In this episode, we explore why government payments often stall—and how to fix it. Contrary to popular belief, delays rarely happen because a public-sector team "won't" pay; instead, invoices often get lost in complex approval queues, matching rules, and documentation checks. The secret to faster payment isn't aggression—it’s making the next step as easy as possible for busy government staff.

We break down five specialized email templates designed to move an invoice forward, including:

• Validation Requests: How to ask what specific documents are missing to complete an invoice check.

• Polite Status Checks: Monitoring an invoice that is nearing or just past its due date.

• Strategic Escalations: How to "widen the circle" when you receive no response, without sounding hostile.

• Dispute Resolution: Moving from a vague "issue" to a concrete path for resolution.

• Pre-billing Acceptance: Confirming services are logged before you even send the invoice to prevent future holds.

Beyond the templates, we discuss critical communication "pro-tips," such as using one email thread per invoice, attaching an "invoice-ready pack" to every message to remove friction, and focusing your request on the "next step" in the workflow rather than just demanding payment. Whether you are dealing with an Accounts Payable mailbox or a contract owner, these strategies align your follow-ups with the role-driven nature of government bureaucracy to surface exactly what is needed to get you paid.

Read the article here.