Accounts Payable Services & AP Automation Providers in Bethesda, MD

Ryan & Wetmore, PC is a CPA and consulting firm serving growing companies across the Washington, D.C. metro area. Its Maryland base is in Bethesda, with a second Maryland location in Frederick and another office in McLean, Virginia. Buyers looking for accounts payable support will find the most relevant offering in its Outsourced Accounting practice. Through that practice, the firm takes on routine finance work for clients. The same firm also provides audit, tax and advisory services.

Outsourced accounting and payables support

The firm presents outsourced accounting as a way to streamline and simplify bookkeeping with the help of modern tools. Client feedback published on its site gives a sense of what this looks like in practice. One medical practice owner says the firm oversees the daily accounting for the practice.

A technology CEO credits staff with getting a payroll provider and the company's accounting system to work together correctly, and with guidance on issuing customer invoices. The website does not list specific accounts payable tasks, such as vendor bill entry, approval routing or payment runs. It also does not name a particular AP automation platform.

Companies seeking a defined AP workflow should therefore confirm the exact scope with the firm before engaging.

Broader capabilities

A useful feature for buyers is that payables and bookkeeping support can sit alongside the firm's other disciplines. These include:

• Tax planning and preparation for businesses, individuals and estates
• Audit and assurance, including due diligence, attestations, agreed-upon procedures, compilations and financial statements
• Operational consulting through a dedicated department formed in 2014
• Merger and acquisition advisory

Industry focus

Ryan & Wetmore organizes much of its work around specific sectors:

• Government contracting
• Construction and real estate
• Health care
• Information technology
• Manufacturing
• Nonprofit organizations
• Professional services
• Entrepreneurial and early-stage companies

The firm also publishes material on sector-specific issues. Recent topics include cash flow for medical practices, CMMC requirements for defense contractors, and sales and use tax for builders.

History, team and credentials

The firm was founded in 1988, when it acquired the practice of Sam Bossin and opened an office in Silver Spring. It added Frederick in 1999 and northern Virginia in 2001. In 2008 it joined the BDO Alliance, a national network that gives member firms access to wider resources.

It later launched an M&A advisors alliance and, in 2021, a health care business advisory group. Inside Public Accounting has ranked it among the top 500 U.S. accounting firms. The Washington Business Journal has placed it on its regional accounting firm list for ten straight years.

The firm reports more than 45 employees. Its four partners are all CPAs: co-founders Peter Ryan and Mike Wetmore, plus Traci Getz and Jason Dudas. They are supported by directors, managers, senior and staff accountants, and consultants, many of whom hold CPA or MBA credentials. Staff are active in more than 20 professional associations.

How they work with clients

The firm says its mission is to give Mid-Atlantic clients timely, proactive service with a personal touch. Its stated values are integrity, education, responsiveness, commitment and approachability. Testimonials describe client relationships lasting from ten to more than thirty years. Clients also report the firm working closely with their in-house finance staff. For mid-sized organizations, this suggests a provider that can supplement an existing accounting team rather than simply replace it.

Sullivan & Company, CPAs is a certified public accounting practice based in Bethesda, Maryland. It works with small and growing companies across Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia, and the firm says it also takes on clients elsewhere in the state and across the country.

Its core proposition is to take routine finance work off owners' desks so they can concentrate on running their companies. That makes it relevant to organizations weighing whether to hand off the handling of vendor bills and other back-office ledger tasks.

Back-office accounting relevant to payables

The firm does not list accounts payable as a standalone offering. Its outsourced accounting and bookkeeping practice and its fractional controller and CFO engagements cover the ongoing recordkeeping in which supplier obligations are normally tracked. Prospective clients looking specifically for invoice processing or bill payment should confirm that scope during the free initial consultation the firm offers. Related capabilities described on its site include:

• Outsourced bookkeeping that keeps company records up to date and orderly
• Outsourced controller and CFO support as an alternative to adding in-house finance staff
• Monitoring of cash flow, along with budgeting and forecasting
• Preparation of detailed financial statements written to be understandable to owners, not only accountants
• Selecting the appropriate QuickBooks version, configuring it properly and coaching clients on its use
• Payroll processing, including tax filings, direct deposit, W-2, W-3 and 1099 preparation, and custom reports

How engagements are structured

Rather than offering a single fixed package, the firm assembles a bundle of accounting services around each client's present requirements and revises it as the business evolves. Its payroll team can run cycles on a biweekly or monthly basis, supplies weekly accounting summaries, assists with workers' compensation audits, and gives employees online access to their payroll information.

Clients exchange documents through a secure online portal. The firm also publishes guidance on what new clients should expect and describes a recurring monthly process for keeping records current.

Advisory and tax depth

Beyond bookkeeping, the practice provides tax planning and preparation, help resolving IRS problems, and international tax work. Its advisory services include business valuations for litigation, mergers and insurance matters, as well as general business consulting aimed at growth, efficiency and risk reduction.

For founders, it advises on choosing between an LLC, S corporation or C corporation, helps draft business plans, and sets up an accounting system designed to scale. A wealth management and personal financial planning arm covers retirement planning, estate planning and asset preservation.

What distinguishes the firm

Sullivan & Company positions itself as a single source for compliance work and forward-looking guidance, pairing day-to-day record maintenance with longer-range goal setting and tax-minimization strategy. The firm serves a range of industries and has Spanish-speaking staff available to assist clients. Companies that want a local CPA team to manage their books, controller-level oversight and payroll under one roof may find it a practical fit. Those seeking a dedicated AP automation platform should look elsewhere or verify capabilities directly.