Checking electrical wholesaler invoices
An electrical wholesaler invoice is dozens of small lines at contract prices and a few big ones: cable runs and switchboards.
Who you buy from, and how it's billed
A cable price a few cents a metre over is easy to miss on one line, and it's charged on every metre.
- Electrical wholesalers
- Most lines, at your account's contract or net prices rather than the trade list, often from a price file the wholesaler updates through the year.
- Cable
- Priced per metre, sold cut to length or by the roll or drum, at prices that can move with the price of copper.
- Conduit and accessories
- Conduit in lengths, and fittings, saddles and glands each or by the pack.
- Switchgear and fit-off
- Breakers, RCBOs, switchboards, power points, lights and fans, each.
- Access hire
- Scissor lifts and other platforms by the day or week.
What CostCode checks, and from when
Anything it can't check yet shows as Unverified, with the reason. It's never marked as fine. Why a line is unverified
From your first invoice
The same invoice twice, GST over ten per cent, or no ABN on a tax invoice.
Once a supplier has billed you a few times
A price up on what you've paid before
Checked, for you onlyFor an item with no agreed price, once there are three earlier prices for it from the wholesaler, a price up on them holds the invoice for you. What you've paid before is never put to the wholesaler.
Once your prices are in
Import each supplier's price list from a spreadsheet or a PDF, or let CostCode suggest one from invoices you've already uploaded, for you to confirm.
Cable above your contract price per metre
CheckedEvery line against your agreed price, compared to four decimal places, with the difference worked out across every metre billed.Cable billed per roll when you agreed per metre
CheckedHeld as billed in a different unit. Billed per drum, a unit CostCode doesn't recognise, the line shows as Unverified rather than guessing how long the drum is.Conduit or fittings per pack against a price each
Asks you firstA pack can hold any number, so the line shows as Unverified, asking how many are in one. Conduit billed per length against a price each is compared on price, and anything over is kept for you until you confirm it's the same item.A quantity break not given
CheckedIf your price list has quantity breaks (a lower price from 500 metres, say), each line is checked against the break its quantity reaches.A new price file billed from the wrong date
CheckedLoad each new price list with the date it starts, and every invoice is checked against the one in force on its own date.Freight, small-order fees and card surcharges
CheckedChecked against the charge you agreed. With nothing agreed, the line shows as Unverified, with the reason.
A worked example, made up
Sample Electrical Wholesale (made up)
SAMPLE-4418
Held$55.00
| Item | Amount | Your prices |
|---|---|---|
| 2.5mm² twin and earth TPS cable500 M × $1.95 | $975.00 | Above the agreed rate$55.00 over |
| Above the agreed rate. Agreed $1.84 per metre on the price list from 1 Jul 2026 | ||
500 metres at $1.95 against an agreed $1.84 per metre is $55.00 over (5.98%). That's at least $25 and 3%, the default floors, so the invoice is held.
A few cents a metre is easy to read past on one line. It's charged on every metre, and on a long run it's past both floors.
At the same price on 100 metres, the line would be $11.00 over (5.98%): more than 3% but under $25, so it wouldn't be held.
What CostCode doesn't check
- Copper or metal price adjustments. CostCode doesn't track metal prices. It checks cable against the price list you loaded, so load the new one when your prices change.
- Whether the cable or gear billed is what was delivered or installed.
- Credits for returned stock. A credit line isn't price-checked.
Questions
We buy at contract prices from a wholesaler. Can CostCode check them?
Yes. Load the wholesaler's price file or your contract price list from a spreadsheet or a PDF, and each line is checked against it. If you don't have one, CostCode can suggest prices from invoices you've already paid, for you to tick. A price built that way is checked against, but never quoted to the wholesaler until they've confirmed it.
What about cable prices that change with copper?
CostCode doesn't track copper. When your cable prices change, load the new price list with the date it starts, and each invoice is checked against the prices in force on its date.
Will it query the wholesaler for us?
Not by itself. Supplier email starts off, so CostCode writes the query, quoting only your agreed price, for you to copy into your own email. Nothing reaches a supplier unless someone in your team sends it.
Got a supplier invoice handy? Check it now.
About ten seconds. No account. We don't keep the file.
Or start free: 20 invoices a month, no card