Billing And Progress Invoice Trigger
This policy defines the mandatory gates, automated trigger conditions, and escalation workflow for generating progress invoices on milestone-based projects. All project managers, finance staff, and department leads must comply with the trigger criteria and approval sequence outlined herein.
The Billing And Progress Invoice Trigger policy governs the automated generation of interim invoices tied to project milestone completions. It replaces ad-hoc billing requests with a deterministic, audit-ready process that reduces revenue leakage and accelerates cash flow. The policy applies to all fixed-fee, time-and-materials, and hybrid contracts where progress billing has been contractually agreed.
Trigger criteria are evaluated every 24 hours by the integrated billing engine. Only when all three mandatory gates — milestone completion percentage, cost variance tolerance, and client acceptance — are simultaneously satisfied will a progress invoice be created and dispatched. Any deviation triggers a manual review workflow with defined escalation paths.
This policy applies to all project-based revenue streams managed under the corporate project portfolio, including capital projects, retainer-based deliverables, and milestone-driven service contracts. It is mandatory for project managers, finance officers, billing administrators, and departmental directors who oversee project P&L.
Exclusions: Time-and-materials contracts billed strictly on a monthly arrears basis are exempt from the milestone trigger, though they must still follow the cost verification gate. Any contract modification that introduces progress billing must reference this policy by name.
- Milestone Completion Threshold: A milestone is considered trigger-ready only when the project management system records ≥85% completion and the associated deliverables have passed internal QA review. No manual override is permitted below 75% without director-level sign-off.
- Cost Variance Tolerance: The ratio of actual logged costs (labour + materials + subcontractor) to the milestone budget must be ≤1.10. If the variance exceeds 10%, the invoice is held and a cost-recovery plan must be submitted by the project manager within 3 business days.
- Client Acceptance Sign-off: A formal acceptance record must exist in the CRM — either a digital signature, a verified email, or a portal acknowledgement. Verbal approvals must be followed by written confirmation within 24 hours or the trigger will not fire.
- Automated Dispatch: When all three gates are green, the finance system generates the progress invoice and sends it via the client’s preferred channel (email, client portal, or EDI). The dispatch is logged with a unique trigger ID for audit trail purposes.
- Project Manager: Ensures milestone completion data is accurate and up-to-date in the project management system. Initiates the QA review and submits cost-recovery plans when variance gates are breached.
- Finance Officer / Billing Admin: Monitors the trigger queue daily, reviews manual override requests, and reconciles dispatched invoices against the project budget. Escalates any trigger anomaly to the Director of Finance.
- Director of Projects / Operations: Authorizes manual overrides for milestone completion below 75%, approves cost variance exceptions above 10%, and signs off on any client acceptance disputes.
- Sales / Account Manager: Maintains the client acceptance record in the CRM and ensures that sign-off documentation is complete and compliant with contractual terms.