Procure to pay (P2P)
The buyer's side of the transaction: requesting and purchasing goods, receiving them, then matching and paying the supplier's invoice.
Procure to pay is your customer's process. Their purchase requisition becomes a purchase order, goods or services are received, and the invoice is matched against both before accounts payable schedules payment.
Understanding it helps AR teams get paid. Invoices that don't match the buyer's PO or receiving records go on hold in the AP queue, and many buyers require invoices to arrive through a specific portal or format.
Related terms
- Purchase order (PO)A buyer-issued document authorizing a purchase at agreed quantities and prices. Many buyers won't pay an invoice that doesn't reference a valid PO.
- Three-way matchAn accounts payable control that checks an invoice against the purchase order and the receiving record before approving it for payment.
- AP portalA buyer-run website, such as Coupa, Ariba or a retailer's own system, where suppliers must submit invoices and track their status to get paid.
- Accounts payable (AP)Money a business owes its suppliers for goods or services it has received but not yet paid for. Your invoice sits in your customer's accounts payable.