P2P transformation for a fitness leader

We cleaned up a multi-country fitness chain’s P2P by fixing five everyday snags with light process rules. First, we stopped off-contract buys by requiring POs above a low threshold and publishing approved suppliers and pricing lists. Second, we centralized invoice intake to one inbox and logging sheet so nothing went missing between clubs and countries. Third, we standardised a three-way match with small tolerances and a simple exception playbook so mismatches were resolved quickly. Fourth, we wrote a clear approval matrix by amount and category, set SLAs with escalation, and sent weekly nudges to unblock pending approvals. Fifth, we introduced a vendor onboarding checklist for VAT, IBAN, and contacts, plus a quarterly master-data tidy-up and a basic supplier comms cadence.

It mattered because processing stopped being a fire drill. Invoices arrived complete and referenced, first-pass matches increased, approvals moved on time, and suppliers got proactive updates instead of chasing. The chain reduced late fees, credit holds, and duplicate payments, gained tighter spend control across countries, and walked into audits with cleaner files and fewer exceptions.

Approach

1. 1

   Enforce PO use and publish approved suppliers and price lists

2. 2

   Centralise invoice intake to a single inbox and log

3. 3

   Standardise 3-way match with clear tolerances and playbook

4. 4

   Define approval matrix and SLAs with weekly nudges

5. 5

   Tighten vendor onboarding and quarterly master data clean-up