Vendor invoices getting rejected at high rates

Something weird is going on with the procurement side of things. I’ve had three separate vendors reach out to me this week asking why their invoices are being flagged or held up by finance, despite having proper authorization. When I checked in with my lead, I was told there’s a new 'centralized review process' for all outgoing payments over a certain threshold. It feels like they are tightening the purse strings to an extreme degree, possibly to inflate the cash position before the next earnings call. Usually, when they start strangling the vendor side of the business, it’s a precursor to a restructuring. I’ve seen this playbook before at other chemical firms—they stop paying the lights so the balance sheet looks slightly prettier for the analysts before they announce a reduction in force. Has anyone else noticed their department's purchasing power being gutted or seeing delayed payments to your primary contractors? It feels like we’re bracing for impact.