EDI Solutions

TEAM's EDI Solutions provide you with a complete cost-effective system for utility invoice processing, enabling you to receive bills electronically directly from your utility supplier. Invoices are checked and validated, and can be automatically processed into a Monitoring & Targeting database such as TEAM Sigma.

What is EDI?

EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) is computer-to-computer communication of structural data that allows automatic electronic processing without manual intervention. EDI is the ultimate solution for paperless trading and effective control of utility consumption and costs.

TEAM EDI Solutions are designed to accommodate the commonly used TRADACOMS 26 v3 industry standard, which is recognised as HM Revenue & Customs Approved for compiling VAT reports. It will also support the proposed new xml based GS1xml standard.

Energy Managers across all sectors of commerce, industry, and government use EDI. Large organisations receive hundreds, if not thousands of utility invoices each year. Without EDI, these invoices pass through a process of checking, manual data entry and payment that is both cost and resource intensive.

TEAM EDI consists of the following two components:

• Sigma BBC (Bulk Bill Checker)

• Sigma Accounts Link

Sigma BBC allows easy management of EDI utility invoices by reading EDI messages sent from utility suppliers into the TEAM Sigma database thus removing the need for manual bill entry.

It can accept utility supplier data in GS1 UK* billing standards, for maximum confidence in data transmission security. Sigma BBC is an automated system for the detailed checking of bills and not only reduces resources required to process bills, but also ensures that only valid bills are paid. The software can form part of an HM Revenue & Customs approved process for VAT records. It enables you to browse EDI files and drill down to information contained in an individual bill.

TEAM Sigma BBC includes an innovative validation system with the following benefits:

Data Validators - TEAM have developed a unique system for data validation that allows the user to either utilise standard validation methods or create bespoke validation criteria. Standard data validation of an EDI file of bulk bills includes:

• Meter reading concurrency

• Contract rate changes

• Consumption tolerance charges

• Validate bill to hf data

• Concurrent estimate check

• Recalculation of the constituent parts of a bill and checking against declared value

Data is more accessible - The system allows the user to validate in real time. This provides flexible quality reports that can be produced in bulk across the database at any time and then re-validates invoices at a later date.

More control and visibility of supplier and contract details (MPAN's, MPRN's) - The user can create validation parameters on all supply contract details. Invoices can be validated against supplier names, meter references, contract duration periods and contract cost rates.

*For further information about GS1 UK standards please visit their website on www.gs1uk.org

This is an innovative interface module that allows the validated utility billing data to be transferred automatically to third party financial accounting software e.g. Oracle, SAP, JD Edwards, Agresso, SAGE.

This automation offers the following advantages:

• Saves time and costs by removing duplication of manual data entry

• Improves accuracy by eliminating manual data entry errors

• Ensures invoices are paid on time by shortening the billing cycle and reducing late payment fees

• Provides full integration with financial systems for better accounts payable management

Reporting

A wide range of reports is available including:

• VAT Reports - VAT rules apply where EDI files are used as the primary payment method. When using HM Revenue and Customs approved formats i.e. TRADACOMS, BBC creates a VAT summary which can be used for VAT recording purposes.

• Batch/Bill statistics

• Invoice Reports

• Batch Summaries

Key Benefits

With EDI you can process and validate billing data in a fraction of the time usually taken for manual entry, thus reducing costs.

 This includes everything from retrieval of the EDI message, bill checking and validation, to automatic population of accounts payable and M&T systems.

• Reduces administration time and costs

• Real cost savings made through bill checking and validation

• Increased level of visibility, accessibility and depth of data

• Improves accuracy by eliminating manual data entry errors

• Promotion of a paperless environment

Why use TEAM

TEAM are actively working in partnership with all utility companies who offer EDI billing information.

We can help you through every stage of setting up and implementing an integrated EDI system. TEAM also offers full maintenance and support to ensure your EDI system can adapt to supplier changes or changes to the EDI messages they send. This includes a regular software upgrade at no extra charge, to ensure you benefit from the latest developments in EDI technology.

Customer Quote

“Two hundred and fifty invoices used to take at least 2 man days to key into the database, validate and process for payments. Now a single monthly payment is processed and the database loading is performed automatically in only 10 minutes." TEAM User, Telecommunications Industry