Avance

e-Bill Central Buying System

We have developed a special-purpose billing system that provides a major benefit to members of Beacon, the central buying scheme launched by Best Western Hotels for its franchisees.

At present, there are over 200 suppliers on the Beacon system selling to more than 2,000 members. All purchase information is passed to the central e-Bill system, which consolidates invoices and payments, reconciles them with vendor ledgers, and crucially generates a single monthly invoice to members.

The system currently simplifies approximately 45,000 monthly bills, saving considerable administrative resources for both Beacon and its members.

Background

Central buying schemes are blossoming as the Internet makes member acquisition and product information distribution inexpensive and quick.

Growth in the number of buyers and sellers interacting through group purchase schemes has resulted in an explosive growth in the complexity of monthly invoicing, with the associated query and dispute resolution that associates that.