The haulage quote includes fuel but a surcharge appears on the invoice
Reconcile haulage base pricing and separately invoiced fuel surcharge against agreed terms without assuming duplication.
Corporate Recovery Partners
01 / 06
The extra line was not in the estimate
A hypothetical civil contractor receives a haulage invoice with a separate fuel surcharge. The estimator remembers the quote as including fuel and assumes the charge is duplicated. Before rejecting the invoice, locate the complete accepted quote and any referenced adjustment terms. A remembered total does not establish whether a separately calculated charge was included, excluded or later agreed.
Gather the quote, acceptance, purchase order, supplier terms and any subsequent price notices. Check the relevant dates and the services performed. Identify whether the question concerns the base rate, the surcharge calculation or whether an adjustment was agreed at all. Keep these issues distinct so the supplier can answer the actual discrepancy rather than a general objection to rising fuel costs.
Business.gov.au recommends clear contract terms, including payment arrangements and the treatment of variations. The specific documents determine what needs legal or commercial review here. A fuel-price increase does not automatically establish the right to add a charge, and the word inclusive in one email may not resolve the whole agreement. Obtain advice if the contractual meaning remains disputed.
In the hypothetical example, request the rate, quantity and relevant period used for the surcharge. Compare those inputs with the agreed mechanism if one exists. Avoid substituting an internet fuel price without knowing what benchmark the arrangement uses. A calculation can be arithmetically correct while the underlying entitlement still requires clarification, so record both questions separately.
Tell accounts which amount is queried and why, and keep any undisputed payment decision subject to the agreement and appropriate advice. Do not quietly remove the line from the ledger and assume the supplier accepts the change. If a correction or credit is agreed, retain confirmation and reconcile it against the final invoice so the same issue is not repeated in collection activity.
Update the estimating assumptions only after clarifying how this supplier prices fuel. CRP can help assess the margin and cash effect if transport costs are creating wider pressure. The useful result is a documented pricing basis that the estimator and accounts team both understand, rather than accepting every surcharge or rejecting every additional line automatically.
