Bill-pay gets bills paid. Trace Global checks what you pay.
Bill-pay vendors collect, code and pay utility bills on time. Trace Global audits each line against the tariff and recovers overcharges.
Utility bill-pay and expense management vendors solve a real problem. They collect bills from many utilities, code them to the GL, route approvals and make sure payment is on time. For a multi-site operator, that work removes a lot of manual effort and prevents late fees. Their job, however, is to pay the amount the utility asks for, and many providers earn revenue from payment volume or per-account fees. Auditing a bill against the tariff is a different task, with different skills and incentives. It requires the published rate schedule, meter data and a claim process with each utility. Trace Global focuses on that task and is paid only from money returned. For most customers the two fit together: the vendor pays, and Trace Global audits what was paid.
| Dimension | Trace Global | Bill-pay vendors |
|---|---|---|
| Primary job | Audit each bill line against the tariff and recover overcharges | Collect, code, approve and pay bills on time |
| Bill capture | EDI 810, portals, PDF and AP exports, or the vendor's own export | Strong; capture is the core product |
| Tariff verification | Every line rebuilt from the published schedule | Usually limited to range and variance checks |
| Refund claims | Filed and followed to credit under a letter of authorization | Typically not offered, or offered as a separate service |
| Payment execution | Not required; Enterprise plan can replace payment | Core capability, with payment scheduling |
| AP workflow | GL coding and accrual feeds; no new approval steps | Full approval routing and reporting |
| Pricing model | 35% of money recovered, no platform fee | Per-account or per-bill fees, sometimes payment-based revenue |
| Aligned incentive | Paid only when a refund or credit posts | Paid for volume and service, regardless of billing accuracy |
| Time to first value | First findings report in 21 days | Weeks to onboard accounts, then ongoing efficiency gains |
When bill-pay vendors are the right call
Choose a bill-pay vendor when your main problem is operational: paper bills, missed due dates, manual keying, or a lack of approval control. If the AP team is drowning in bill handling, fixing capture and payment comes first. Trace Global does not need you to change vendors, but it cannot replace one unless you choose the Enterprise plan with AP integration.
Using both
Many customers keep their bill-pay vendor. We read the vendor's exports, audit each bill against the tariff and file claims. Credits flow back to the right account and cost center. The vendor still handles payment, approvals and reporting. Nothing in your AP workflow changes, and the audit runs on the bills the vendor already collects.
Questions we get asked
No. We work from the vendor's exports and bill data. Only the Enterprise plan includes bill-pay replacement, and that is optional.
Some offer rate or variance checks. The key questions are whether each line is recalculated from the published tariff and whether claims are filed and followed. Ask for a sample finding with the tariff reference.
Bill data belongs to you. Most contracts allow exports to an authorized third party, and we can work with your vendor to set up the feed.
Find out what your utilities owe you.
Connect bills for up to 50 meters. Get the findings report in about three weeks. Pay nothing unless money comes back.
- from bill access to first findings report
- 21 daysfrom bill access to first findings report
- of filed claims accepted by the utility in full or in part
- 94%of filed claims accepted by the utility in full or in part