The invoice stage comes after delivery
“Purchase invoice discounting” is a search phrase that can confuse two different funding stages. At Fund The People, a purchase order that still needs delivery belongs with our Purchase Order Funding Solutions. A completed, accepted, unpaid invoice belongs with our Invoice Discounting Solutions. The underlying purchase order or invoice must be tied to a government or municipal tender. Private corporate purchase orders and invoices are not eligible.
Start with the actual transaction
An award, a purchase order, a delivery record and an invoice do different jobs. Explain which documents you hold and what has actually happened. A tender award does not prove that goods or services have been delivered. An invoice being issued does not by itself establish that the buyer accepted the work. An expected payment should also be distinguished from a payment already received. These facts help the team understand the enquiry and the relevant funding route.
For an invoice enquiry, show the connection to the government or municipal tender, the completed delivery, the buyer’s acceptance and the amount still unpaid. Disclose disputes, partial payments and corrections. A familiar buyer name, a large contract or a Gauteng address does not replace transaction verification. Do not assume that an Eskom, Transnet, other SOE or subcontracting reference creates automatic eligibility.
Keep the two funding routes separate
Before delivery, a qualifying confirmed purchase order may create supplier costs that need assessment through our Purchase Order Funding Solutions. After delivery, an accepted and unpaid eligible invoice may be assessed through our Invoice Discounting Solutions. This guide does not describe a purchase order as an already completed invoice or promise that an invoice facility will pay for work that has not happened.
Our Tender Funding Solutions describe the public tender funding context. The correct route still depends on whether the enquiry concerns a purchase order or a completed invoice. Use the service pages and the application to describe the present stage clearly. Submission is for review and is not an approval or a promise of payment.
Funding values, fees and timing
Our published Funding Solutions range is R250,000–R8,000,000+. The application accepts all actual deal values for review, so enter the real value of the order or invoice. A value below the published range does not need to be inflated to submit an enquiry. Acceptance of a submission does not mean every value or transaction can be funded.
Fund The People does not charge assessment fees. Funding costs, any advance amount, security and payment arrangements are separate matters confirmed in a written offer. Funding approval within 48 hours applies to complete qualifying applications and remains subject to verification and approval. Approval timing should not be read as a guaranteed payout date or as approval of an incomplete enquiry.
Johannesburg, Sandton and Gauteng enquiries
Local searches may refer to invoice funding in Johannesburg, single invoice funding in Sandton or tender finance for Gauteng SMMEs. Geography does not extend our service to private corporate invoices. Identify the government or municipal tender relationship first, then explain the work completed and the balance unpaid. Where your need is still the cost of fulfilling an order, start with the purchase order service instead.
Keep accurate records, use the current application instructions and review any proposed agreement. Confidentiality, buyer notification and settlement should be established through the actual terms rather than assumed from a general invoice discounting label.
Frequently asked questions
What does purchase invoice discounting mean for Fund The People?
Searchers sometimes use “purchase invoice discounting” when they mean funding against an unpaid invoice, while others use the same phrase for the supplier costs created by a purchase order. Fund The People treats those stages separately. Our Invoice Discounting Solutions concern completed, accepted, unpaid invoices tied to government and municipal tenders. Our Purchase Order Funding Solutions concern a qualifying confirmed purchase order that creates costs before delivery and payment. Start by explaining whether the work has been delivered, whether the buyer has accepted it, and whether an invoice is still unpaid. Include the order and the evidence that connects the invoice to the public tender. A purchase order alone does not establish that an invoice is ready for assessment. The team reviews the actual documents and any proposed terms. Fund The People does not charge assessment fees, and submitting documents does not guarantee approval, an advance amount or a payment date.
How do purchase order funding and invoice discounting differ?
The practical difference is the stage of the transaction. A confirmed purchase order may create supplier costs before you can deliver the goods or services. That is the stage to discuss through our Purchase Order Funding Solutions. An invoice enquiry concerns work that has already been completed and accepted, with an eligible invoice awaiting payment. That is the stage to discuss through our Invoice Discounting Solutions. Both routes at Fund The People are limited to purchase orders or invoices tied to government and municipal tenders. Private corporate orders and invoices do not qualify. Do not use an invoice application to imply that delivery has happened when it is still planned. Explain the present stage, the outstanding work and the documents you actually hold. The team can then assess the relevant transaction through the appropriate route. Any amount, security, payment arrangement or other condition must be established through verification and the written funding offer.
Which government and municipal invoices can be submitted?
Submit an enquiry when your invoice relates to a government or municipal tender and the underlying delivery has been completed and accepted, but the invoice remains unpaid. Those facts describe the service boundary; they do not amount to automatic approval. The application should make the connection between the tender award, the purchase order, the delivery and the invoice clear. Include the issuing buyer’s details, the invoice reference, the amount outstanding and the evidence you hold of acceptance. Explain any dispute, correction, partial payment or other issue that could affect the outstanding amount. Do not treat an industry label, a famous buyer name or a location as enough to establish eligibility. Fund The People assesses the actual transaction and documents. Approval, any advance amount and the agreed payment arrangements remain subject to review and written terms. If you have only an award or an unfulfilled order, explain that stage and use the purchase order route instead of presenting it as completed invoice work.
Does a private corporate invoice qualify in Johannesburg or Sandton?
No. Fund The People does not fund private corporate purchase orders or invoices. A Johannesburg trading address, a Sandton head office or a recognised corporate customer does not change that boundary. Our Invoice Discounting Solutions are only for completed, accepted, unpaid invoices tied to government and municipal tenders. The same public tender boundary applies to our Purchase Order Funding Solutions and our Tender Funding Solutions. You may encounter broader corporate invoice products when researching the South African market, but those products must not be presented as Fund The People’s offering. Check the identity of the debtor and the underlying tender before choosing an application route. Do not submit a private corporate invoice on the assumption that the location, contract size or customer reputation will make it eligible. Where a transaction’s documents are unclear, explain the actual buyer and tender relationship accurately. An application is an enquiry for review and does not extend the stated service scope.
What documents help explain an unpaid tender invoice?
Prepare the documents that show what was ordered, what was delivered, what the buyer accepted and what remains unpaid. Depending on the actual transaction, the material you hold may include the tender award, the purchase order, the invoice, delivery records and buyer acceptance evidence. Include the invoice number, the issuing company details, the buyer’s details and a clear account of the outstanding balance. If a payment has already been received, identify it rather than continuing to present the original total as wholly unpaid. Explain any dispute or difference between the order and the invoice. This is a practical preparation guide, rather than a promise that a particular list will be sufficient in every case. The current application requirements and any documents requested by the Fund The People team govern the review. Submit accurate records through the application route and respond to requests for clarification. Complete documents support assessment, while approval and proposed funding terms still depend on verification of the transaction.
Does Fund The People charge an assessment fee?
Fund The People does not charge assessment fees. That statement should remain separate from the costs of a funding facility if one is offered. A funding offer may contain transaction specific costs and conditions, which must be explained in writing before you decide whether to proceed. Do not use an illustrative market percentage, another provider’s pricing or an older article’s example as a quote for your transaction. The amount of funding, the applicable costs, the payment arrangements and any other conditions need to be read together in the written offer. Ask the team to explain any term you do not understand, including how the agreed costs relate to the amount advanced and the expected settlement. There is no assessment charge simply because you enquire or submit your documents for review. Equally, the absence of an assessment fee does not mean that a funding facility is free, approved or available on identical terms for every applicant.
Can I submit a deal below R250,000 for review?
Yes. The application accepts all actual deal values for review. Enter the real value of your transaction, including a value below R250,000, rather than increasing the figure to fit the published range. Fund The People’s published Funding Solutions range is R250,000–R8,000,000+, but that published range is not a form restriction preventing you from submitting a smaller enquiry. Submission does not guarantee approval or confirm that every deal value can be funded. The team assesses the actual government or municipal tender transaction and the supporting records. Explain whether the value you enter is the purchase order amount, the invoice amount or another amount requested in the relevant field. Where the invoice is partly paid, show the remaining balance clearly. Honest values and consistent documents make the enquiry easier to understand. Fund The People does not charge assessment fees. Any funding amount and costs, if a facility is offered, are confirmed through the written offer rather than inferred from the application field.
Does funding approval within 48 hours mean immediate payout?
Fund The People states funding approval within 48 hours for complete qualifying applications. This describes approval timing for applications that are complete and qualify for review; it is not a promise that every enquiry will be approved or that cash will be paid within the same period. Verification, document completeness and the proposed transaction remain relevant to the decision. For an invoice enquiry, establish that the work is completed and accepted, that the invoice is unpaid and that it is tied to a government or municipal tender. A missing acceptance record or an unexplained invoice issue should be disclosed rather than treated as irrelevant to the process. Ask the team about the next step and read any proposed agreement for the conditions that apply before payment. Keep the approval decision, the acceptance of terms and the actual funding payment separate when planning your cash flow. Do not commit to a supplier or another expense on the assumption that an application submission guarantees money by a particular date.
Will invoice discounting always be confidential?
Do not assume confidentiality simply because a product is described as invoice discounting. Buyer verification, notification, collection and settlement arrangements must be established through the actual proposed agreement. Fund The People’s public service description does not create a blanket promise that the debtor will never be contacted or that every applicant will retain the same collection arrangements. Explain the transaction accurately and ask the team how the buyer’s acceptance and the outstanding invoice will be verified. Read the written terms for any communication, payment direction or other obligations before proceeding. Our Invoice Discounting Solutions remain limited to completed, accepted, unpaid invoices tied to government and municipal tenders. A request for confidentiality does not make a private corporate invoice eligible or remove verification requirements. If a particular communication or collection arrangement matters to your business, raise it during the enquiry and obtain a clear explanation in the offer. Treat those agreed terms as the basis for your decision, rather than general market descriptions.
How should a Johannesburg or Sandton business apply?
Use the Fund The People application route and explain the actual government or municipal tender transaction you need reviewed. A Johannesburg, Joburg, JHB, Sandton or other Gauteng address can describe where your business operates, but it does not determine eligibility. For invoice funding, confirm that delivery is complete and accepted and that the related invoice remains unpaid. For a confirmed order that still needs delivery, use our Purchase Order Funding Solutions route and provide the order and the current supplier information requested. Enter the actual deal value and accurate contact details. Include the documents you have and explain any missing records or outstanding buyer issues. Fund The People does not charge assessment fees, and submitting an enquiry does not guarantee approval. Review the written costs and conditions of any facility offered before making delivery or payment commitments. You can also use the tender portal to discover opportunities, but finding a tender is a different step from receiving an award or securing funding for an eligible transaction.
Explore the right Funding Solutions route
Read about our Invoice Discounting Solutions, our Purchase Order Funding Solutions and our Tender Funding Solutions. Apply with your actual deal value and supporting documents.
For opportunities before an award, visit the Tender Discovery and Tender Portal guide. Tender discovery is separate from funding approval.