Construction AP SOP outline
The seven-stage procedure every invoice should follow. Adapt the owners and thresholds to your org, then publish it where AP and PMs can both see it.
- Receipt: one dedicated AP intake inbox; field-received invoices are forwarded in, never processed from the side.
- Capture and coding: header, lines, and job references extracted; every line coded to job, phase, cost code, and cost type at entry — not month-end.
- Matching: PO-backed lines matched to commitments within documented tolerances; matched-within-tolerance skips field approval.
- Approval: unmatched and judgment invoices route by job and dollar threshold; reminders are automatic, approvals mobile.
- Compliance gate: correct waiver signed, compliance docs current, retention withheld at contract terms — before payment, not after.
- Payment and posting: coded bill posts to the ledger, retention posts to its own balance, payments release under dual control.
Invoice approval authority matrix
A starting matrix for a growing GC or specialty contractor. Tighten the thresholds to your risk appetite; the structure is what matters.
- PO-matched within tolerance: accounting review only, any amount within plan limits.
- Unmatched material invoices: PM approval to $10k; PM + controller above.
- Subcontractor progress billings: PM verification at all amounts; controller co-approval above $25k.
- Change-order work: blocked until the change order is approved — the commitment updates first.
- Retention release: controller + owner/CFO, with the release checklist complete.
- Every threshold enforced by the system, every delegation logged.
Vendor onboarding and bank-change verification checklist
The control layer that stops redirected payments. No exceptions under deadline pressure — urgency is the attack, not a reason to skip.
- New vendor: W-9 on file, insurance certificate where relevant, banking confirmed at setup, named internal owner.
- Bank-detail change request received: do NOT reply or use any phone number in the request.
- Call the vendor at the number already on file; confirm the change verbally with a known contact.
- Record who called, who confirmed, and when; store with the vendor record.
- Where practical, hold the first payment to a new account below a threshold.
- Monthly: someone outside AP reviews all vendor-master changes.
Lien-waiver tracking sheet
Track waivers per payment, not per project. These are the columns that make the sheet a control instead of a list.
- Job / subcontract / vendor / payment reference and amount
- Waiver type required (conditional progress, unconditional progress, conditional final, unconditional final)
- Requested date, received date, signed date, verified by
- Payment status: blocked / released — and who overrode any block, when, and why
- Sub-tier suppliers identified on exposed jobs, with their waiver status
- Rule of use: conditional before funds clear; unconditional only after. State-specific forms go to counsel.
Retainage register
One row per subcontract, tied to the retention payable balance at month-end. Full mechanics are in our retainage guide.
- Contract value (current, including approved change orders) and retainage terms: base rate, reduction milestone, reduced rate
- Billings to date; retention accrued, released, and currently held
- Expected release trigger and date — retention becomes a forecastable cash item
- Release documentation status: completion verified, final waivers, closeout documents
- Month-end: register total ties to the retention payable account in the ledger
- Separation of duties: the release approver is not the register maintainer.
QuickBooks construction AP rollout checklist
The order of operations for putting structure around a QuickBooks file without breaking what your accountant relies on.
- Week 1: dedicated AP inbox live; vendor list deduplicated; jobs, classes, and cost-code structure confirmed in QuickBooks.
- Week 2: coding-at-entry discipline with vendor/PO history suggesting codes; approval matrix documented and routed by rule.
- Week 3: commitment matching on PO-backed spend with documented tolerances; waiver tracker and retention register in use.
- Week 4: measure the baseline six — volume, AP hours, cost per invoice, approval days by role, recode rate, waiver/retention gaps.
- Then: automate the deterministic steps and keep the judgment calls human.
Next step
Use the next action that matches how far along your evaluation is right now.