bills, so stock, payables and the ledger stay in step.
Access is permission-based: viewing, creating, editing and approving purchases are separate permissions. Purchase orders and goods receipts need the Inventory module; postings to accounts payable need Accounting.
Suggested implementation timeline
- Week 1: Set up image or pdf upload and give buyers and accounts payable the permissions they need.
- Week 2: Run one supplier end to end in Biznsbook only: order, receipt, bill and payment, with no side spreadsheet.
- Week 3: Review the exceptions with the people involved and adjust the rules where they disagreed.
- Month 2: Roll out to every supplier and retire the old tracking sheet.
- Ongoing: Monthly review using get better matches from your scans.
Metrics to track monthly
- Open purchase order lines past their delivery date
- Bills waiting in bill matching
- Overdue supplier bills and bills due in the next 7 days
- Purchase price variance by supplier this month
Start with three metrics; trend direction matters more than a single point-in-time snapshot.
Spreadsheets and email vs Biznsbook Purchase
Compare a typical spreadsheet-and-email buying process with Biznsbook image or pdf upload and the related Purchase capabilities.
| Capability | Manual / Spreadsheet | Biznsbook |
|---|---|---|
| Entering the bill | ❌ Typed line by line from the invoice | ✅ Read from a photo or PDF into a draft |
| Matching the supplier | ❌ Picked by hand | ✅ Matched by name; an unrecognised name goes to the remarks |
| Matching the lines | ❌ Searched one item at a time | ✅ Matched by the supplier's item code, then by product name |
| Lines it cannot place | ❌ Easy to skip by mistake | ✅ Listed in the draft's remarks |
| The original document | ❌ Filed in a folder or inbox | ✅ Attached to the draft; view scan opens it |
| Effect before posting | ❌ Depends on the sheet | ✅ No bill number, stock, supplier balance or accounts change |
Get better matches from your scans
Lines are matched first by the supplier's own item code, so keep those codes under Replenishment → Supplier lead times for the suppliers whose bills you scan most. The supplier is matched by name, so the name on the party record should look like the name printed on the invoice. Whatever is not matched lands in the remarks, and reading is automatic text recognition, so check quantities and prices every time.
Write the rule into your purchasing procedure so buyers, store keepers and accounts payable follow the same steps, and revisit it each quarter.
Frequently asked questions
What files can I scan?
An image or a PDF of the supplier invoice, up to 20 MB.
Is the scanned bill posted straight away?
No. The scan becomes a draft. A draft has no bill number and changes no stock, supplier balance or accounts until you choose Post, check it and choose Save & post.
How are lines matched to products?
First by the supplier's item code, kept under Replenishment → Supplier lead times, then by product name. Lines that do not match are written in the draft's remarks.
What happens if the scan cannot be read?
It still becomes a draft with the file attached, so you can fill it in by hand.
Is the scanned bill linked to the purchase order?
When every matched product is on one of that supplier's open orders, the draft is linked to the latest such order, so bill matching checks it on posting.
Can I trust the numbers it reads?
Reading is automatic text recognition. Always check quantities and prices against the scan before you post.
What if I no longer need a draft?
Choose Discard. A draft has no bill number and never changed stock, the supplier balance or accounts, so discarding it leaves nothing to reverse.
Can I draft a bill from a purchase order instead of a scan?
Yes. On an approved purchase order, choose Create draft bill. If goods on the order were received and not yet billed, it opens Create invoice from GRN for that receipt instead, so the receipt and bill stay linked. Otherwise it drafts what is ordered and not yet received, at the order price.
How this differs by industry
Retail
A store manager photographs a delivery invoice and reads it into a draft, so the bill is ready to check against the order without retyping every product line.
Wholesale & distribution
An accounts clerk scans each supplier PDF into a draft as it arrives, then checks unmatched lines such as freight in the remarks before posting.
Manufacturing
A buyer scans a raw material supplier's invoice, and when the matched items are on an open order the draft is linked to it for bill matching.