Currently, when a contractor submits an invoice with an amount different from the approved quote, the system automatically updates and overwrites the original approved quote value at the time the invoice is entered — before any invoice review or approval occurs.

The “approved quote amount” should remain fixed as the value that was formally authorised when the works were awarded.

At present, if a contractor submits a higher invoice amount, the system immediately replaces the approved quote value with the invoiced amount. This removes visibility of the original approval decision and makes it difficult to validate whether the invoice aligns with what was initially approved.

Suggested Improvement:

Preserve the original approved/awarded quote amount as a fixed and immutable value.

Do not overwrite the approved quote amount when an invoice is submitted.

If the invoice amount differs from the approved quote amount, clearly display the variance on the invoice approval screen as either:

Positive (+) difference, or

Negative (-) difference

Show the variance amount prominently so approvers can immediately identify discrepancies before approving payment.

Any variation between the approved quote and invoiced amount should be tracked separately and require review/approval as a variation, rather than replacing the original approved value.