| By :
Mark Etinger
In the world of expense management solutions, paper is no longer the common currency. The focus of the past few years on going green to protect the environment, corporate cost containment, and fraud mitigation has inspired accounts payable professionals to pursue new methods of automating traditionally paper-based and labor-intensive expense reimbursement processes. The requisite to document and track spending has become more important in today's business environment of increased regulations and financial reform. From the Sarbanes - Oxley Act of 2002 to the recent Dodd-Frank Act, the demand for greater transparency into company spending has led to an increased need for expense management software. If your investment firm is interested in implementing an expense reporting solution, the software chosen will have to meet certain criteria. Customizable expense software may be tailored to accommodate the specifications of your business and the individual requirements of each employee. You want software that will be able to produce detailed expense reports for expense tracking, audits, spend management analysis, and compliance. You may also need a solution that can generate personalized invoices for portfolio company bill-back, which will in turn hasten the recovery of billable expenses. If you are a fund of funds manager, you may require advanced splitting capabilities, such as the ability to attribute pre-set allocation percentages to multiple funds, investors, or other entities. A customized accounts receivable solution will enable you to track aging receivables for any and all recoverable expenses. You will be able to easily manage expenses from vendors such as FedEx, limo services, etc. and upload credit card statements for rapid expense report preparation. Most appealingly, the expense management software will enable you to integrate expense data with the general ledger and back office accounting system; doing this will eliminate manual data entry and thus significantly decrease the error margin. To garner the best results, the expense report program should include T & E expense reporting automation, the most effective PE expense management options, portfolio company invoicing, due diligence cost tracking, and CFO reporting tools. The best expense software for private equity firms is offered by companies that specialize in customizable expense management solutions for investment firms. A boutique expense software firm will have the flexibility to meet your most specific and complex requirements. You should be able to find a company that offers minimal upfront setup costs and reasonable monthly subscription fees and is interested in forging and maintaining a long-term relationship with you and your business.
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