FFA

 The Operation Officer (Freight Forwarder) will need to create a payment request for supplier invoices after services such as air freight, airline charges, or agent services have been purchased, so that the Finance Department can process and execute the payment to the suppliers in a systematic way.

 

Functional Description

The system should allow the Operation Officer to create a Payment Request for invoices received from suppliers for services rendered during freight forwarding operations.

The process should follow a structured workflow including invoice selection, managerial approval, automatic document generation, finance processing, and payment status tracking.

The system should also include notification alerts and a monitoring dashboard to ensure visibility in the payment process.

 

Acceptance Criteria

1. Supplier Selection

• The system shall provide a dropdown list of registered suppliers.
• The Operation Officer must select a supplier before creating a payment request.

 

2. Invoice Selection

• The system shall display all outstanding invoices linked to the selected supplier.
• The Operation Officer shall be able to select one or multiple invoices to include in the payment request.

The system should display the following invoice information:

• Invoice Reference
• Invoice Date
• Invoice Amount
• Currency
• Shipment / File Reference

 

3. Payment Request Creation

• The user shall be able to create a payment request based on the selected invoices.
• The system should automatically generate a unique Payment Request ID.
• The initial status of the request should be ‘Pending Approval’.

 

4. Approval Workflow

• The payment request must be approved by a ‘Manager’ before being sent to Finance.
• The Manager shall have the option to:

·         Approve the request

·         Reject the request

• If rejected:

·         The request shall be returned to the Operation Officer

·         The Manager must provide comments / reason for rejection.

 

5. Automatic PDF Generation

Once the request is approved, the system shall automatically generate a Payment Request PDF document.

The PDF should include:

• Payment Request ID
• Supplier Name
• List of Invoice References
• Invoice Amounts
• Total Payment Amount
• Currency
• Requested By
• Approved By
• Date of Request
• Shipment / File Reference (if applicable)

 

6. Submission to Finance Department

• After approval, the system shall automatically forward the payment request to the Finance Department.
• Finance users should be able to view all approved payment requests awaiting payment.

 

7. Payment Processing by Finance

The Finance Department shall have the ability to:

• Mark the payment request as PAID
• Insert the payment date
• Upload supporting payment evidence, such as:

·         Bank transfer confirmation

·         Payment receipt

·         Remittance advice

 

8. Payment Status Tracking

The system should maintain a clear payment status workflow, including:

• Pending Approval
• Rejected
• Approved
• Sent to Finance
• Paid
• IN PROGRESS
• AWAITING APPROVAL
• APPROVED/REJECTED
• PAYMENT EFFECTED

9. Visibility for Operation Officer

The Operation Officer shall have full visibility of the payment request status, including:

• Current payment status
• Approval status
• Payment date
• Uploaded payment evidence

 

10. Email Notifications

The system should automatically send email notifications during the stages of the process.

Notifications should include:

• Manager Notification

When a payment request is submitted and awaiting approval.

• Finance Notification

When a payment request has been approved and sent to Finance.

• Operation Officer Notification

When the payment request is marked as PAID.

 

11. Payment Monitoring Dashboard

The system should provide a dashboard to monitor supplier payments, displaying information such as:

• Pending Approval Requests
• Approved Requests awaiting Finance action
• Paid Requests
• Outstanding Supplier Payments

The dashboard should allow users to filter by supplier, date, and payment status.