Walmart’s New Accounts Payable Disputes Portal (APDP)

2021-09-24
5 min read

On September 27, 2021, Walmart launched its new Accounts Payable Disputes Portal (APDP) app in Retail Link to replace Direct Commerce, Inc. (DCI). Its intention is to provide more direct communication between dispute analysts and suppliers.

Only Good For Resale (GFR) suppliers with Retail Link accounts have access to this portal. Suppliers that support Goods Not For Resale (GNFR) will not have access to the APDP.

Walmart is rolling out the usage of this app in waves. Once suppliers have access to the APDP app, they will no longer use DCI to submit new disputes.

What is different about APDP?

With APDP, Walmart has brought disputing "in-house" rather than outsourcing the development of their dispute portal to Direct Commerce. APDP is a new app in Retail Link, and it's accessed with a user’s normal Retail Link credentials.

At a high level, the idea is the same as the old Direct Commerce portal. APDP is a portal where suppliers submit disputes for accounts payable deductions. However, there are some key differences to the way Walmart has gone about this.

  • Disputes are now tied directly to claims and invoice records in Retail Link.
  • Users now submit disputes at the claim line level, not the overall deduction level.
  • Walmart will approve or deny disputes per claim line.

What deductions can I dispute in the APDP app?

The types of deductions that suppliers can dispute in the new APDP portal specifically are accounts payable deductions. These claims include shortage deductions, such as codes 22, 24, and 25.

Deductions that come as an invoice to the supplier are accounts receivable deductions (such as Code 99: OTIF). Suppliers must go through their previous dispute process with these claims (i.e., documentation to their merchant team or going through High Radius).

However, some invoice deductions, such as tax corrections, cash discounts, and other remittance deductions that are not visible as claims, are disputable in the new portal. Suppliers may search these by the invoice number rather than the claim number.

Additionally, Post Payment Audit (PPA) deductions are not disputable in the APDP, nor are Remittance Advice deductions not found in the accounts payable portal (APIS).

Related Reading: The Difference Between AP and AR Deductions

Complete list of codes disputable in the APDP app

Here is a complete list of the codes that Walmart has stated are disputable in the APDP app. Please note that some AP deductions not listed are disputable in the portal, but Walmart has not specified whether it will review these or not.

However, all other AP deduction codes are visible and available for creating disputes in APDP. We have seen suppliers have some success disputing some other codes in certain scenarios, so it remains to be seen how strict Walmart will be in enforcing those rules.

As suppliers know, there are many more deduction codes. We have a complete list of all Walmart deductions codes, as well as an ebook on them.

How to get to the Accounts Payable Disputes Portal

To find the new Accounts Payable Disputes Portal (APDP), authorized users can follow these steps:

  1. Open a browser window using Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Firefox, or Safari.

  2. Clear the cache, cookies, and internet history to ensure the latest version of Retail Link will be viewable.

    ![Clearing your cache, cookies, and browser history in Chrome]1 (1).png

    Clearing your cache, cookies, and browser history in Chrome

  3. Log into Retail Link.

  4. Click on "Apps" at the top and click on "APDP."

    ![Finding the APDP in the Apps on Retail Link]2 (1).png

    Apps screen – Finding the Accounts Payable Disputes Portal

    Alternatively, look up "APDP" in the search bar at the top.

  5. The portal will open in a new tab.

To save this app to "Favorites," follow these steps:

  1. Go to "Apps" at the top of the screen.

  2. Find "APDP" in the apps list.

  3. Click the star next to the name.

    ![Adding the APDP to "Favorites"]3 (1).png

    Adding the APDP to "Favorites"

Here is what the dashboard looks like:

![Accounts Payable Disputes Portal (APDP) Dashboard]4 (1).png

Accounts Payable Disputes Portal (APDP) Dashboard

We will go into more detail on the dispute portal and how to use it in later articles.

To sum up

Walmart's decision to change its deduction disputes process brings it in-house into Retail Link and replaces Direct Commerce. Keeping the whole AP claim process in Retail Link should reduce the number of portals and apps suppliers must use.

However, suppliers should note that dispute resolution may not increase in speed, as Genpact is still in charge of reviewing disputes, and their process (to our knowledge) has not changed. Additionally, the number of codes suppliers may dispute in the APDP app is reduced.

What does this mean for Deductions Navigator?

SupplyPike will ensure that Deductions Navigator customers are kept informed as Walmart transitions its dispute process. Once the new portal goes live, customers will experience a seamless transition within our apps.

Please reach out to our team at sales@supplypike.com with any questions. Of course, if you'd like to schedule a demo and see how Deductions Navigator uses 1-click disputes, let us know that, too!

[![Disputing capabilities you can trust. Take a tour.]5 (1).png

Related Resources

Written by The SupplyPike Team

About The SupplyPike Team

SupplyPike builds software to help retail suppliers fight deductions, meet compliance standards, and dig down to root cause issues in their supply chain.

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The SupplyPike Team

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SupplyPike

SupplyPike helps you fight deductions, increase in-stocks, and meet OTIF goals in the built-for-you platform, powered by machine learning.

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