Align360 Contractor Operations

Current state

A fragmented process that does not scale

Most organizations manage the contractor lifecycle manually or through a collection of disconnected tools. There is limited visibility into whether required documentation is complete, current and accessible.

Contracts, W-9s and banking information may be exchanged through email. Invoices arrive separately, approval processes vary, and payment records are maintained through spreadsheets or accounting systems.

7 Ways the process breaks down See all seven

Manual invoice preparation leaves room for error

One Excel file per contractor per month, completed offline and emailed in. Nothing stops a formula being overwritten, a row pasted over, or last month's file being reused as this month's.

Submissions arrive whenever they arrive

In every format — workbook, Word form, PDF, sometimes zipped. Chasing the stragglers is manual, and it happens every single month.

Consolidation is done by hand

Each file becomes another tab in a master workbook that grows all year. Every month means copying, renaming and re-pointing formulas.

Invoice review and processing are manual and inefficient

Rates, fees and adjustments are often embedded in individual files or email exchanges. Each submission must be reviewed, corrected, consolidated and routed manually, with limited visibility into what changed, who approved it or why.

Thin descriptions surface too late

Entries reading only "tracker update" or "CDW email" are found while assembling the summary, when going back to the contractor costs another round of email — if it happens at all.

No record of what changed after submission

A workbook edited after it was sent looks exactly like one that never was. If the entity's fees are ever examined, the answer to "was this invoice altered?" is a folder of email attachments.

Compliance is rebuilt from scratch each January

W-9s tracked separately from billing. Year-end 1099 totals reassembled by reading back through twelve months of workbooks.

The urgencyAs contractor populations expand across entities, locations or business units, these gaps multiply—creating inconsistent execution, limited oversight and unnecessary compliance and financial risk.

The solution

One system, from onboarding to disbursement-ready

Align360 Contractor Operations brings contractor onboarding, documentation, invoicing, review and payment administration into one connected platform.

Step 1

Invite

Administrator adds the contractor and sends a secure invitation

Step 2

Onboard

Contractor establishes credentials and submits the required agreement, W-9 and remittance information

Step 3

Activate

Administrator reviews the documentation and verifies banking information before invoices can be submitted

Step 4

Prepare

Contractor records activity and prepares the invoice throughout the billing month

Step 5

Review

Invoice is approved for payment or returned with written feedback

Step 6

Route Payment

Accounting receives one consolidated payment schedule across all entities

The value

From fragmented processes to operational control

Built for lean firms, Align360 allows contractor operations to scale without adding administrative overhead or diverting high-value resources to repetitive work.

Faster
Execution

Contractor onboarding, invoice submission, review and payment tracking move through one consistent workflow, eliminating disconnected files and manual consolidation.

Standardization
and Centralization

Contractor records and activity across every entity are brought into one connected platform, creating consistent processes and consolidated visibility.

Tighter
Compliance

W-9s, agreements and contractor records are collected and maintained alongside billing activity, with visibility into missing or incomplete documentation.

Stronger
Financial Controls

Rates, banking information, invoice decisions and payment status are captured in one place, creating a clear and traceable record.

Key features

The platform at a glance

Onboarding and documentation

Secure contractor invitation and account setup
Agreements, W-9s and supporting documentation held in a central repository
Remittance information submitted by the contractor and verified before use
Administrator verification and activation before invoicing begins
Role-based access to protect contractor information

Invoicing and approval

Browser-based invoice preparation with automatic saving and calculations
Incomplete descriptions and potential duplicate entries flagged before payment
Central queue for reviewing invoices across entities
Approve for payment or return for correction with written feedback

Payment controls

Banking changes held pending independent confirmation
Rates locked to each invoice at submission
Account numbers masked throughout, including the monthly payment file
Invoice approval, export and payment recorded as separate events

Reporting and audit history

Consolidated monthly and rolling 12-month reporting across entities
Complete history of invoice, status and access changes
Missing W-9s and time-sensitive documents surfaced for attention
On-demand payment schedules, master workbooks and 1099-NEC preparation exports

Automation and configuration See details

Automatic reminders

Submission reminders go out three days before the entity's due date, and overdue notices weekly after it. Contractors are notified when an invoice is returned, filed, or paid. The chasing stops being someone's job.

Back-end configuration

Billing months, due dates, rates, adjustments and disbursing accounts are centrally configured rather than embedded in spreadsheets. Changes made once flow through invoices, reporting, payment exports and year-end preparation.

Platform scope

One platform, with additional support when needed

Every subscription includes multi-entity platform access, hosting, secure storage, backups, automated notifications, standard updates and technical support.

Administrative services, custom development, specialized reporting and third-party integrations are available under a separately scoped engagement.

Add-ons

Administrative services

Invoice review, submission follow-up, contractor support, payment coordination and other administrative activities may be provided under a separate services engagement.

Custom development

New functionality, integrations or client-specific workflow requirements beyond the standard platform will be evaluated and priced separately.

Align360 retains ownership of the platform and its underlying intellectual property.