Automating utility bill management for a global real estate services firm
10,000+ utility accounts · $500M+ annual spend · 6 countries · 9 views
Where things stood
A global real estate services firm managed more than 10,000 utility accounts with over $500M of annual spend across six countries.
Utility bill management was complex and resource-heavy: a large in-house operations team and vendor-managed technology drove high overheads and error-prone manual processes, while a lack of centralised data led to double-handling across AP, finance, procurement and sustainability teams.
What we put in place
An automated, fully integrated utility bill management system was implemented.
A white-labelled customer portal provided dashboards, reports, contracts and accrual summaries. Automated invoice processing handled acquisition, data extraction, validation and issue resolution using market and grid data.
A two-way integration with the ERP enabled straight-through processing for Accounts Payable — including payment approvals and remittances — and a sustainability integration enabled emissions calculations and reporting.
How we delivered
The project paired onshore regional leadership with an offshore implementation partner, using an agile methodology.
It audited ten years of historical data for migration, developed SOPs for business-as-usual support, and implemented a phased handover and training strategy with strict SLAs — 24–48 hour turnarounds for collection, parsing and issue resolution, plus a 99% platform uptime target.
Outcomes that matter
- Over $750,000 per annum in savings
- Internal payment-processing costs reduced by at least 60%
- Total elimination of late-payment penalties
- Significant reduction in the headcount required to manage AP
- 100% automation of key reports
- Centralised portfolio visibility for data-driven decisions
“A managed, integrated platform replaced fragmented manual processes — delivering measurable savings, eliminating late penalties and giving every team a single, trusted view of utility data.”
See how much time and spend you can reclaim
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