The AP Recovery Audit Readiness Checklist: 12 Questions Before You Begin
Before engaging any AP recovery audit, this readiness assessment ensures you start in the right place and get the maximum return from the engagement.
Section 1: Vendor Selection
- Have you identified which vendor categories carry the highest billing complexity? (Freight, staffing, and facilities are typically highest.)
- Do you know which vendors in those categories have the longest history of contract engagement? (Longer history = more potential accumulated leakage.)
- Have any of your priority vendors had contract renewals, acquisitions, or billing system changes in the last 18 months?
- Is there a vendor where you have already noticed invoicing anomalies but have not had time to investigate?
Section 2: Document Availability
- Do you have access to the executed rate card or MSA for the vendor you want to audit? (Not just a draft — the signed version with all schedules and amendments.)
- Do you have 12+ months of invoices for that vendor in PDF or structured format?
- Are there any known contract amendments that changed rates during the invoice period? If so, do you have the amendment documentation?
Section 3: Internal Readiness
- Is there a finance or AP team member who can spend ~2 hours facilitating the initial engagement?
- Does AP leadership have the authority to initiate credit memo discussions with vendors?
- Is the CFO or Finance Director supportive of the initiative?
Section 4: Expectations
- Have you modelled a recovery range based on your spend and category mix?
- Do you have a plan for what to do with findings?
Scoring Your Readiness
10-12 checked: You are well-prepared. Start immediately.
7-9 checked: You are ready to begin with minor gaps. Most gaps can be addressed in parallel with the initial engagement.
Below 7: Focus first on document availability and vendor selection. Even a partial readiness is sufficient to start a single-vendor pilot — do not let perfect be the enemy of good.
Haulr helps you start with one vendor, right now.