Procure-to-pay EDI for distributors
The supplier side of your EDI, run by our engineers. Purchase orders go out in each supplier’s format. Each supplier acknowledgment is checked against the PO for price, quantity and unit of measure, ship notices become receipts, and invoices become AP vouchers.
- 355 supplier maps
- 855s checked against the PO
- ASNs to receipts, invoices to vouchers
- 355
- supplier maps built (October 2026)
- 3,117
- live supplier connections (October 2026)
- 1,000+
- trading-partner maps in all
- 4–8 weeks
- typical new partner go-live, paced by the partner
Documents
Every supplier document, and where it lands in your ERP
Much of a distributor’s EDI is with suppliers. Comparatio sends the purchase order, then posts what comes back: the acknowledgment against the PO, the ship notice as a receipt, the invoice as a voucher.
| Document | Direction | ERP record | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 850 Purchase order | To supplier | Read from the purchase order | In production |
| 860 PO change | To supplier | Read from the changed purchase order | In production |
| 855 PO acknowledgment | From supplier | Imported against the purchase order, checked line by line | In production |
| 856 Advance ship notice | From supplier | Receipt to receive against (P21 vessel receipt) | In production |
| 810 Invoice | From supplier | AP voucher, matched to the PO lines | In production |
| 820 Remittance advice | To supplier | Read from the vendor payment | In production |
| 832 Price catalog | From supplier | Supplier prices and item costs, updated | In production |
| 844 Rebate / ship-and-debit claim | To supplier | Set up with you per supplier program | Available |
| 849 Response to a claim | From supplier | Set up with you per supplier program | Available |
| 845 Price authorization | From supplier | Set up with you per supplier program | Available |
| 867 Resale report | To supplier | Set up with you per supplier program | Available |
| 852 Product activity | To supplier | Set up with you per supplier program | Available |
Records and status are for Prophet 21, where these documents run at customer sites today; each is switched on per supplier. On NetSuite, the 850 out and the 855, 856 and 810 in are customer-tested; on CloudSuite Distribution they are available. Available: built, then set up and tested with you before go-live.
Supplier acknowledgments
Each supplier 855 is checked against your purchase order
A price change, a short quantity or a different unit of measure shows up when the supplier confirms the order, not when the invoice arrives.
Price
Each acknowledged price is compared with the PO price, within a tolerance you set per supplier.
Quantity
Confirmed quantities are compared with ordered quantities, line by line.
Unit of measure
A line confirmed in a different unit of measure is listed separately in the discrepancy email.
Discrepancy email to the buyer
Differences go to the buyer, or to the discrepancy contact you name for that supplier.
Any acknowledgment format
X12 855, EDIFACT ORDRSP, cXML confirmations, SAP IDocs and Excel acknowledgments.
Recorded on the PO
On Prophet 21 the acknowledgment imports against the purchase order. On NetSuite, acknowledged quantity and price land in fields on the PO lines.
Receiving and payables
From ship notice to receipt, from invoice to voucher
Receiving and AP stop keying supplier paperwork. Exceptions come to your team; the rest posts.
Ship notices become receipts
On Prophet 21, a supplier’s 856 can become a vessel receipt, so the warehouse receives against what the supplier says it shipped. On NetSuite it creates an Inbound Shipment or an Item Receipt.
Invoices become AP vouchers
On Prophet 21, supplier 810s are matched to the PO lines, including unit-of-measure and pricing-unit conversions, and imported as AP vouchers; a unit price outside the supplier’s tolerance is emailed before you pay it. On NetSuite they become Vendor Bills.
Missing documents flagged
Switched on per supplier: a PO with no acknowledgment after three days, or a confirmed PO with no ASN after one day, is flagged for follow-up.
Suppliers who send PDFs
PDF Import reads emailed supplier invoices and posts the ones that reference a PO, alongside your EDI invoices.
Supplier network
355 supplier maps, already built
Comparatio already trades with these suppliers for other distributors, so many of yours are mapped before you start. Counts as of October 2026.
Fluid power and automation
47 supplier maps, including Parker Hannifin and Festo.
Electrical
45 supplier maps, including Siemens, Eaton and Schneider Electric.
Plumbing and HVAC/R
58 supplier maps, including Kohler.
Safety, tools and more
Safety and PPE (35), medical and lab (32), cutting tools (24), hand and power tools (20), tile and flooring (17).
Some of the busiest: 3M supplier connections run at 19 customer sites, Parker Hannifin at 16 and Honeywell at 13. Members of Affiliated Distributors trade through 171 buying-group connections.
Rebates and manufacturer programs
Rebate claims, price authorizations and resale reports
The documents behind supplier rebates and special pricing are built and available. They are configured for a few suppliers today, so we set them up with you per supplier program and test them before they go live.
By ERP
Supplier EDI on Prophet 21, NetSuite and CloudSuite Distribution
The same supplier maps and connections work whichever of these ERPs you run. What differs is the record each document lands on.
Epicor Prophet 21
In production: POs and changes out; acknowledgments, vessel receipts and AP vouchers in; remittance out; rebate documents available.
Oracle NetSuite
Customer-tested: POs out from the Purchase Order; acknowledgments onto the PO, ASNs as Inbound Shipments, invoices as Vendor Bills.
Infor CloudSuite Distribution
Available: POs out; supplier acknowledgments, PO ASNs and AP invoices in, through Infor’s ION API gateway.
Moving from one ERP to another? Your supplier connections and maps stay with Comparatio. How an ERP move works for EDI.
Who does what
Managed supplier EDI: what we run, and what your team does
Our engineers build the maps, connect and test each supplier, and watch the documents. Your team decides the business rules and keeps vendor and item records current.
| Task | Comparatio | Your team |
|---|---|---|
| Supplier maps | Builds each map and changes it when a supplier’s requirements change | Forwards supplier notices if they reach you first |
| Supplier setup and testing | Connects each supplier and runs test POs, acknowledgments, ASNs and invoices | Picks the suppliers and checks the test results in your ERP |
| Connections | Sets up and maintains AS2, SFTP and VAN connections and certificates | Nothing |
| Acknowledgment check | Sets the price tolerance and the discrepancy contact per supplier | Decides the tolerance and settles differences with the supplier |
| Receiving and payables | Configures how ASNs and invoices post: receipts, vouchers or bills | Decides the rules, such as whether an invoice may post before receipt |
| Missing documents | Flags POs with no acknowledgment or ASN, where switched on for the supplier | Follows up with the supplier when needed |
| ERP records | Maps each supplier’s item numbers to your items | Keeps vendor and item records current |
How it works
Putting your suppliers on EDI
- 1
Pick the suppliers
Start with the ones you buy from most. On Prophet 21, our EDI candidate analysis lists vendors by PO volume and shows which already have a map.
- 2
Map and test
We connect each supplier, set the price tolerance and discrepancy contact, and run test POs, acknowledgments, ASNs and invoices through your test environment.
- 3
Go live
Suppliers move to production one at a time. A new supplier typically goes live in 4–8 weeks, paced by the supplier’s testing.
FAQ
Procure-to-pay EDI, asked and answered
What is procure-to-pay EDI?
It is the EDI a distributor exchanges with its suppliers, from purchase order to payment. Purchase orders (850) and changes (860) go out; acknowledgments (855), ship notices (856) and invoices (810) come back; remittance advice (820) can go out with the payment. Each document posts into your ERP instead of a buyer or AP clerk keying it.
Which EDI documents do distributors exchange with suppliers?
The core set is the 850 purchase order, 860 PO change, 855 acknowledgment, 856 ship notice and 810 invoice, often with 832 price catalogs and 820 remittance advice. Manufacturer programs add 844 rebate and ship-and-debit claims, 849 responses, 845 price authorizations, and 867 resale and 852 product activity reports.
What happens when a supplier’s 855 doesn’t match our purchase order?
On Prophet 21, Comparatio compares each acknowledgment line by line with the PO. A price outside the tolerance you set for that supplier, a different quantity or a different unit of measure goes into a discrepancy email to the buyer, or to the contact you name for that supplier. You hear about the change when the supplier confirms the order, not when the invoice arrives.
Can supplier ASNs create receipts in our ERP?
Yes. On Prophet 21, a supplier’s 856 can become a vessel receipt, so the warehouse receives against what the supplier says it shipped. On NetSuite, it creates an Inbound Shipment with status In Transit, or an Item Receipt if you prefer. On CloudSuite Distribution, it becomes a PO ASN.
Can EDI supplier invoices post as AP vouchers?
Yes. On Prophet 21, supplier 810s are matched to the PO lines, including unit-of-measure and pricing-unit conversions, and imported as AP vouchers; a unit price outside the supplier’s tolerance is emailed for review. On NetSuite they create Vendor Bills, and an invoice number that is already billed is skipped. On CloudSuite Distribution they become AP invoices.
Does Comparatio support EDI 844 and 849 for rebates and ship-and-debit?
Yes, as an available service. 844 claims go out and 849 responses and 845 price authorizations come in; 867 resale and 852 product activity reports go to suppliers. They are configured for a few suppliers today, so we set them up with you per supplier program and test them before they go live.
Do you already have EDI maps for our suppliers?
Probably for many of them. In October 2026 Comparatio had 355 supplier maps, including Parker Hannifin, Festo, Siemens, Eaton, Schneider Electric, Kohler, Honeywell and 3M, and 3,117 supplier connections were live. If a supplier isn’t mapped yet, we build the map; a new trading partner typically goes live in 4–8 weeks, paced by the partner.
What if a supplier can’t send EDI?
Purchase orders can go out as X12, EDIFACT, cXML, a spreadsheet or an email, set per supplier, and acknowledgments can come back as spreadsheets. Suppliers who email PDF invoices are handled by PDF Import, alongside your EDI invoices.
More about PDF ImportHow do we know when a supplier hasn’t acknowledged or shipped a PO?
Switch on the checks for that supplier. A purchase order with no acknowledgment after three days, or a confirmed PO with no ASN after one day, is flagged, so a buyer can follow up before the goods are late.
Which ERPs does Comparatio support for supplier EDI?
Prophet 21, where these documents run at customer sites today. On NetSuite, purchase orders out and supplier acknowledgments, ASNs and invoices in are customer-tested. On Infor CloudSuite Distribution the same four are available. If you are changing ERPs, your supplier connections and maps stay with Comparatio.
Changing ERPs? Your EDI moves with youTalk through your supplier EDI
Bring your top suppliers by spend, and we’ll show you which ones already have a map and where each document lands in your ERP.