Frequently Asked Questions

• C2FO (Collaborative Cash Flow Optimization) manages Early Pay and other programs on behalf of your customers to help your business improve cash flow.
• Instead of borrowing money from a third-party or using a static discounting or factoring method, C2FO gives you the power to get paid early and on demand on approved invoices that you select, at a rate you choose.
• Because you control the discounts you offer using C2FO’s Name Your Rate™ technology, you can access on-demand funding for your business at a lower cost than other options, such as factoring. The program is also flexible. You can choose which approved invoices you want to have paid early and use C2FO whenever you need to control your cash flow.
• C2FO is NOT:
  • A factoring service
  • Supply chain finance
  • An electronic payment alternative
  • A traditional bank loan or asset-based lending
    

• No other working capital option offers the flexibility and control of C2FO.
• With C2FO you can:
  • Choose which invoices you want to have paid early
  • Choose when you want to participate
  • Lower your days sales outstanding (DSO)
  • Take control of your cash flow
  • Reduce your cost of borrowing and grow your business faster
  • Access working capital without fees or paperwork
  • Name Your Rate™ for working capital
  • Easily view your approved invoices in a secure online environment
  • Meet key cash management metrics  
  • Enhance your working capital as needed without changing payment contracts
  • Account for seasonal revenue peaks and valleys

• We serve companies from small businesses to Fortune 50 customers around the world. Each year, we handle millions of transactions and billions of dollars of early cash flow delivery.
• Suppliers use C2FO for early payment because it offers affordable working capital to help grow their businesses and meet seasonal demands. Suppliers also use C2FO to manage financial metrics and take control of cash flow.

Customers who want to improve supply chain health and build better supplier relationships rely on C2FO to help suppliers accelerate invoice payments.

• C2FO is the technology partner of your customer Early Pay program. Our secure online platform allows suppliers to be paid on demand on their receivables. This program is set up by your customer directly, and they encourage you to join. However, there is no obligation to do so.
• Your customer has integrated the C2FO technology into their own ERP system. Once invoices have been approved for payment, your customer’s invoices will automatically be reflected on the C2FO platform, allowing you to draw the funds sooner if needed with the discount of your choosing. There is no factoring or financing involved, making C2FO Early Pay a debt-free option whenever your company has liquidity needs.

No, C2FO is not factoring. Your customer continues to pay you directly, and you request acceleration only on the invoices you choose. C2FO is 100% flexible in terms of what invoices you want to be paid early and at what discount rate.

• With invoice payment acceleration, C2FO facilitates only the price discovery. No payment account information is stored, so there is no risk. You will continue to be paid directly from your customers, just sooner.
• View detailed information on C2FO security.

C2FO Early Pay is different from supply chain finance. You can choose to accelerate payment on receivables from your customers or through a third party in our funding network — on your terms when you need it. You are not obligated to accelerate all of your invoices, which is often required by many factoring agreements. C2FO is 100% on-demand.

• The C2FO program is optional. However, you should register your C2FO account even if you don’t believe you need the program today.
• C2FO is unique because you can access funding on demand whenever a need arises. There is no paperwork, no fees and no hassles.
• Consider C2FO for:
  • Visibility into all your invoices and your estimated pay date on Invoice Central within the C2FO platform
  • Seasonal demands
  • Growth initiatives
  • Managing quarter-end financial metrics
  • Unexpected late payments from another buyer
  • Guaranteeing cash flow to take advantage of early payment discounts from your own suppliers
• Using C2FO does not require changing contractual terms. C2FO does not affect any existing discounting on payment terms. Negotiated discounts are applied first. Any early payment through the C2FO marketplace is in addition to your negotiated discount.

• If your cost of borrowing is higher than the discount you are offering through C2FO, this program offers you a better working capital option.
• There are many other reasons your business may need early payment. Some of these are situations you cannot control, such as late payment by another customer, seasonal demands or an opportunity to grow your business.
• C2FO lets you take control of cash flow to meet these demands without the hassles and delays of paperwork.

• Third-party financial intermediaries require risk-based underwriting, complicated paperwork, higher rates and recurring fees in general.
• With C2FO, you get access to your cash with no liability, no paperwork and no hassle. Best of all, C2FO offers a lower cost of funding. Because it is flexible and on-demand, you can easily use C2FO as part of a mix of business funding options.
• What is the difference between C2FO and other invoice management systems?
  • In comparison to the other portals you might use, C2FO lets you view all scheduled invoice payments, then request early payment of individual invoices as you see fit.

• Any company with invoices on the C2FO platform is eligible to make offers to accelerate payment. Within your company, the person registered on the C2FO platform should be someone who can make cash management decisions, such as the owner, chief financial officer, finance director, controller or accounts receivable manager.
• Do I have to pay to access C2FO?
  • Your customer has already paid for the platform, so your company and others in their supply chain can use it. There is no subscription cost or hidden fees. The only cost to you is to receive early payment on an invoice, you will need to grant a small discount to your customer.

Activate your C2FO account on your customer’s microsite. You can find your customers here. It takes less than two minutes to register and start participating, because your approved invoices are already uploaded to the C2FO platform for early payment.

• The first time you use C2FO, you will be asked to complete your profile information. Required fields include your name, email, job title and a primary phone number. 
• After completing your profile information, your account will be shown the Market Opportunities page where you can locate your invoices.

• You may have more than one customer in C2FO. In these cases, you will see more than one market (listed by customer name) available to you when you log in.
• When you log in, click on ‘Explore Opportunity’ to view the suggested offers to have your early payment request clear the daily market. If this is your first time logging in, you will need to click the “View Invoices” link next to your company name. 
• You can also visit Invoice Central within the platform to view specific invoice details before creating an offer. On the main page, simply scroll down and click on ‘Invoice Central.’
• In Invoice Central, approved invoices eligible for early payment are listed under the ‘Status: Eligible for Early Payment’ category, along with the original pay date for each. To view any invoices uploaded as ineligible for early payment, change the status bar.

No, there is no change to your invoicing process, and you can continue to invoice your buyer as you do today.

You don’t need to upload invoices. Your customers have partnered with us to provide an invoice management platform to all eligible suppliers. Invoices are usually reflected on the C2FO platform once your customer has finished the matching process and no dispute has been opened. Therefore, all your eligible invoices are already in the system, ready to be reviewed and accelerated at your convenience.

When you log in to your account, you will be able to view and download available invoice data such as invoice amount, original pay date, days paid early, and new pay date. 

On average, new invoices can be available up to 15 to 30 days after being received by your customer’s Accounts Payable team.

In most cases, this usually means your customer has not yet added your company to its Early Pay program. Your customer has not yet transferred your invoices to C2FO or your terms, do not qualify you for the Early Pay option. If you have a direct contact at your customer’s company, please contact them directly for accurate feedback.

• There are two reasons why you may receive a password reset email:  
  • C2FO requires a new password every 90 days.
  • Your account was locked, and C2FO proactively sent you the email.
• We take your information security seriously. We want to ensure that only authorized persons from your business have access to your invoices. Therefore, we require a regular password reset to protect your information.

• You accelerate the payment date for your invoices by offering a discount or APR you would be willing to accept to receive early payment.
• Click on the either ‘Explore Opportunity’ or the ‘Build Your Offer’ button to begin.
• You first will choose to create a recurring or a one-time offer to have your invoices paid earlier.
• You would select which customers you want to accelerate terms for on these invoices.
• One-time offers give you specific rate guidance, with three choices available. The ‘Express Accept’ option guarantees early payment on those invoices at the rate displayed. The ‘Trending Rate’ option is likely to be awarded based on the market trends, but it is not guaranteed. The ‘You Choose’ allows you to choose from a range of rates that are likely to clear the market.
• If you prefer, you can select “Advanced Options” and make your offer in APR vs. a discount percent. An APR-based offer will likely clear faster.  APR also allows you to make a clear comparison between C2FO and other financing options you might have.  Learn more here

A recurring offer is  an offer that applies to all future invoices uploaded by the customers identified in the offer.

• Click on the either ‘Explore Opportunity’ or the ‘Build Your Offer’ button to begin.
• Select ‘Recurring’ on the ‘Build Your Offer’ page.
• Select which customers you want to accelerate terms for on these invoices.
• Once you’ve selected which customers you want to include in this offer, you will be prompted to set a rate of discount (or APR) to apply to all future invoices. The portal will suggest a ‘Trending Rate’ that will likely clear future invoices with a similar number of days paid early as the invoices currently on the platform. 
• The final page will allow you to review all customer details, confirming your intent to participate with all future invoices with this offer. Once you click ‘Submit,’ this offer will apply to all future invoices loaded by your included customers.
• When you’ve adjusted your offer to your liking, click the ‘Submit’ button. A confirmation message will pop up to show you how long you have to make any adjustments to your offer until the next market clear.

Yes, you can cancel a recurring offer at any time by going into your offers within the platform.  Or simply call Supplier Support at +1 866.463.6565 (U.S.) – other numbers found here

Yes, you can access your award files and view your account history at any time. Select ‘Early Payment History’ from the drop-down menu under Early Pay. From this screen, you can view your account history and find award files for your early payment on invoices. If you’re not seeing all of your award file history, click ‘View’ on the top right to view your Consolidated History. Click the download symbol on the right side of the individual award file to download only this file, or click the download symbol at the top of the list to download all of your invoice history.

The discount you offer is completely up to you. C2FO is a marketplace, so the clearing rates change based on market conditions.

• Yes. Testing an offer on the platform does not immediately communicate anything to your customer, but you will receive immediate feedback whether your customer would accept it or not. Most markets clear daily at 11 a.m. CST, so any offers in the system will be submitted at that time.  Offers submitted after the daily cutoff will be submitted the next business day.

• ○      How can I know whether my offer is accepted?
  • If the offer is accepted, you will receive a confirmation email. All approved offers will also be listed in “Early Pay History” in the navigation bar.
• ○      What can I do if my offer is rejected?
  • You can adjust the rate and request early payment again. If you chose “One-Time” early payment, you need to resubmit your offer on the next working day. If you choose “Recurring” early payment, your outstanding invoices will be automatically submitted on the next working day. No additional action is required.

If the offer is accepted, you will receive a confirmation email. All approved offers will also be listed in “Early Pay History” in the navigation bar.

You can adjust the rate and request early payment again. If you chose “One-Time” early payment, you need to resubmit your offer on the next working day. If you choose “Recurring” early payment, your outstanding invoices will be automatically submitted on the next working day. No additional action is required.

• You have the option to enter your offer as either a discount or an APR. To use APR, select ‘Name Your Rate’ on the ‘Set Your Rate’ page. Then, click ‘Advanced Options’ to place an offer in APR.
• A discount offer will apply a flat rate of discount to each of your available invoices. 
• An APR offer will use an annual percentage rate to calculate an individual rate of discount for each invoice depending on how early you are getting paid, or by Days Paid Early (DPE). 
• You can see the overall discount rate for your invoices when you use the APR option. Using an APR offer also allows for easy comparison to your cost of borrowing or other sources of funding. 
• APR is often more advantageous for customers whose invoice upload time varies greatly. We recommend that you reach out to your Supplier Relationship Manager for additional guidance.

• You may make an offer on C2FO at any time. However, offers are transmitted to your customers only once per day, at the daily market clear time. You have until then to make any changes to your offer.
• Market clear times are based on the location of your customer and are as follows: 
• Americas: 12 p.m. ET
• Europe / Middle East: 5 p.m. GMT
• Asia-Pacific: 12 p.m. HKT
• India: 10 a.m. IST
• Entering an offer before that time will simply allow you to see whether your customer would accept your offer. However, that offer is not submitted and finalized until the market clear time. The countdown clock on the home screen lets you see the time remaining until the next market clear time. 

“New Pay Date” is the date that your invoices will be paid should you choose to accelerate. The date is updated regularly until your invoices have passed the due date. You will find the information about the payment date directly on the portal under “Original Due Date.”

AR is accounts receivable. For C2FO, this is the total amount of your approved invoices available for early payment. 

Your offer is sufficient to clear the invoice(s) in question for early payment with today’s market.

This is the amount applied in exchange for early payment. 

This stands for Days Paid Early, or the average number of days your payment could be accelerated. 

This is the name your customer has assigned to each vendor number for your company. 

An invoice has qualified for early payment, and you can make an offer to get paid early. 

You have chosen to exclude specific invoices. These will not be included with your Early Pay offer. 

These are the specific invoices you have chosen to include in your offer for early payment.

For any number of reasons, the specific invoice is not eligible for Early Pay. 

• Adjustments are credits against an invoice due to various credit terms, often for returns or damaged goods.
• A matched adjustment occurs when a credit must be taken out of a specific invoice, per your customer’s preferences.
• An unmatched adjustment is when a credit can be relieved with any invoice and is not tied to one specific invoice.

Your offer is insufficient to clear the invoice(s) in question for early payment with the day’s market. 

This is the maximum rate (discount or APR) you are willing to apply in exchange for Early Pay. 

This term indicates whether you have an active offer for that division.

This is the date that your customer will initiate payment if your offer is accepted. Normal float time applies.

• When you are awarded Early Pay from a customer through C2FO, your payment will be processed on their next pay date listed. You will see this on your invoice summary and the award file provided by C2FO.
• You can receive payment in as little as 24 hours.
• All offers will be considered for Early Pay.
• Remember to take local bank holidays into consideration when anticipating payment.
• If you are paid via check, the next pay date is the date your check will be mailed.
• If you are paid via ACH, your customer’s standard float time on ACH payments still applies. Remember to consider float time as well as local bank holidays when anticipating payment.
• You will be notified by email when any invoices are approved for Early Pay.

• After your payment offer is accepted, you continue to be paid directly from your customer – just like you do today – only faster.
• C2FO does not make payments on behalf of your customers. We help you and your customers match a discount offer in exchange for earlier payment. Invoice processing by your customers stays the same. The only aspect that changes is how soon you are paid and the invoice amount.
• C2FO provides you with an award file for your records so you can track your invoices that are paid early and the amount paid.

Using the program does not alter any existing terms or payment processes.

You don’t need to upload invoices. Your customers have partnered with us to provide an invoice management platform to all their eligible suppliers. Invoices are usually reflected on the C2FO platform once your customer has finished the matching process and no dispute has been opened. Therefore, all your eligible invoices are already in the system, ready to be reviewed and accelerated at your convenience.

In comparison to other platforms you might use, C2FO allows you not only to view scheduled invoice payments but also to request early payment of those invoices at your discretion.

On average, new invoices can be available up to 15 to 30 days after being received by your customer’s Accounts Payable team.

Yes. When you log in to your account, you will be able to download a version of your available invoices.