Jasbe automates invoice approvals across 56-site network

Jasbe Petroleum has deployed ProSpend to automate invoice and expense approvals across its 56 service stations as the fuel retailer processes more than 100,000 supplier invoices each year.

The company has implemented ProSpend's AP Automation and Expense Management modules to replace approval processes previously managed through email. The system provides centralised approval workflows, spending controls and digital audit trails across its service station network.

The change addresses timing gaps between site managers and head office staff. Jasbe's site managers typically work between 5am and 2pm, while head office payment approvals take place after 2pm. The different schedules previously made it difficult to resolve payment approvals after managers had finished their shifts.

Approval timing

"The service station retail industry is a 24/7 fast-paced business. All payments have to be approved on a very timely basis. Our site managers work between 5am and 2pm. Head office approves payment after 2pm. Without an online process, you can't get hold of managers - they've already left," said Steven Ho, Financial Controller, Jasbe Petroleum.

The previous process relied heavily on email for invoice approvals. This made it harder for finance staff to track the status of payments and determine where individual invoices were sitting in the approval process.

Manual handling also created risks around the routing of sensitive documents and the application of approval limits. Finance staff sometimes had to intervene directly to enforce spending policies when responsibilities or approval thresholds were unclear.

ProSpend routes invoices through an automated workflow based on Jasbe's Delegation of Authority. Approval limits are built into the system for store managers, area managers and head office personnel.

The controls cover approval thresholds of up to AUD $1 million. Supplier onboarding rules are also used to prevent unauthorised vendors from progressing through the payment process.

Spending controls

"We use ProSpend a lot for the approval process… setting approval limits for every store manager, every area manager and head office level. That can only be enforced effectively through an automated system," said Ho.

Each approval and related action is recorded in the platform, creating a digital audit trail. This allows finance staff and approvers to review how invoices moved through the organisation and identify the people involved in each decision.

Jasbe said urgent invoices can now be cleared within hours rather than days. The company also estimates that the resulting efficiency gains are equivalent to an additional full-time staff member within the finance function.

The digital records have changed how the company handles audits. Finance staff can retrieve approval histories from a central system rather than reconstructing records from emails and other sources.

Managers can also see their individual approval authority and when a transaction needs to be escalated to another level.

"It gives clarity in terms of what you can and can't do. It also takes away unwanted arguments because the finance team don't make the rules - they just implement them," said Ho.

Payment history

The system gives approvers access to supplier and invoice histories when assessing payments. This provides a record of previous invoices associated with a supplier and the actions taken during the approval process.

The capability is intended to give staff more information when they encounter an invoice requiring additional scrutiny. It also provides finance teams with a central record that can be used for internal reviews and audit requirements.

The deployment covers Jasbe's wider spend workflow, combining accounts payable automation with expense management. Policy controls are applied within the workflow rather than being checked manually by finance staff after spending decisions have been made.

Jasbe operates in a retail environment where service stations remain open around the clock while staff and managers work different shifts. Its invoice volume and distributed network require payment decisions to move between individual sites and head office.

"When you are in doubt with a payment, you click on that supplier and see the invoices presented for payment. You have the whole history trail there," said Ho.