BNSF ONLINE PROGRAMS IMPROVE SERVICE CONTRACT, INVOICE MANAGEMENT

BNSF ONLINE PROGRAMS IMPROVE SERVICE CONTRACT, INVOICE MANAGEMENT    Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Co. have implemented two online programs to improve its service contract and manual invoice processes.
   The new programs, UpsideContract and UpsideBilling from Upside Software Inc., enable the railroad to maintain, update and issue service contracts, as well as track invoices.
   BNSF implemented ContractSource in April to better manage its 3,000-plus active service contracts.
   'Upside Contract is quite an improvement from best practices,' said Andy Manthei, BNSF's director of contract services. 'There's now quicker turnaround time from beginning to end in a contract's life. There's also better accessibility for BNSF field personnel to view the contracts.'
   Fast Track eAP, based on UpsideBilling, enables the railroad to receive and process supplier invoices quickly and efficiently, BNSF said. The Fort Worth, Texas-based railroad processes about $4 million in daily transactions through the system that is targeted at small to mid-size shippers.
   Both systems allow BNSF to communicate with suppliers and provide contract and invoice status and detailed information, and offer supplier self-service to review and negotiates contracts and submit invoices, the company said.
Upside Software is based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.