Two-way match
An accounts-payable control that requires the supplier invoice to match the purchase order on key fields — typically vendor, item, quantity, and price — before payment is approved.
Two-way matching is the lighter-weight version of the classical AP matching control. The supplier invoice is checked against the purchase order: vendor identity matches, the items invoiced are on the PO, the quantity invoiced does not exceed the quantity ordered, and the unit prices match the agreed terms. If all four agree within tolerance, the invoice can be passed for payment.
Two-way matching is appropriate where the goods or services are not separately receipted, or where the receipt event is implicit (recurring services, software subscriptions, professional fees). It is faster than three-way matching but provides no independent verification that what was ordered was actually delivered.
Most ERPs support two-way and three-way matching as configurable per-vendor or per-account modes. Reconciliation tools surface match exceptions — quantity overrun, price variance, vendor mismatch — and route them through the appropriate approval chain before payment release.