Why FM teams need CAFM and finance integration (and how to get it right)

If you’ve ever had to chase down missing invoices, manually cross-check purchase orders, or explain to finance why your budget reports don’t match theirs, you’re not alone.

For many Facilities Management (FM) teams, financial workflows can be a mess.

Finance runs one system, like Oracle, SAP, Workday, or Sage, while FM teams work with different platforms rarely connected to the finance system. This disconnect can lead to:

• Lost POs in email chains
• Slow invoice approvals that frustrate contractors
• Budget surprises that leave finance questioning FM’s spending
• Too many spreadsheets, manual workarounds, and duplicated numbers

The result?

FM managers and finance waste time chasing each other up, eating into their productivity.

But there’s a solution. Integrating a CAFM system with your finance platform brings real-time financial control, eliminating the bind of manual data entry, and ensuring your numbers always add up.

So why is it still an afterthought for many FM teams? And how can you make integration easy, secure, and effective?

What’s standing in the way?

If finance integration is so beneficial, why aren’t more FM teams doing it?

1. “Integration sounds too complex”

Many FM teams worry that linking two systems will be a technical nightmare requiring endless IT support.

2. Security concerns

Finance and IT teams worry about data breaches when opening up their systems to external platforms.

3. Resistance to change

Finance teams may be satisfied with their processes and hesitant to change - even if it improves efficiency.

4. Budget concerns

FM teams fear that integration requires a huge upfront investment in custom development.

But in reality, integration doesn’t have to be complicated. With the right approach, it can be straightforward, secure, and cost-effective.

What finance teams really need from FM

For FM teams to get finance on board, you need to speak their language.

Finance teams want to see:

• Accurate data transfer  – No missing or duplicated numbers.
• Real-time visibility – They want to track FM spending in real time.
• Budget control – They need to be sure spending controls are in place.
• Audit-friendly processes – Clear approval workflows with full traceability.

When you are selecting a CAFM provider to work with, ensure you’ve got a team willing to support you in your conversations around integration with your wider team.  

CAFM partners shouldn’t just have the APIs ready for working within the major finance platforms, but the experience of working with company’s finance and FM teams to configure integrations in ways that work for them.

How to define your integration needs

First, sit down with your finance team and work out what you both really need from each other.  

What data does the finance team need you to share with them, and what do they need to tell you?

Some finance teams will need to approve costs and raise a new PO number for every quote you accept. They may require finance approval for any change or uplift request. Others will be happy for you to commit to services without sending a PO number, as long as certain rules are followed and the right data is sent to them for them to reconcile with future invoices. 

And don’t forget, some of the budget control functions your finance team may require can be automated, minimising the integration points required.

With these requirements in mind, your FM teams and CAFM provider can figure out the detail and frequency of required data exchange.  

As you work with your CAFM provider it’ll also become clear which integration approach is best for your business.

What’s the best integration method for you?

Your CAFM supplier should offer both API and ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) integration methods to offer you the greatest flexibility:

Choose API: if real-time data exchange across PO and invoicing workflows are crucial to your operations

Choose ETL: if less frequent data updates are acceptable - you can create an efficient system while minimising development,  integration and maintenance costs.

The smart way to approach integration

Integration doesn’t have to be painful. Here’s how to do it with minimal disruption:

1. Get finance & IT onboard early

Involve finance and IT teams from the start to address concerns upfront.

2. Automate where possible

Look to automate as much of the data exchange and cost control process as possible. Make it easy for teams to approve quotes and costs - to raise POs, process invoices and reconcile costs.

3. Keep it simple

Choose the right level of integration—not every business needs real-time data syncing

4. Start with a pilot

Test the integration in a sandbox environment before rolling it out fully.

The bottom line: integration is the future

A well-integrated CAFM/finance system eliminates manual work, reduces errors, and speeds up approvals.

Expansive FM is helping businesses around the world improve and accelerate the way finance and FM teams work together - and the speed with which contractors can invoice and be paid.

Imagine the impact on your team if you could automate these processes.

Ready to stop manually tracking POs and invoices?

It’s time to integrate smarter. Talk to Expansive FM about how we can help.