Onboarding Guide for New Vendors
Welcome to Brightflag! Follow this step-by-step guide to get up and running with invoice submission, accruals, and more. We recommend that you take some time to review this guide before your client's go-live date. Use this index to skip to the step that’s relevant to you:
1. Go-Live
Prior to Go-Live
Before the go-live date, you will receive communications from the Brightflag team which will share further information and answer some questions you may have. These emails will also detail your client’s specific expectations on how you’ll use Brightflag.
Go-Live
The Brightflag team will create an account for you so that you can get started with various tasks. Once you have an active account, you'll be able to log in to the platform.
Post Go-Live
From your client’s go-live date, all invoices should be submitted to Brightflag for approval and payment. This means a switch from another system or a move away from emails to your client’s accounts team.
2. Log in
Accessing Your Account
For privacy reasons, there are 3 login URLs for Brightflag (see below). The URL you use will depend on your client’s preference or location and will be specified in Brightflag’s final go-live reminder email (search for Brightflag Onboarding for [client name]).
- North America: https://app.brightflag.com/login
- Europe, Middle-East & Africas: https://enterprise.brightflag.com/login
- Asia Pacific: https://aus.brightflag.com/login
Here’s how to access your account:
- Navigate to the URL relevant to your client.
- In order to set your password, select “Reset Password”.
- Input the email address to which you received the Brightflag onboarding emails.
- You’ll receive an email containing a link to set a new password (please check your spam folder).
- Follow the link and create your password.
- Return to the URL relevant to your client.
This account has been created for you and should not be shared with colleagues. Find out more about creating new accounts here.
Navigation and Menu
Now that you’ve set your password and can access your account, it’s time to take a look around Brightflag.
At login, you’ll land on the ‘My Firm’ page. Here, you can add your firm’s office and billing details. These may be required by the client in order to arrange payment once your invoices have been approved on Brightflag.
Click on the top left-hand icon to expand the menu. Each icon below will direct you to a different page on the platform. Some of the items on this menu can be expanded to show other pages. For example under ‘Invoices’ you can view the invoices page or navigate to PDF or LEDES upload.
3. Users
Permissions
There are three permissions available to vendor users on Brightflag; Vendor Admin, Vendor Office Admin, and Standard User. This article gives further details on what each permission level allows. Vendor admin access is only granted by the client and cannot be managed by you or the Brightflag team within the platform.
Adding New Users
You can create an account for your colleagues on the ‘My Firm’ page. Scroll to the bottom of the page where you’ll see a button to ‘Add New Users'. This article contains instructions accompanied by a video tutorial. New users added by you can only have Standard or Office Admin level permissions. To add another Vendor Admin, you’ll need to reach out to the client directly.
Unlocking Accounts
If you input an incorrect password too many times, you will be locked out of your account. You can follow these steps to unlock it. As a vendor admin, you can unlock your colleagues’ accounts manually within the platform. These instructions will demonstrate how to unlock another user’s account.
4. Timekeepers
If you are issuing hourly fee invoices, you’ll need to upload timekeeper rates to Brightflag before you can start submitting invoices. Rates must be approved by the client, or else invoices containing unrecognized timekeepers will be rejected.
You’ll need to upload each timekeeper’s name, role, hourly rate, and the date from which that rate is effective. In order to submit your firm’s timekeepers, you can follow the steps in this article.
5. Matters
There are two ways to have matters created on Brightflag; client creation or vendor creation. Clients can create matters from their side and share them with you and your firm office, or they can enable vendor creation which means you can submit a request for a new matter to be opened. Details of your client’s requirements can be found in Brightflag’s go-live reminder email. Search for “Brightflag Onboarding for [client name]” from cs-comms@brightflag.com in your inbox.
Client Matter Creation
If your client will create matters on Brightflag, you will be notified by email when you have been added to it. Otherwise, it will appear on the Matters page.
Vendor Matter Creation
If your client has enabled the option for your firm to create matters on Brightflag, you will see the ‘Request Matter” button at the top right-hand section of the Matters page. Follow these instructions to request a matter on Brightflag.
Once you have submitted the request, the client will need to approve it. You’ll be notified in an automated email from Brightflag once the request has been approved by your client and you can get started with invoice submission.
6. Invoices
Once your timekeepers have been approved and relevant matters created, you can get started with invoice submission. Brightflag accepts both PDF and LEDES 98B and 98Bi invoice formats in either hourly fee or fixed fee. LEDES 98Bi must be used if you are adding tax or PO numbers. Please note that some clients require that you attach a PDF invoice at LEDES submission.
The following articles will walk you through invoice submission steps:
As detailed in previous sections, timekeeper rates must be approved, and matters must be active on Brightflag before invoices can be submitted.
7. Accruals
Towards the end of each month, you may be required to submit accruals to Brightflag. Accruals (or work-in-progress) are amounts for work that has been carried out but not yet invoiced. These amounts can be estimates but should be as close to the expected invoice amount as possible. Accruals can be submitted individually or in bulk.
Follow these instructions to submit accruals to Brightflag.
Accruals Deadline
Your client will set a deadline for accruals submission. You’ll find this deadline on the Accruals page on the platform. If you miss the deadline, you won’t be able to submit via Brightflag and will have to contact the client directly. Please note that the timezone that appears is specific to the client’s location and may not match your firm’s location. This date may also fall on a weekend or public holiday.
8. Payment
Payment occurs outside Brightflag. Once your invoice has been approved by the client on Brightflag, it will be exported via their preferred AP route and directed to their Accounts team. If your invoice is rejected, it will not be paid, and you will be required to make amendments and resubmit to Brightflag.
NOTE: The Brightflag team do not have control or payment or visibility over its status. If you have any concerns, you’ll need to contact your client directly.
9. Support
Brightflag Support
If you run into any issues using Brightflag, you can contact our support team. Submit a request via the button at the top-left of your screen or fill out this form to file a ticket. Support SLAs are 2 business days, but you’ll receive an initial response from the team within 2 hours.
Brightflag Help Centre
You are viewing this article on the Brightflag Help Centre. You’ll find a range of articles specifically for vendors that will answer your questions. We encourage you to use the Help Centre as a self-service method for any issues you may have.
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