A control question for every stage
Each stage poses the question a controlled process must answer, with what good looks like beside it.
The Supplier Control Framework
Could you explain every payment to an auditor?
The Supplier Control Framework sets out what a controlled lifecycle looks like, from contract to reconciliation. Download it and check your own process, stage by stage.
Get the full framework.
- 18-page PDF
- Sent instantly by email
- Actionable insights
What's inside
- 9lifecycle stages
- 6control types
- 7principles
The problem
Automation has moved faster than oversight.
Payables was measured on speed for a decade. Many controls were designed for an invoice-by-invoice era and validated once. They still run. Whether they still hold is rarely asked.
To explain a payment, you trace:
- Who the supplier is, verified
- What was approved, at what price
- What the invoice was matched against
- How receipt was confirmed
- Who released it, and whether they also entered it
Inside the framework
Nine stages, one continuous thread of control
The framework follows a supplier from first commitment to reconciliation. Each stage has a control question, a view of what good looks like, and where it usually breaks.
Commit
Money is committed before any invoice exists.
- 1Contracting
- 2Supplier onboarding
- 3Purchasing
Process
Work arrives and is checked against what was set upstream.
- 4Receipt
- 5Invoice capture and validation
- 6Matching and approval
Settle
Cash leaves and the books are closed.
- 7Payment release
- 8Post-payment and reconciliation
Sustain
Control continues as suppliers change.
- 9Supplier lifecycle management
What your team takes from the framework
Everything below is in the PDF, from the stage questions to the control matrix.
Six control types, mapped to the stages
Financial, compliance, fraud and risk, governance, data integrity and operational control, in a matrix showing where each should be strongest.
Seven principles for connected control
From pushing controls upstream to connecting them, seven principles that hold across the whole lifecycle.
Five patterns where control breaks
Master data drift, controls validated once, maverick buying, the duplicate that gets through, and segregation of duties that bends under pressure.
Automation held to the same standard
Automated does not always mean controlled. The same standard applies to a machine decision as to a human one.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Supplier Control Framework?
It is a standard for active control across the supplier lifecycle, written by Robert Hickey, SoftCo's Chief Knowledge Officer. It covers nine stages from contracting to supplier lifecycle management, six control types and seven principles.
Who is it for?
Finance leaders responsible for how suppliers are onboarded, approved, paid and monitored, including CFOs, Financial Controllers, and heads of accounts payable and shared services.
How long is it?
The PDF is 18 pages, including the control matrix, the nine stages, five common failure patterns and the seven principles.
Is it a SoftCo product pitch?
No. It is a standard for what good control looks like, not a description of any one system. No vendor, SoftCo included, delivers every element of it today.
What happens after I fill in the form?
Once you enter your email address, we send you an automated email with a link to download the framework. If it hasn't arrived after 5 minutes, check your spam or junk folder.
Put the framework in front of your team.
One standard for the whole supplier lifecycle, ready to share with your finance team.