Most organisations don’t have a cash problem — they have a cash flow problem, and accounts payable sits right at the centre of it. Every invoice processed late, every missed discount, every duplicate payment is money that could have funded growth instead. This training course from the Arab British Fellowship Training Academy treats accounts payable not as back-office paperwork, but as one of the clearest levers a business has for freeing up working capital.

Drawing on documented strategies and tactics from leading companies — what worked and what didn’t — the course benchmarks your organisation’s performance against industry leaders and equips participants to fund growth, cut costs, and improve service levels through better cash management.

Who Should Attend?

• Finance executives, accountants, and accounts payable managers, supervisors, and staff.
• Accounts receivable managers, revenue accountants, and billing or collection officers.
• Anyone working within the accounts payable process, or looking to build a practical toolkit alongside their existing technical skills.

Programme Objectives

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Explain how accounts payable connects to the supply chain and overall cash flow.
• Work with the integrated systems behind purchase orders, inventory control, and the general ledger.
• Manage cash and working capital effectively to reduce costs and improve cash flow.
• Factor risk and uncertainty into accounts payable analysis, and benchmark against best practice used by leading companies worldwide.

Module 1: Core Accounts Payable Processes

• Setting up and managing new supplier accounts.
• Invoice handling and vendor file management.
• Journals, prepayments, and accruals.

Module 2: Controls, Compliance, and Avoiding Errors

• Internal checks and controls: preventing and detecting error and fraud.
• Spotting mistakes early and avoiding duplicate payments.
• Introduction to VAT, non-deductible items, and processing pro-forma invoices.

Module 3: Reconciliation and Cost Recovery

• Performing supplier statement reconciliations.
• Reviewing the aged creditors listing.
• Reclaiming credit notes, rebates, overpayments, and claiming settlement discounts.

Module 4: Cash Flow, Budgets, and Forecasting

• Cash forecasting and cash management.
• Managing budgets and maximising supplier discounts.
• Monitoring costs and the difference between capital and revenue expenditure.

Module 5: Working With Auditors and the Wider Business

• The accounting environment and where accounts payable fits within it.
• The role of auditors and how to prepare for their visit.
• Communications and customer relations across departments.

Module 6: Achieving and Sustaining Best Practice

• What "best practice" actually looks like in accounts payable.
• Payment solutions used by leading organisations.
• Building a plan to keep improving after the course ends.