When distributed sales teams and manual invoice processing create operational bottlenecks across multiple facilities
The Challenge: Managing Procurement Across Distributed Teams and Multiple Entities
A rapidly growing recycling processing company faced the complex challenge of managing procurement across multiple business entities and distributed teams. With sales representatives scattered across the United States and administrative staff in a central office, their manual procurement processes were becoming a significant operational burden.
The Daily Reality:
- Sales teams across the U.S. needed remote access to submit expense reports and purchase requests
- Manual invoice entry from vendors created significant administrative overhead
- No centralized platform for approval workflows between field teams and corporate office
- Multiple business entities under a holding company structure required separate tracking
- Specialized procurement needs for recyclable materials (plastics, measured in tons/pounds) needed custom formatting
- Existing inventory management system (C-Trade) operated in isolation from procurement processes
- QuickBooks Online integration was essential but current processes lacked automation
The Human Impact: “We’re going back to old school… manually entering invoices, which is actually kind of a pain,” the CFO explained. The company had grown through acquisitions, adding complexity to their procurement needs while maintaining outdated manual processes that didn’t scale with their expansion.
The problem wasn’t just administrative inefficiency – it was about supporting a growing team of field sales representatives who needed seamless access to procurement tools while maintaining proper approval controls and financial visibility from the central office.
Why Traditional Solutions Fell Short
The company had explored expense management solutions like Concur but quickly realized their needs extended far beyond simple travel expenses:
- Limited Multi-Entity Support: Difficulty managing procurement across different business units with separate tax IDs
- No Industry-Specific Features: Generic solutions couldn’t handle specialized requirements like weight-based measurements for recyclable materials
- Poor Integration Capabilities: Existing systems couldn’t connect with their specialized inventory management platform
- Inadequate Approval Workflows: No ability to customize approval paths for different types of purchases and user roles
- Manual Invoice Processing: No automation for vendor invoice submission and matching
The Procurement Express Solution
During their evaluation, the company discovered that Procurement Express was designed to handle their complex, multi-faceted requirements:
Seamless QuickBooks Integration with Multi-Entity Support
“Procurement Express and QuickBooks are constantly speaking to each other,” the demonstration revealed. The platform offered:
- Automatic synchronization of purchase orders, invoices, and payment status
- Support for multiple business entities under one platform
- Elimination of double data entry between systems
- Real-time financial data updates
Mobile-First Design for Distributed Teams
Critical for a company with sales teams across the country:
- Mobile App with Scan & Match: Sales reps could photograph receipts and automatically convert them into purchase orders
- Real-time Approval Notifications: Managers received instant notifications for approval requests
- Role-Based Access: Different user types (sales reps, administrators, approvers) saw customized interfaces based on their needs
Advanced Supplier Management
Instead of manual invoice processing, Procurement Express offered:
- Free Supplier Portal: Vendors could access the system at no cost to submit invoices and respond to purchase orders
- Automatic Invoice Matching: 97% accuracy in matching invoices to purchase orders
- Real-time Communication: Direct messaging between procurement teams and suppliers within the platform
Industry-Specific Customization
Recognizing the unique needs of the recycling industry:
- Custom Fields: Ability to add weight measurements (tons/pounds) and other specialized data fields
- Flexible PO Formatting: Replication of existing purchase order formats that integrated with their analytics systems
- API Integration Capabilities: Potential connection with their existing C-Trade inventory management system
Scalable User Management
Supporting their acquisition-driven growth strategy:
- Flexible user plans starting at 20 users with ability to scale
- Role-based permissions ensuring proper access controls
- Department-based budget management and approval workflows
Implementation Approach
Pricing Structure: Starting at $730/month for 20 users with full QuickBooks integration and custom onboarding included.
Onboarding Process: Premium onboarding service included system customization, user role configuration, and specialized training for different user types.
Integration Strategy: Custom API development to connect with existing C-Trade inventory system, maintaining current operational workflows while adding procurement automation.
Risk Mitigation: 60-day money-back guarantee allowing full evaluation of system capabilities before long-term commitment.
Projected Results and Impact
While the implementation was still in evaluation phase, the solution addressed their specific operational challenges:
Operational Efficiency
- Elimination of manual invoice entry through automated supplier portal
- Mobile accessibility for distributed sales teams
- Streamlined approval workflows reducing processing delays
- Custom formatting maintaining integration with existing analytics systems
Financial Control
- Multi-entity support for complex corporate structure
- Real-time visibility into spending across all locations and business units
- Automated invoice matching reducing accounting workload
- Integration with existing QuickBooks workflows
Scalability
- Platform designed to support acquisition-driven growth
- Flexible user management accommodating team expansion
- API integration capabilities for future system connections
Why Recycling and Processing Companies Choose Procurement Express
The recycling industry presents unique procurement challenges that generic solutions struggle to address:
- Specialized Measurements: Need for custom units (tons, pounds) and industry-specific formatting for materials procurement
- Distributed Operations: Field teams require mobile access while maintaining centralized financial control
- Complex Corporate Structures: Multi-entity businesses need separate tracking while maintaining operational efficiency
- Vendor Integration: Suppliers must be able to easily submit invoices and communicate about specialized material orders
- Existing System Integration: Must connect with industry-specific software like inventory management and analytics platforms
- Acquisition Growth: Rapidly expanding companies need scalable solutions that adapt to changing organizational structures
“We’re in the business of buying businesses right now,” the CFO noted. Procurement Express supported this growth strategy while maintaining the operational control and financial visibility essential for successful acquisitions.
The Bottom Line
For recycling and processing companies, procurement extends far beyond office supplies to include specialized materials, equipment, and services that directly impact operational capacity. This evaluation revealed that Procurement Express understood these industry-specific requirements while providing the scalability and integration capabilities necessary for acquisition-driven growth.
The platform’s combination of mobile accessibility, supplier portal automation, and custom integration capabilities offered a path from manual administrative burden to streamlined efficiency that could scale with rapid business expansion.
“A lot of what you want, we can do out of the box,” the Procurement Express team confirmed. For recycling companies managing similar operational complexity across distributed teams and multiple entities, this represents a comprehensive solution for procurement transformation.
