Your team has finished the work. The invoice has gone out, and everyone has moved on to the next job.
Then the client asks why you are charging them for something they haven’t received. Where are the deliverables?
You check with the team. Yes, the work is complete. Yes, someone checked it. But when you ask when it was sent to the client, the answers become less certain.
That is an awkward conversation to have when you were expecting to be paid.
Problem: The Work Is Finished, but the Client Hasn’t Received It
Completing a deliverable and submitting it are separate tasks. A report sitting in your project folder might be finished, but it is not much use to a client who doesn’t know it exists.
The same applies to drawings, test results, commissioning records, operating manuals or other documents required under the contract. Even when the physical work is complete, missing documentation can leave the associated payment milestone incomplete.
For example, suppose a contract allows an invoice for a design milestone after submission of the checked design package. The drawings are ready on Friday, and accounts sends the invoice on Monday. However, nobody issues the drawings.
The client receives a request for payment without the package needed to assess it. Now someone has to investigate, send the missing documents and explain what happened. You have created extra work for both sides and a possible payment delay.
It can also reduce the client’s confidence. If you cannot clearly show what you have delivered, they may wonder what else has been overlooked.
Solution: Make Submission Part of Completing the Work
Check what actually triggers the invoice
Read the contract before setting up the invoicing schedule. Does the payment stage require completion, submission, acceptance, or some combination of these?
These are different things. Proof that a client received a report does not establish that they accepted it. Equally, do not add an acceptance requirement where the agreed payment terms only require submission.
This lesson does not mean waiting until the whole project is finished before invoicing. Deposits, advance payments, monthly services and progress payments may be agreed. Submit the deliverables or evidence required for the particular payment stage, then invoice according to the applicable requirements.
The business.gov.au guide to payment terms provides useful background on agreeing when and how payment will occur.
Identify the deliverables and who will send them
Make a clear list of what the client must receive for each relevant milestone. Include the required format, revision, recipient and submission method. A PDF may not be enough if the contract also requires editable drawings or source files.
Allocate responsibility for checking and issuing the package. Don’t leave it as something that “someone” will do after the technical work is finished.
Include the submission arrangements in your project management plan or linked procedures. Allow time for internal review, corrections and any contractual client review before the planned invoice date.
Issue the correct package and keep the record
Before sending, check that the files are complete, checked and at the correct revision. Don’t send a document marked “draft” when the milestone requires a final issue.
Use the agreed channel, whether that is email, a document portal or a formal transmittal. A transmittal records what was issued, to whom and when. If you provide download links, check that the recipient can access them.
Keep the submission record in the project files, together with any required receipt confirmation or acceptance. Track receipt and acceptance separately. This is another reason to document all client communication.
For final handover, provide a clearly identified, complete set of the required documents. Don’t expect the client to assemble the final package from months of emails.
Give accounts the information needed to invoice
Before authorising the invoice, confirm:
- The relevant payment stage has been reached.
- The required deliverables have been issued through the agreed channel.
- Any acceptance required for that payment stage is recorded.
- The invoice identifies the project, purchase order where required, and milestone or work being claimed.
- The supporting submission or transmittal reference is available.
Keep this check simple. Your accounts team should not have to work out whether a drawing package has been delivered.
Once the requirements are met, invoice promptly. Coordinate with the client’s processing timetable, as discussed in Claims, Variations and Payment Schedules: Get the Timing Right.
If a submission or review problem arises, raise it early and check the applicable claim deadlines and payment requirements. Don’t assume missing documentation permits indefinite non-payment, or that waiting for a response extends your claim deadline.
Lesson: Finished Internally Does Not Mean Delivered to the Client
I believe issuing the required deliverables should be treated as part of the work, with a responsible person and a clear record of submission.
Where delivery is required before invoicing, complete that step before asking for payment. Then make the invoice easy to assess and submit it promptly.
Don’t let a finished report sitting in your project folder become the reason your company is still waiting to be paid.
