TiLA Cuts Invoice Processing Time by 75% with PLANERGY
- Company Overview
Trust in Learning Academies (TiLA) is a growing multi-academy trust (MAT) managing multiple schools across Bristol and South Gloucestershire. As it prepared to expand further, it needed a scalable and cloud-based spend management solution to replace outdated processes.
- Why PLANERGY
Finance Director Drw Cannon sought a modern system to centralize procurement, reduce manual workloads, and scale seamlessly as more schools joined the trust. PLANERGY, integrated with Xero, provided precisely that: automation, cost savings, and full visibility across procurement and budgets.
Key Challenges
- Procurement and invoice approvals relied on paper-based processes that slowed workflows and created inefficiencies.
- Purchases were invoice-driven with no PO management, leading to overspending and poor visibility.
- Finance teams faced two-week delays in processing and paying invoices.
- Schools operated independently, with fragmented processes and little central oversight.
- Expansion required more schools to be added without significantly increasing finance headcount.
Key Benefits
- Procurement was digitized and approvals automated, eliminating paper processes and reducing admin costs.
- All purchases are now pre-approved with POs linked to budgets, ensuring visibility and preventing overspending.
- Invoice processing was cut from two weeks to just three days.
- Finance gained central oversight with real-time tracking across all schools.
- TiLA doubled the number of schools without increasing finance headcount.
The Story
Customer
Trust in Learning Academies
Key client
Finance Director
Industry
Education
Company Size
200+ employees
Before PLANERGY
TiLA’s finance and procurement processes were heavily reliant on paper and manual approvals. Business managers signed off on physical invoices, which were couriered between schools, typed into accounting software, and archived in storage.
“Our process worked ok with just a few schools, but as we added more, the inefficiencies piled up,” recalled Finance Director Drw Cannon.
With no purchase order management in place, spending was invoice-driven, making it difficult to enforce budget control. Approvals were often delayed by weeks, creating late payments and strained supplier relationships.
School-level independence meant processes were fragmented, and the central finance team had limited oversight. As expansion plans moved ahead, it became clear the existing approach could not scale.
After PLANERGY
PLANERGY enabled TiLA to transition to fully paperless procurement and automated approvals, dramatically improving efficiency. Invoices are now digitized and processed in real time, with approval workflows ensuring all purchases are pre-approved against budgets.
This shift cut invoice processing time from two weeks to just three days. Cannon noted, “We’ve avoided late payment fees and strengthened supplier relationships thanks to faster invoice approvals.”
Supplier onboarding was centralised, reducing risks and ensuring standardised procurement. Teachers and non-finance staff also adopted the system quickly, thanks to an intuitive interface and integrations like Amazon PunchOut.
Most importantly, TiLA has been able to grow without increasing finance staff. When the trust expanded from four to eight schools, finance headcount remained the same. “With PLANERGY, our team now processes more invoices faster without hiring additional staff. We’ve doubled the number of schools without increasing headcount,” said Cannon.
The financial impact has been substantial. Efficiency gains saved staffing costs, eliminated printing and storage fees, and removed late payment penalties. Over time, this has added up to hundreds of thousands of pounds in avoided costs. Cannon added, “We now resolve spending issues before the purchase happens, saving us time and preventing budget overruns.”
Looking ahead, TiLA plans to expand its use of PLANERGY with additional PunchOut integrations and budget forecasting tools, giving department heads and business managers real-time visibility into spending.
Testimonials
It’s made our approval process quicker and less cumbersome, and it’s taken away people’s excuses for not following policies and procedures.
Drw Cannon
Finance Director
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