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AI-assisted weekly vendor spend review

AI usage: AI drafts the vendor-by-vendor summary, flags anomalies, and produces a leadership-ready memo. A human (you) cross-checks every number, verifies the source data, and signs the final memo. AI does not decide what is material; people do.

What you will do

  • Run a weekly vendor-spend review in about 30 minutes instead of 1-3 hours.
  • Produce a vendor-by-vendor summary with anomalies flagged.
  • Produce a leadership-ready memo reviewed by a human.
  • Keep the workflow repeatable: the same inputs, prompts, and output template every week.

Before you start

  • A weekly spend export (vendor, invoice date, amount, cost center, notes).
  • Access to an AI assistant you are allowed to use with company data (check your org's data policy first).
  • Last week's summary for comparison.
  • A stable output template for the memo.

Steps

1. Prepare the input table (5 min)

Export the week's spend to a flat table with columns: vendor, invoice date, amount, cost center, notes. Remove duplicates and obvious errors. Keep the same column contract every week — it is what makes the assistant's output comparable week to week.

2. Set the assistant's context (2 min)

Start a fresh session for the week. Paste a short context block:

You are my vendor-spend analyst. I give you a table of this week's vendor spend. You will respond with (1) a vendor-by-vendor summary in a table, (2) anomalies or changes vs last week, and (3) a draft memo for leadership. Do not invent numbers: if a number is not in the table you give me, say so.

3. Have the assistant draft (5 min)

Attach/paste the input table and last week's summary, then run:

Here is this week's vendor spend table and last week's summary. Draft the three-part analysis. For each vendor with a change over 15% week-over-week, call it out. Round totals to whole dollars. Mark anything you are unsure about as [UNSURE] instead of guessing.

4. Cross-check the numbers (10 min)

You are the final reviewer. This step is not optional. Verify:

  • The total row in the draft equals a sum you independently compute.
  • Every flagged anomaly exists in the source table.
  • [UNSURE] flags have a correct name.

If the assistant reports a total that does not match the table, correct it and note the discrepancy in the memo. A total mismatch means the memo must not ship until resolved.

5. Publish the memo (5 min)

Copy the reviewed summary into the leadership memo template: headline, table, flags, and the one thing you are doing about it next week. Sign it. Archive the assistant exchange and the data table alongside the memo for audit.

Review checklist

  • Numbers independently summed and verified against source table
  • Every flagged anomaly exists in the source data
  • [UNSURE] items are flagged, not guessed
  • Data policy: assistant access is permitted for this data
  • Date range covers the full week

Failure modes and fixes

Symptom Likely cause Fix
Assistant totals never match Pasted table formatting / hidden rows Re-export the table; sum in the sheet first
No vendor flagged, ever Assistant too conservative Tighten the prompt threshold to 10%
Memo reads like boilerplate Context block too weak Add 2 lines about what this week matters for
Data policy reluctance Sharing concern Run assistant with local-only mode, or redact vendor names

What can go wrong

  • Numbers can be wrong. Assistants are not calculators; always independently sum the table before trusting any total.
  • Stale data. If the export is cut before the week closes, the review is silently incomplete; check the date range each week.
  • Context bleed. Pasted notes from other weeks can leak into the draft; start each week with a fresh session.
  • Tooling changes. Assistant behaviors change between releases; re-verify the workflow after major assistant updates.

Run it

  • Time: ~30 minutes per week (10 min prep, 5 min AI drafting, 10 min cross-check, 5 min publish)
  • Repeat: every week
  • Store: final memo in your reporting tool; assistant exchange and data table archived alongside