Construction solution

Invoice processing for construction and installation companies on Exact Online

In construction, the complexity is not in scanning but in the rules: instalment invoices, material vs labor lines, reverse-charge VAT, project cost coding, chain liability. Glimps automates that layer without disrupting the Exact Online flow.

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AP cockpit
Live overview
Construction & installation
Typical bottleneck
Project + cost coding

Not the supplier or amount — finding the right project and cost object is where time disappears.

Main control
Reverse-charge VAT

Subcontractors fall under reverse-charge VAT. Wrong codes lead to immediate tax adjustments.

Goal
Project owner decides

Route invoices directly to the project lead or planner — not to finance who then needs to chase context.

Benchmark: Ardent Partners (2024) reported $9.40 average cost per invoice, 9.15 days processing time, 32.6% straight-through processing. Source

Context

How invoice processing looks in construction & installation

In Dutch construction, invoice processing is not an administrative afterthought — it is a nexus where project finance, tax risk, and operational tempo intersect. A typical SMB construction firm processes 200–1,500 supplier invoices per month across dozens of active projects and hundreds of suppliers. Material suppliers, freelance subcontractors, plant hire, transport, permits — every invoice carries a project reference, cost category, and VAT context that must be exact to steer per-project margin.

The fiscal dimension makes construction unique. Reverse-charge VAT shifts VAT remittance from subcontractor to main contractor for hired labor. At the same time, chain liability for payroll taxes creates the risk that the main contractor becomes liable for unpaid payroll tax of the subcontractor. G-accounts, indemnity decisions, and WKA statements are the standard instruments to manage that risk — and every subcontractor invoice must be tested against current WKA status before payment is released.

On top of that comes the structure of the contract sum: down-payment, instalments tied to milestones, final balance after delivery, plus variations billed separately. Every instalment is a separate invoice that must align with the original contract. Without smart automation this costs every project team hours per week — and mistakes feed directly into wrong project forecasts.

Glimps automates the coding and validation of purchase invoices specifically for this context. Line-level AI extraction, VAT regime detection, contract and milestone matching, and routing to the project lead rather than finance. Result: construction firms can process 80% or more of their purchase invoices touchlessly, while preserving fiscal and project control.

Does this match your situation?

Where this solution fits — and where it doesn't

Good fit
  • You process invoices from subcontractors, suppliers, and freelancers with reverse-charge VAT.
  • Projects and cost codes are the norm — every invoice must be linked to a project.
  • You work with instalment invoices, milestones, or staggered billing for long-running projects.
Less relevant
  • You don't use projects or cost objects in Exact Online.
  • You mainly process simple stand-alone invoices without project context.

Process design

From intake to controlled posting

Glimps handles the routine so finance can focus on the exceptions — not the data entry.

01

1. Receive invoice

Glimps captures supplier, project reference, VAT regime, material and labor lines from PDF and scan.

02

2. Determine project and cost code

A coding proposal is generated from the project reference, supplier, and historical bookings.

03

3. Approval to project lead

The project lead sees only what they need to review — no finance friction in between.

04

4. Post to Exact Online

Approved invoices post directly with VAT codes, project, and cost object included.

Where things get stuck

The real value is in the exceptions

High-volume AP automation only pays off when it is clear what can flow through safely — and what must be reviewed by a human.

Focused on exceptions, not data entry

Instalments and milestones

On large construction projects the contract sum is split into down-payment, instalments, and final balance. Each instalment must match the milestone actually reached — a check carried out by the project lead, supported by a good AP flow that surfaces invoice context.

Material vs labor

The split drives both posting and VAT treatment. Materials may fall under standard rate, subcontractor labor often under reverse charge. Glimps detects this at line level so the right coding follows automatically.

Chain liability and G-accounts

When you hire subcontractors you risk being held liable for unpaid payroll taxes. G-accounts, indemnity decisions, and WKA statements mitigate this risk. Tracking these documents and their validity is an administrative task separate from invoice processing itself.

Different project phases

A project moves through bid, tender, execution, and delivery. Cost types, suppliers, and coding vary per phase — a structured project administration in Exact Online or a linked tool makes it possible to post every invoice to the right phase.

Variations and change orders

Contractors often bill variations separately from the main contract. For sound administration, variations must link to a previously approved change order — without that document, the invoice should not be auto-approved but validated by the project lead.

CROW, RAW and specification codes

Infrastructure construction uses RAW methodology and CROW publications. Work and cost items have specific codes that must reach the books, typically linked via project and cost-object structures in Exact Online.

Deep dive

Reverse-charge VAT for construction subcontractors

Reverse-charge VAT is the most important fiscal exception in Dutch construction — wrong application leads to immediate tax adjustments.

Under article 24a of the Dutch VAT Act, VAT on subcontractor and labor-hire activities is remitted by the main contractor, not the subcontractor. The subcontractor invoices VAT-exclusive with "BTW verlegd" mentioned. The main contractor declares VAT as both payable and deductible. Net effect zero — but visibility of this construction is legally required.

The rule applies to subcontracting in construction, shipbuilding, cleaning, and ICT (specific cases). Most common in SMB construction: hiring a freelance electrician, painter, roofer, or plasterer for a specific job within a larger project. Material supplies do not fall under reverse charge, even from the same supplier — which is why splitting material and labor at line level is crucial.

Glimps detects reverse-charge invoices via a combination of signals: supplier type (freelancer, sole proprietorship, primarily labor), invoice text ("BTW verlegd", "verleggingsregeling artikel 24a"), 0% VAT with proper labeling, prior bookings for the same supplier, and industry classification. In doubt — e.g. a mixed invoice (material + labor) that shows no split — Glimps blocks the booking and routes to finance for review.

Fiscal impact of wrong application is concrete: a tax adjustment claims the 21% VAT plus penalty plus interest. An average builder with 100 reverse-charge invoices per month at €5,000 each carries €60,000 of reverse-charge VAT monthly — a few-percent error already leads to thousands of euros in corrections per quarter. Automated detection and blocking on uncertainty pays back quickly.

Deep dive

Instalments, milestones, and the contract sum

A €1M contract sum gets billed across 5–15 instalments. Every instalment must match the milestone actually reached.

In the Netherlands, construction works with an aanneemsom — a pre-agreed total project amount. That sum is rarely paid in one go. A typical split for a new residential build: 10% on contract, 18% at first floor, 28% at wind/watertight, 32% at delivery minus 5% retention, 7% on final acceptance. Commercial and infrastructure construction often have more and more complex milestones.

For the main contractor this means every instalment invoice must be checked on three dimensions: is the milestone actually reached, does the percentage match the contract, and is the cumulative amount under the aanneemsom? A subcontractor billing 35% when the milestone justifies only 28%, or cumulatively billing 110% after unapproved variations — that must surface immediately.

For the main contractor, the challenge is to test every instalment invoice against the original contract and the reached milestone. That is not work for finance — finance does not know the project — but for the project lead who knows what has actually been delivered on site. A good AP flow therefore routes instalment invoices to the project lead with the contract and prior instalments as context, so the decision takes seconds.

Variations are billed separately and must always be linkable to a previously approved change order. Without that document a variation invoice cannot be automatically approved — it routes to the project lead to either approve the variation retroactively or reject the invoice. The more explicitly change orders are documented in the project system, the faster the linkage can be made.

Concrete exceptions

How Glimps handles the cases that would otherwise stall

Scenario 1

Subcontractor invoice without reverse-charge code

What Glimps checks

Supplier type, chamber-of-commerce ID, prior bookings, invoice text, and industry classification.

Action

Block until VAT regime is confirmed by finance.

Scenario 2

Instalment invoice that does not match the expected milestone

What Glimps checks

Supplier, project reference, and prior instalments for the same project.

Action

Route to project lead for milestone check before approval.

Scenario 3

Invoice without project reference

What Glimps checks

Supplier history, date, delivery moment, open orders, and email route.

Action

Suggest a project from patterns, or send to project lead for assignment.

Scenario 4

Material and labor lines not split

What Glimps checks

Invoice description, semantic class per line, prior bookings from the same supplier.

Action

Propose split and route to project lead for approval.

Scenario 5

Variation invoice without visible change-order reference

What Glimps checks

Invoice text and prior bookings for the same project.

Action

Route to project lead for manual linkage or rejection.

Software ecosystem

How Glimps fits in your software stack

Glimps works natively with Exact Online. For construction specifically, the Project and Cost Object modules are essential — Glimps uses these as the canonical source for project references, cost categories, and approval routes. All invoice lines are posted with project plus cost object, with direct sync to Exact without export-import middleware.

For construction firms running their full project administration in Exact Online, project leads see relevant context directly from the ERP at approval: which project, which phase, which budget. If you use a separate project management tool or Excel-based project admin alongside Exact Online, the minimal project data in Exact Online is enough for Glimps to match against — contact us for advice on your specific setup.

Fiscal registration (VAT codes, supplier type, WKA status) stays synced with Exact master data. On changes — a renewed WKA statement or a change in supplier VAT regime — Glimps updates supplier master data directly. No more loose Excel with expiration dates or paper WKA folders.

Business case

What it delivers for construction & installation

Scenario

SMB construction firm with 800 invoices/month, 12 active projects, 4 project leads, and 1.5 FTE finance.

Manual time per invoice5–8 minutes incl. project coding
Time per invoice with Glimps30 seconds for exceptions
Monthly time saved~80 hours (1 FTE finance equivalent)
Annual time saved~960 hours
Prevented reverse-charge errors (avg)€8,000–€15,000/year
Glimps Professional + PO add-on€298/mo = €3,576/yr
Net annual savings, year 1€45,000–€60,000
Payback

Payback typically within 4–6 weeks. From month 2 onward, Glimps delivers pure net return — and the time saved is redeployable for project analysis and margin steering rather than manual data entry.

Exact Online setup checklist

The prerequisites to get this solution into production.

  • Projects and cost objects active in Exact Online.
  • Subcontractors flagged for reverse-charge VAT in master data.
  • Approval matrix per project or project lead documented.
  • G-account status and WKA documents administered.

What Glimps automates for you

The concrete parts of the process Glimps takes off your hands.

  • Suggest project and cost code at line level based on patterns and history.
  • Recognize and apply reverse-charge VAT.
  • Route to the right project lead with invoice context.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Specific questions about this solution for construction & installation.

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Yes. Glimps detects the VAT regime from supplier type, invoice text, and historical bookings, and applies the correct VAT code. The reverse-charge rule is automatically recognized for hired labor and subcontracting.

Instalments are linked to the original contract so overruns are immediately visible. The project lead sees current state at approval including total paid, open contract value, and reached milestones.

Yes. Routes can vary per project, project lead, cost category, or amount. For SMB construction firms a simple matrix per project lead is often enough; larger contractors use advanced matrices by cost category.

Yes. The semantic extraction works regardless of sub-sector; specific coding per sub-sector can be refined via supplier rules and project settings in Exact Online.

Glimps works natively with the project and cost-object module of Exact Online. Projects, cost codes, and approval matrices set up in Exact Online are directly recognized and used during processing. For specific construction PM software on top of Exact Online: contact us for your setup.

Technical Exact Online integration takes minutes. Configuring project rules, VAT coding, and approval routing typically takes 2–4 hours. A typical SMB construction firm runs in production within one business day.

Glimps Starter is €75/mo, Professional €149/mo including extended approval workflows. Construction firms with PO matching enable the €149/mo PO add-on for 3-way matching against receipt data.

Glossary

Terms you'll encounter daily in construction & installation

Aanneemsom (contract sum)
The pre-agreed total amount for a construction project, including materials and labor. Billed in instalments tied to milestones.
Reverse-charge VAT (article 24a)
Fiscal exception where VAT on subcontractor and labor-hire work is remitted by the main contractor instead of the subcontractor.
Chain liability
The main contractor's risk of being held liable for unpaid payroll taxes of a subcontractor. Mitigated via G-account and WKA statement.
G-account
Blocked account where the main contractor pays a portion of the subcontractor's contract sum for tax remittance. Indemnifies the main contractor against chain liability for that amount.
Indemnity decision
Decision from the Dutch tax authority confirming a subcontractor meets fiscal obligations. Reduces chain liability for the main contractor.
WKA statement
Tax authority statement confirming a subcontractor has paid payroll and VAT obligations. Valid for 4 months, then to be renewed.
Instalment invoice
A partial invoice tied to a specific project milestone. The percentage must align with the reached milestone and the construction agreement.
Final balance
The final instalment of the contract sum, typically 5–10%, billed only after delivery and sometimes after a maintenance period of several months.
Variations
Changes to the original construction agreement, billed separately. Always requires a change order document approving the change before execution.
RAW methodology
Standard contracting method in Dutch infrastructure construction with standardized specification items and coding. Makes invoices comparable across projects and contractors.
CROW publication
Technical standards from CROW (knowledge platform for infrastructure) referenced by specification and cost items. Central to infrastructure tenders.

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