Nexus MAT Streamline Procurement, Gain Spend Visibility, and Empower Schools
- Company Overview
Nexus Multi-Academy Trust is a UK-based education trust comprising a growing network of schools, focused on delivering high-quality education while maintaining strong financial governance across all its academies.
- Why PLANERGY
Nexus Multi-Academy Trust is a growing network of 19 schools, focused on empowering individual schools while maintaining strong central financial control. As the Trust expanded and became VAT registered, its existing purchasing and invoice processes became increasingly complex, placing pressure on both school staff and the central finance team.
Decentralised invoice handling, limited automation, and complex approval workflows made it difficult to maintain consistency, visibility, and control. Nexus MAT needed a more intuitive, scalable solution to simplify processes, improve compliance, and support sustainable growth.
Key Challenges
- School staff struggled with a finance-first system not built for them.
- Manual invoice handling across schools created inefficiencies.
- Limited visibility made it difficult to track spend and invoices.
- Limited visibility made it difficult to track spend and invoices.
- Approval workflows were slow and often stalled.
Key Benefits
- Intuitive, easy-to-use purchasing experience for non-finance users.
- Centralised, automated invoice capture and processing greatly reduces manual work.
- Real-time tracking of invoices and approvals with clear notifications.
- PLANERGY ensured that invoices and approvals can be tracked in real time.
- Flexible, automated workflows that continue during staff absences.
The Story
Customer
Nexus Multi-Academy Trust
Key client
CFO
Industry
Education
Company Size
1,000+ employees
Before PLANERGY
Before implementing PLANERGY, Nexus MAT relied on Sage Intacct alongside heavily manual, decentralised invoice handling across its schools. The lack of automation and OCR created inefficiencies, inconsistencies, and additional administrative burden across the Trust.
Approval processes were difficult to manage, often resulting in delays and bottlenecks. Transactions would often get stuck in the system, there was limited visibility into the approval status for individual transactions, and there was a need for complicated cover arrangements during staff absences.
School staff struggled with using a system designed primarily for finance professionals. Limited mobile access and generic email notifications reduced engagement, meaning approvals were missed or delayed, and purchasing processes became inconsistent across schools.
Karen Smith, CFO, shared “Before PLANERGY the system we used was difficult to navigate, approvals got stuck and emails were so generic people ignored them.”
Month-end processes were particularly challenging, with manual effort, lack of clarity, and system limitations slowing down reporting and increasing pressure on the finance team.
After PLANERGY
Nexus implemented PLANERGY as a dedicated procure-to-pay platform alongside Sage Intacct, with a clear goal: simplify purchasing for schools while giving the central finance team greater visibility and control.
By centralising and automating invoice processing with OCR and AI the Trust was able to remove manual burdens from schools and create a more consistent, scalable approach to procurement.
PLANERGY’s intuitive design made it easier for non-finance users to engage with purchasing processes, while features such as mobile approvals and email notifications with full context ensured that approvals were faster and easier to complete.
The platform also introduced clearer budget visibility, stronger compliance controls, and real-time tracking of invoices and approvals—giving finance teams the transparency they previously lacked.
The Results
The impact of PLANERGY was immediate. Approval workflows became faster, simpler, and far more accessible, particularly for staff working across multiple locations. With mobile-friendly functionality and clear, intuitive processes, approvals no longer stalled or required unnecessary follow-up.
According to Lana Stoyles, Chief Procurement Officer, “Approvals are faster now because PLANERGY works so well on my phone.”
Visibility improved significantly across the Trust. Finance teams can now see exactly where invoices are in the process, who is responsible for action, and where delays may be occurring. This level of transparency has made it much easier to manage workflows and maintain control.
According to Gaynor Bailey, Transactional Finance Team Leader, “Being able to see at any point in time where the invoice is… that’s made a real difference.”
For school staff, the experience is far more intuitive and accessible. PLANERGY feels simple and familiar to use, encouraging stronger adoption and more consistent engagement across all schools.
Karen shared “It doesn’t feel like you’re logging into an accounting package.”
At the same time, compliance and procurement control have strengthened. The Trust can more effectively enforce policies, identify off-process spending, and ensure audit readiness, all while maintaining flexibility for schools.
Finally, by reducing manual effort and streamlining day-to-day processes, Nexus has achieved meaningful efficiency gains. Month-end is faster, administrative workloads are lower, and the Trust is realising measurable cost savings across its operations.
Testimonials
“PLANERGY is the bridge between the finance team and what’s happening in schools.”
Lana Stoyles
Chief Procurement Officer
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