A Contractor's Copilot Studio Agent Pre-Codes Supplier Invoices for Approval in Teams
A helper suggests the account code, and a person still has to say yes.
What happened Perry Contracting's implementation partner built a Copilot Studio agent that reads supplier invoices and pre-fills GL codes and job details for project managers to approve in Teams. The partner estimates 200–300 hours a year saved.
Who this is about: Construction contractor (Perry Contracting), partner-built
What it takes
- Cost
- Price not listedMicrosoft says custom agents run on a metered basis; the exact rates were not captured. Built by a paid implementation partner.
- Setup time
- A few weeksOur estimate from the source, for one business.
- Skill needed
- Developer skillsYou build or run your own code, even if AI writes it.
Explain it simply
Staff used to type an account code on each supplier invoice. A helper in Microsoft Copilot Studio now reads the invoice and suggests the code and the job. A manager checks it in Teams. Nothing goes into the books until that person says yes.
What was done
An implementation partner (N Solutions) built a Copilot Studio agent that reads supplier invoices and pre-fills GL codes and job details. Project managers review and approve them in Teams, through a Power App, before they are imported into accounting.
How it went
The partner's case study reports an "estimated 200–300 hours a year" saved.
- Written by the partner that sold the build; the figure is an estimate.
- A person approves every coded invoice before import, so mistakes are caught before they reach the books.
Prompt
Context: You are building an accounts-payable coding agent for a small contractor. It suggests codes; a project manager approves every invoice.
AGENT INSTRUCTIONS (paste into the Copilot Studio agent's Instructions field):
You are the invoice-coding assistant for [COMPANY_NAME], a [INDUSTRY] company.
For each supplier invoice you receive:
1. Extract: supplier name, invoice number, invoice date, due date, subtotal, tax, total, PO number, and line items.
2. Match the job: use [JOB_LIST_SOURCE] to find the job number from the PO, site address or job name on the invoice. If there's no confident match, set job = "NEEDS PM".
3. Suggest a GL code for each line from [CHART_OF_ACCOUNTS_SOURCE], using these rules: [CODING_RULES]. Give a confidence of High, Medium or Low and a one-line reason.
4. Flag: duplicate invoice numbers for the same supplier, totals that don't add up, missing PO when the amount is over [PO_THRESHOLD], and suppliers not in [VENDOR_LIST_SOURCE].
5. Post a summary card to the project manager for that job in Teams, with Approve / Edit / Reject.
6. Never mark an invoice approved yourself. Never change amounts. Only approved invoices go to [ACCOUNTING_SYSTEM] import.Our template, written from the source and the vendor docs; the source did not publish its own prompt. Replace the [brackets] before you use it.
Business fit
Who this helps, and how:
Contractors with job costing: have invoices arrive pre-coded to the right job, waiting for a PM's approval.
Local & serviceFirms that bill expenses to clients: pre-code supplier bills by client before the bookkeeper imports them.
Agencies
Your turn
Ideas to try on your own work. These are starters, not results anyone has measured.
- Which account code would you still want a person to check before it hits the books?
- What should a helper show you on the bill before you say yes?
- Where do approved bills need to land in your accounts?
Related
- Evidence grade DCatch Supplier Price Increases by Comparing Two Invoices in a Free AI ChatLight evidence, using Claude and ChatGPT
- Evidence grade DCatch Up on Email and Meetings With the Copilot Included in Microsoft 365Light evidence, using Microsoft 365 Copilot, Outlook and Teams
- Evidence grade D47 Trip Receipts Became an Expense Report in 10 MinutesLight evidence, using Claude
- Evidence grade CAn Accounting Firm Grounded Copilot in Its Own Files; Its Partner Reports 8 Hours a Week BackVendor or secondhand, using Microsoft 365 Copilot and Accounting software (not named)
- AI expense reportsDepartment hub: AI for finance, 17 examples
Similar tools
Other tools for this job, and how they differ. Chosen by our editors, never paid for.
- Claude
Can read invoices you upload and suggest codes, without a Teams approval flow.
- Dext
Receipt and invoice capture that feeds bookkeepers and accounting software.
“Vendor or secondhand” (grade C) means: A tool maker's case study, a promotional demo, or someone else's write-up. How we grade. Spotted a mistake? Suggest a correction.