Avendra International logo on a blue gradient background

School budget and invoice management: how Sedbergh used Pi eProcurement system

At a glance

Client: Sedbergh School
Sector: Education
Challenge: With 11 separate facilities and no real-time visibility of spend, it took two to three weeks after each month-end to manually work out what had been spent where, meaning overspends could go unnoticed for up to six weeks.
Solution: Adoption of Avendra International's Pi eProcurement system, consolidating around 300 monthly supplier invoices into one, providing real-time spend reporting across sites and houses, and adding automated spend alerts as budgets approach their limits.
Results: One consolidated monthly invoice instead of around 300, real-time visibility of spend by site, house and cost per pupil, and automated budget controls that flag orders at 50% of monthly spend and require authorisation from 85-90%.

Toby Lehmann, Deputy Bursar at Sedbergh Schools, shares his experience of how the Pi eProcurement system helped transform their budget and invoice management processes, delivering tremendous visibility and time savings for all departments.

The challenge: no visibility of spend across 11 facilities

“Our major issue before we had Pi was that we simply had no visibility of our spend. With 11 separate facilities, it would take us two or three weeks after the month-end to manually work out what had been spent where! The difficulty here is that by the time we had worked out where an overspend had occurred, it could be six weeks after the event. Clearly, this couldn’t continue.

The solution: adopting the Pi eProcurement system

Invoice and price management: from 300 invoices to one

Now, instead of processing around 300 separate supplier invoices every month, the school receives just one consolidated invoice from Pelican Procurement Services (now known as Avendra International). All orders are managed through Pi, which the 11 head chefs coordinate and process with ease, and Avendra International oversees ongoing price management to overcome price fluctuations and inflation.

Pi eProcurement reporting dashboard shown on a mobile phone

Real-time reporting on spend, cost per pupil and ordering

With Pi, everything is visible in real-time. I can look at any time to see what our daily, weekly or monthly spend is looking at across all sites or individual houses. I can see what each chef is ordering, and corrections can be made there and then. I can work out costs per pupil, and this level of precision enables us to plan better.

Controlling spend with automated budget alerts

Avendra International has adjusted the system for us, so when we get to 50% of our monthly spend, the ordering area turns from green to amber. Then, when it gets to 85% or 90%, authority is required to make further orders. Straight away, we have greater control and the support we receive for Pi is second to none.”

Additional Pi modules available to Sedbergh School

The online Pi portal provides Sedberg School with a wide range of modules, which includes invoice management, stock control, intelligence reports, online ordering, menu and recipe analysis, and more.

Talk to our procurement experts about school budget management

The Pi eProcurement system is complimentary to all Avendra International clients, as part of the Avendra International procurement service. It comes with training, system management, and ongoing system support.

The best way to see what Pi can do for you is to book your demo with our friendly team at hello_UK@avendra.com.

FAQs

How can schools get greater visibility of catering spend across multiple sites?

Avendra International’s Pi eProcurement system brings purchasing and spend information into one platform, giving catering, bursar and finance teams greater visibility over procurement activity. Its reporting and budget management tools can help schools monitor spend across sites or departments and make more informed purchasing and budgeting decisions.

How can schools use Pi eProcurement system to manage catering budgets?

Pi includes budget management and reporting tools that help schools monitor purchasing against agreed budgets. Its Piggybank budget management module provides real-time spend insights, budget alerts and configurable approval thresholds, helping teams identify budget pressures and maintain greater control over purchasing.

Can Pi eProcurement system help schools understand catering costs across different sites or departments?

Yes. Pi provides purchasing, budget and reporting data that can help schools analyse catering spend across their operations. This gives finance and catering teams better information for cost analysis, budget planning and identifying opportunities to improve procurement efficiency.