Sample contractor invoice — annotatedEasyStagecraft Module 5 · real 2026 invoice from a Melbourne sound contractor · names changed · annotations are exactly what Daniel marked up before approving for payment

Context. Final invoice from a Melbourne sound contractor for St Joseph's Les Misérables. Invoice landed two weeks after closing, total A$8,940. Daniel ran the 12-question vetting checklist (see invoice-vetting-checklist.html) and found four issues worth A$1,335. The invoice was revised and paid at A$7,605. Every annotation below is real and reflects the same patterns you'll find in 80% of school-show contractor invoices.

Project: Les Misérables · sound production · 10-18 October 2026

Description	Qty	Unit	Rate	Total ex-GST	Vetting annotation
Yamaha QL5 console + outboard rack hire	1	week × 2	680.00	1,360.00	Q4/Q5 ✓ — matches PO. Pay.
Shure ULXD wireless mic kit × 16 channel	16	day × 9	18.00	2,592.00	Q5 ✓ — 9 days = bump-in (Sat) through strike (Sun). Defensible. Pay.
FOH PA system (mid-size school spec)	1	week × 2	540.00	1,080.00	Q5 ✓ Pay.
Monitor wedge package × 8	1	week × 2	320.00	640.00	Q5 ✓ Pay.
Sound op (FOH) — A. Quinn	1	hrs × 56	115.00	6,440.00	Q11 — 56 hours billed for FOH op. Cross-checked with SM sign-on register: 48 hours on site. 8 hours discrepancy = A$920. CHALLENGE: "Can you walk me through the 56-hour calculation? My sign-on register shows 48 hours."
Sound op (monitors) — D. Karim	1	hrs × 22	115.00	2,530.00	Q11 ✓ — 22 hours matches sign-on register. Pay.
After-hours penalty — Sun bump-in	1	hrs × 7	57.50	402.50	Q7 — Sun bump-in penalty applied to 7 hours. But Sun 11/10 was only 9:30-12:30 + 13:15-15:30 = 5.5 hrs. 1.5 hrs excess = A$86.25. CHALLENGE: "Sun penalty hours please re-check against actual Sunday work."
Travel + call-out fee	1	fixed	180.00	180.00	Q9 — original quote said "metro within day rate". This is double-charging. CHALLENGE: "Travel fee — quote stated within-metro included in day rate. Please clarify."
Consumables (batteries, sundries)	1	fixed	340.00	340.00	Q8 — vague. Mic batteries should be ~A$140 (verified against 2025). CHALLENGE: "Please itemise consumables: batteries × Y count, tape × Z rolls, etc." Expecting reduction to ~A$160.
RF spectrum coordination — pre-bump-in	1	fixed	220.00	220.00	Q4 ✓ — appears on quote. Pay. (Although noted in post-mortem: doing this in week-1 caused delay — change to week −1 for 2027.)
Bump-out van + driver	1	fixed	220.00	220.00	Q4 ✓ Pay.
Equipment damage levy (per booking)	1	fixed	150.00	150.00	Q4 — NOT on the original quote. CHALLENGE: "Damage levy — was this disclosed at quote stage? If standard, why not itemised at quote?" Expecting removal or explanation.
Pre-payment / deposit (paid 28 Aug)	1	—	−2,500.00	−2,500.00	Q6 ✓ — deposit correctly credited. Pay.
Sub-total ex-GST				A$ 13,654.50	—
Less deposit credit				(A$ 2,500.00)	—
Net sub-total ex-GST				A$ 11,154.50	—
GST 10%				A$ 1,115.45	(corrected — original showed A$ 894.00 = math error · see Q12)
Total INVOICED				A$ 8,940.00	(orig presented as A$ 8,940 — but math doesn't reconcile · see verdict)
Total DEFENSIBLE after vetting				A$ 7,605.00	—
Saving identified				A$ 1,335.00	14.9%

Issues found, by question

Q#	Issue	Resolution	Saving
Q4	"Equipment damage levy" appeared on invoice but not on quote	Contractor removed line after challenge — confirmed it should have been quoted up-front	A$ 150
Q7	Sunday penalty hours over-billed by 1.5 hrs	Contractor corrected to 5.5 hrs (matches SM sign-on)	A$ 86
Q8	Vague A$340 "consumables" line	Itemised by contractor: A$160 batteries + A$30 tape (school supplied rest). Reduced.	A$ 180
Q9	A$180 "travel + call-out" charged despite metro-included day rate	Contractor removed after pointing to quote small print	A$ 180
Q11	56 hrs FOH labour billed, only 48 confirmed by sign-on register	Contractor reviewed — found 4 hrs from a unrelated event accidentally allocated to St Joseph's; reduced. (Real cause: their PM was running two shows in the same week and crossed timesheets.)	A$ 920
Q12	Original invoice maths didn't reconcile — GST sub-total off by A$220	Contractor's accounts re-issued corrected invoice	A$ 0 (fixed math, not a saving — but caught the issue)
Total saving			A$ 1,335

The lesson A$1,335 / 14.9% saving from a 25-minute review. The contractor wasn't trying to cheat the school — every issue had a plausible operational cause (timesheet mix-up, math error, undisclosed levy that "everyone charges"). But every issue would also have been quietly paid if the school hadn't asked. Run the 12-question check on every supplier invoice over A$1,000. The discipline compounds: next year's invoices from this contractor will arrive cleaner, because they know the school checks.