Introduction
Efficiently managing purchase invoices from subcontractors is vital in transport operations. Qargo provides flexible options for handling these invoices, whether received as spreadsheets containing charges and costs or as more traditional invoice files. This article looks at how to process information and generate a billing proposal using spreadsheet data.
A common use case for this feature is when subcontractors submit large volumes of charges in a spreadsheet, and transport companies need to quickly reconcile, validate, and convert these into official purchase invoices within Qargo.
Key Terminology
Purchase Invoice: An invoice received from a supplier or subcontractor requesting payment for goods or services provided.
Billing Proposal: A preliminary document summarising charges and trips, which can be reviewed, modified, and converted into a purchase invoice.
Spreadsheet Template: A pre-defined table format provided by Qargo, into which subcontractor charges are pasted for reconciliation.
Reference Number/Trip Reference: A unique identifier for each transport job or trip, used to match subcontractor charges with orders in Qargo.
Scan and Match: Qargo's feature for matching spreadsheet data to existing records using specified columns (such as reference number and charge amount).
Self Bill: An automated invoice generated and sent to a subcontractor, often used where the company prepares invoices on the supplier's behalf.
Summary overview
For purchase invoices, the “Upload spreadsheet” flow works as a paste-into-the-grid flow, rather than physically uploading a .csv/.xlsx file
Steps
Go to Purchase invoices and start creating a new draft billing proposal.
Choose the option to upload spreadsheet / add data from spreadsheet.
In the supplier’s spreadsheet, select the table range (incl. headers) and copy it.
Click into the template grid in Qargo and paste (Ctrl/Cmd + V).
Select the columns Qargo should use for matching, at minimum:
the job/order reference column, and
the charge/cost amount column
Review matches and resolve any unmatched lines.
SAVE billing proposal.
Good to know
The minimum required info for matching is “job reference + charges/costs”.
Avoid empty lines in what you paste, because it can cause issues when saving.
Steps for Workflow
Navigate to Purchase Invoices Go to the main menu and select the 'Invoices' section, followed by 'Purchase Invoice'.
Create a New Purchase Invoice Click on 'Create Purchase Invoice' and choose the 'Draft Billing Proposal' option.
Obtain and Prepare the Spreadsheet Template When prompted, copy your subcontractor charge data into the provided spreadsheet template. You can either copy entire tables or specific rows depending on your data structure.
Specify Data Structure Indicate whether the first row is a header by toggling the relevant switch. This helps the system treat columns correctly during scanning.
Identify Matching Criteria Select the columns representing the reference number (e.g., 'Trip Reference') and the charge amount. These will be used for matching spreadsheet lines to jobs in Qargo.
Filter Relevant Columns Use the toggle to show only necessary columns for easier validation.
Complete Required Details Fill out additional fields marked as required—such as payment terms, purchase reference, and company.
Validate Matches and Create Billing Proposal Review how Qargo matches your spreadsheet data with its records, shown in a matching summary. Confirm and save to create a draft billing proposal.
Review and Adjust Validate that all trips and charges are correct. Add missing charges if needed, then finalise your draft.
Take Next Actions From the draft proposal, actions such as creating a self bill, uploading invoice documents, or sending the proposal for approval can be performed.
Convert to Invoice When ready, convert the billing proposal into a purchase invoice. You can also upload supporting documents to attach to the invoice.
Additional Use Case Examples
A carrier receives an end-of-month consolidated spreadsheet from a subcontractor covering dozens of individual trips. Using the scan and match feature, all trips are checked against Qargo orders, ensuring no missing or duplicate charges before confirming the purchase invoice.
A finance team processes a subcontractor’s emailed spreadsheet with custom rates and surcharges. They quickly paste this data into Qargo’s template, use the matching summary to validate charges, and then directly attach the scanned supplier invoice for audit purposes.
In scenarios where a subcontractor submits an incorrect invoice, operations staff create a billing proposal first to review and correct amounts before moving to formal invoicing, reducing disputes and improving payment timings.
This structured workflow within Qargo streamlines purchase invoice handling, reduces manual error risk, and accelerates payment cycles with subcontractors.