A payment approver needs the correct scope version
Accounts is checking an older version
Imagine the site team agreed a change, but accounts compares your invoice with the original purchase description. It rejects the amount as inconsistent. You resend the same invoice, while the two customer teams continue using different documents.
Identify the version mismatch before treating the rejection as a simple refusal to pay. The missing step may be a clear record linking the changed work to the customer's approval process.
Find the documents each person is using
Ask the relevant contacts to identify the quotation, purchase order or variation reference being checked. Compare those references with your own accepted documents and the invoice description.
Do not assume the newest file is the agreed version. Establish what was actually accepted, by whom and in what form, keeping any disputed authority question visible.
Prepare a short change comparison
Show the original scope, the change in question and its price effect. Attach the relevant confirmation rather than forwarding an uncontrolled history of every project email.
business.gov.au's contract guidance recommends describing the work clearly and documenting agreed changes. A focused comparison helps the customer's reviewer see the difference without treating your summary as a substitute for the supporting record.
Distinguish evidence from approval authority
An email may show that a site contact requested work without settling whether that person could approve the commercial change. If authority is disputed, record the issue and obtain appropriate advice.
Avoid telling accounts the entire amount is unquestionably authorised merely because the work was performed. Equally, do not erase a genuine claim just because the customer's internal records have not caught up.
Ask for the specific resolution step
Request confirmation of the document or decision the authorised reviewer needs. Assign a contact on your side to provide the information and record the next response point.
Keep any undisputed amount visible while the change is assessed. Whether separate payment or another step is appropriate depends on the agreement and circumstances, so seek advice when the position is contested.
Close the version gap for future invoices
Once the issue is resolved, retain the confirmed document set and reference it consistently in later billing. Check that the customer's relevant teams have the same reference rather than assuming one reply updates every system.
For the next invoice delayed by a scope mismatch, start with the versions being compared. That question can reveal a concrete problem that repeated reminders leave untouched.