Invoice and Change Order Controls

Stop leakage. Enforce scope. Fix variance at the root cause—not by arguing about invoices forever.

CollectionCore

Why Invoice and Change Order Controls Matter

Most organizations don't lose money because vendors are "evil." They lose money because the system allows:

  • Vague invoices with no dates, no detail, and no traceability
  • Out-of-scope work billed as "misc" without change orders
  • Pass-throughs billed without evidence
  • Repeated pricing errors because nobody closes the loop

This collection gives you a beginner-safe operating system to: set minimum invoice standards, implement change order discipline, run monthly variance root-cause reviews, and make vendors accountable through scorecards and QBRs.

What This Collection Covers (Plain English)

You will learn how to:

Prevent Unexplained Charges

Block charges that can't be explained or verified.

Classify Variance

Price, quantity, scope, pass-through, process.

Stop Scope Creep

Change order gate for undocumented extras.

Drive Accountability

Vendor scorecards and QBRs to reduce repeat issues.

Start Here (Best Order)

If you are new, do this in order:

  1. 1Estimate leakage (so stakeholders take this seriously)
  2. 2Set minimum invoice requirements (eligibility-to-pay gate)
  3. 3Implement change order workflow (stop scope creep)
  4. 4Run monthly variance root-cause (so problems don't repeat)
  5. 5Add vendor scorecards + QBR cadence (accountability loop)

If You Only Do One Thing

Implement a rule:

"Invoices that don't meet the minimum standard are returned and not eligible for approval."

This one control removes most recurring variance. Start with the Invoice and Change Order Leakage System.

All Invoice and Change Order Resources

1

Contract Repository Setup Guide

How to organize vendor contracts for visibility, compliance, and renewal tracking.

Guide
45 min
2

Invoice and Change Order Leakage System

Find and stop invoice leakage - templates for catching overcharges, duplicates, and unauthorized changes.

Workflow
1 hour
3

Vendor Scorecard and QBR Kit

Run effective quarterly business reviews with vendors - scorecards, templates, and meeting agendas.

Playbook
1 hour
4

COI / Compliance Pack (Payment + Renewal Controls)

Prevent compliance gaps by tying vendor compliance to payment and renewal decisions.

Playbook
1 hour
5

SLA Starter Pack (Service Vendors)

Make service quality enforceable with clear standards, measurement, and consequences (not legal advice).

Playbook
45 min
6

Invoice Variance Root Cause Playbook

Turn invoice surprises into a repeatable system: detect → classify → fix permanently.

Playbook
30 min

Tools and Calculators (Ungated)

Invoice Variance Cost Leak Calculator

Estimate annualized leakage from variance rate and recovery rate (directional but powerful).

Templates You Can Copy (High-Use)

These templates exist inside the resources above; pull them into your Template Vault:

  • Minimum Invoice Requirements (Eligibility-to-Pay policy text)
  • Invoice Review Checklist (operational)
  • Variance Log (expected vs actual + root cause)
  • Change Order Log (approved scope and $)
  • Dispute / Return Email Template
  • Monthly Variance Review Agenda (30 minutes)

Common Mistakes (Avoid These)

  • Approving invoices "to keep the relationship good" (leakage becomes permanent)
  • No contract linkage (you can't enforce pricing/scope)
  • Emergency change orders become the default (process collapses)
  • Tracking variance without owners (nothing closes)
  • Scorecards without consequences (vendors ignore them)
  • Focusing on tiny line items while missing systemic scope creep

What to Do Next

Pick the next collection based on your portfolio's biggest driver:

Scope 2 Electricity (Made Simple)

If utilities are a major cost or data headache.

Contract and Renewal Controls

If renewals are constantly missed.

Back to Run the Operation

Change log

v1.0 (2026-01): Latest release