RPA-Driven Utility Invoice Automation for a Multi-Company Finance Function
The project automates the utility invoice download process by replacing the manual effort of logging into multiple vendor portals such as DEWA, Etisalat, and ADDC to retrieve monthly invoices. Using RPA, the bot reads account details from SharePoint, logs into each portal, checks for newly available invoices, downloads them, and saves the files using a standardized naming convention. It then emails the invoices to the assigned stakeholders and updates the status in SharePoint for tracking and audit purposes. The automation runs daily during off-hours to ensure timely retrieval and delivery. This solution improves accuracy, prevents delays, and removes manual dependency for the finance team.
Client Overview
The client is an organisation with a centralised accounting function responsible for managing multiple utility service accounts. The organisation required automation to eliminate repetitive manual tasks, reduce operational risk, and ensure utility invoices are retrieved and distributed on time.
Technical Stack
Industry
Investment Management
Region
UAE (Sultanate-wide implementation)
Project-size
Non-Disclosable
Company size
Large Scale Authority (National Government Body)
Implementation Highlights
Automated data integration: Retrieved all utility account details and processing status directly from SharePoint to drive fully automated bot execution.
Secure vendor portal automation: Enabled bot-driven login and navigation across multiple utility portals, including DEWA, Etisalat, and ADDC.
Proactive invoice detection: Automatically checked each account for newly available invoices to ensure nothing was missed.
Standardised invoice downloading: Downloaded invoices and saved them using a consistent naming convention for easy tracking and filing.
Challenges & Solutions
Managing manual navigation across multiple vendor portals.
Solution: Implemented bot-driven automation using dynamic selectors and exception handling to manage vendor-specific layouts and workflows across DEWA, Etisalat, ADDC, and other portals. This eliminated manual browsing effort and ensured consistent execution.
Handling frequent portal timeouts and login failures.
Solution: Introduced robust retry logic, detailed failure logging, and automated admin alert emails. This ensured the bot could recover from interruptions, and stakeholders were notified instantly when manual intervention was needed.
Preventing duplicate invoice downloads within the same billing month.
Solution: Enabled SharePoint-based validation to check the last download date before processing. This control prevents re-processing of previously retrieved invoices and avoids duplicate records.
Managing inconsistent invoice availability dates across vendors.
Solution: Scheduled the bot to run daily during off-hours (2 AM–5 AM) to detect newly published invoices as soon as they become available, ensuring timely retrieval without manual follow-ups.
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Results & Impact
- Improved process efficiency — Significantly reduced the manual effort required to retrieve, download, and distribute utility invoices across multiple vendor portals.
- Streamlined operations — Enabled consistent, automated invoice retrieval and distribution, freeing the finance team to focus on higher-value activities.
- Enhanced accuracy & reliability — Eliminated human errors caused by manual handling through rule-based automation and standardized processing.
- Timely invoice availability — Daily off-hour bot runs ensured invoices were retrieved as soon as they were published, preventing delays in internal processing and payments.
Key Learnings & Achievements
- Each utility vendor portal requires tailored automation logic, as layouts, navigation flows, and security controls vary across platforms.
- Centralizing account details and audit history in SharePoint provides a single source of truth, improving transparency, governance, and traceability.
- Scheduling bot runs during night hours reduces portal load, minimizes login failures, and significantly improves automation success rates.
