Recovering € Millions in Overpayments Missed by ERP Controls

Overview

This European headquartered pharmaceutical giant is a long-term client of apexanalytix. Their recent audit results highlight the limitations of transaction-level ERP controls.
   
During the latest audit period, apexanalytix reviewed €28.6bn in spend across more than 2 million invoices and over 60,000 vendors. Despite established ERP and internal controls, our AP Recovery Audit identified and returned almost 2,000 overpayments during the period.
 

Solution: Recovering overpayments missed by ERP controls

More than half of all recoveries were identified through the Statement Review and would have been invisible to the organisation’s transaction-level controls.
 
Among these, the most common causes included payments for cancelled invoices, contracts or services and payments for returned goods that had not been reconciled. These issues are common among large organisations, as seen in the apexanalytix 2026 Overpayment Report, Europe. They demonstrate that overpayments persist even in mature AP environments, driven by decentralised operations, errors in credit processing, and breakdowns in cross-functional communication.
 

World-class expertise, supported by powerful data and innovative AI

apexanalytix’s strength in Statement Review is driven by our 280m+ Supplier Golden Records, which provide insight into the right contact, preferred format, and optimal timing for supplier engagement.
 
We enhance this with AI embedded throughout our Recovery Audit process. AI helps us focus on the transactions most likely to contain errors, improve supplier response rates, review statements more efficiently, and automatically follow up when information is missing.
 
This intelligence helps our recovery specialists uncover additional credits and recovery opportunities beyond the initial statement. While AI helps organize and streamline the process, our specialists lead clear, structured outreach with suppliers to validate findings and resolve issues efficiently. This balanced approach drives stronger recoveries while maintaining positive supplier relationships.
 

Key Statistics

• €28.6bn spend analyzed
• 2m invoices in scope
• 60,000 vendors reviewed