SAP Service Entry Sheets and Compliance

Many large oil and gas companies use SAP, and a subset of these companies have implemented the Service Entry Sheet (SES) module to manage field ticket data from service providers. At first glance, using SES might seem like a possible approach to storing field ticket data in a format that can be compared and analyzed against other data like invoices and price books to ensure compliance. Unfortunately there are a number of problems inherent in this approach which still allow for high levels of non-compliant invoices..

The Problem with SES Data Entry

The problem with adding Service Entry Sheets into the mix is twofold. First, this is a highly manual process transcribing data from a PDF or service provider-owned, non-integrated system to a database. Second, we often see that the person entering the SES is the same person entering the invoice thereby eliminating the confirmation check that the field ticket is designed to provide in addition to proof of delivery. The person entering the SES and the invoice is entering that data usually at the same time in one data transaction. This means the potential that any discrepancy between the field ticket and the invoice will be resolved by the service provider’s clerk, but almost always in the favor of the service provider. Overall, the SES introduces another point for invalid, inaccurate and non-compliant data to be entered with limited checks.

The SES data entry step is a repetitive manual process and with any repetitive process, the person performing the work experiences fatigue and quality of service can degrade over time. Most of these issues are unintentional errors, but with SES there is now another avenue for intentional fraud thereby increasing the fraud-potential surface area.

Even if the service provider uses a reliable field service management system with an integrated invoicing system on their end, for all but the largest service providers, the SES entry is still done manually into the buyer’s SAP portal by the service provider. This process creates a very weak and error prone connection between between:

• The original field ticket in the provider’s system

• The SES record in SAP

• The final invoice submitted for payment

We find that simply having a process that includes SAP Service Entry Sheets does not guarantee that:

• The invoice aligns with the original field ticket,

• The invoice uses the agreed-upon pricing from the service provider’s price book

• The service provider has accurately transcribed the correct quantities and service details

How Prolarus Closes the Compliance Gap

Prolarus eliminates the blind spots inherent in manual SES entry by:

• Automatically cross-checking the SES data against the original PDF field ticket from the service provider’s system

• Verifying invoice details against the agreed price book and service agreements,

• Incorporating additional checks for fraud, over use of miscellaneous non-contracted price books, duplicate invoices and other errors,

• Catching discrepancies before payment is made thereby preventing costly overpayments and annual audits.

The Bottom Line

Using SAP Service Entry Sheets is not enough to guarantee compliant invoices. It adds another layer of complexity that requires validation. With Prolarus, oil and gas companies can ensure every SES, field ticket, price book and invoice align perfectly—reducing errors, reducing labor costs, preventing fraud and protecting your bottom line.

Ready to eliminate manual entry errors and ensure full compliance? Contact us to learn how Prolarus can streamline your AP process.