Which amount should go to the contract lead?
You coordinate employee wellness programs at Marshline Components, a fictional U.S. employer.
The question
A vendor sends an invoice for this month’s program sessions. The program team can check an approved attendance total. The contract lead approves payment.
| Value | |
|---|---|
| Billed units | 84 |
| Invoice amount ($) | 1008 |
The invoice does not say how it counted the units.
Pay $12 for each distinct employee who attended at least one session that month. The contract lead approves a corrected invoice.
“Check the charge and say what you would send to the contract lead.”
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A strong answer, step by step
Open each step in turn. This is one strong answer, not the only one.
Step 1: What does a billed unit mean?
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Check the distinct employee count against the invoice.
The strong move. This tests whether the supplier billed the agreed unit.
Approve the invoice because $1,008 is 84 times $12.
Tempting, but it misses something. The billed unit could count a person more than once.
Treat every sign-up as payable.
Tempting, but it misses something. The term specifies attendance.
See how a strong candidate says it
“The invoice is 84 times $12. The term pays per distinct employee who attended. I need to check whether the billed count uses that unit.”
Why it works: Correct multiplication does not show that the units match the contract.
Step 2: What evidence do you request?
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Request the aggregate reconciliation for this invoice period.
The strong move. It checks the required unit without moving individual records.
Ask for a list of named attendees to circulate with the invoice.
Tempting, but it misses something. The aggregate can answer the billing question.
Ask only whether the invoice totals agree with the spreadsheet.
Tempting, but it misses something. Matching the spreadsheet still leaves the billing unit open.
See how a strong candidate says it
“I’d ask the supplier for the aggregate count of distinct employee attendees this month and a reconciliation to the billed units.”
Why it works: The aggregate can explain the difference. The individual attendance file can stay with its owner.
Step 3: What should the charge be?
The supplier confirms 84 visits, including 16 return visits by employees already counted. The approved aggregate shows 68 distinct attendees this month.
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Use the distinct count and escalate the difference.
The strong move. It reconciles the expected amount to the contract term.
Pay for all 84 visits because each visit happened.
Tempting, but it misses something. The term pays for distinct employees in the month.
Deduct 16 dollars from the invoice.
Tempting, but it misses something. Each of the 16 repeat visits was billed at $12.
See how a strong candidate says it
“There are 68 distinct attendees. At $12 each, the charge should be $816. The original $1,008 is $192 higher.”
Why it works: The difference comes from charging for 16 visits by people already counted.
Step 4: What does the lead need from you?
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Send the aggregate calculation and request the lead’s review.
The strong move. It supports the decision and leaves approval with the right owner.
Authorize the adjusted payment yourself.
Tempting, but it misses something. The lead owns approval under the supplied rule.
See how a strong candidate says it
“The invoice billed 84 visits. The term pays for 68 distinct attendees, so the expected amount is $816. I’d record the $192 difference and ask you to review the corrected invoice before payment.”
Why it works: The lead gets the contract term, the reconciliation and the required decision.
The answer, in short
- Decision
- Send the $816 expected charge and the $192 difference to the contract lead.
- Because
- The invoice counts visits. The contract pays for distinct attendees.
- What would change it
- A corrected count or a different agreed unit would require a new reconciliation.
Common traps
- Assume the invoice total proves the billed unit.
- Share individual attendance to explain an aggregate difference.
Check your answer
- I read the contract unit.
- I requested an aggregate for the same period.
- I calculated the expected charge and difference.
- I left approval with the contract lead.
Last reviewed Nov 11, 2026