79% reduction in manual processing time
£1.2m per annum saving in invoice processing costs
£300k of additional budget identified
Best practice purchasing processes embedded
The work delivered has been truly transformational for my team. The accuracy and depth of data we now have available for decision making has improved significantly, enabling us to align our work more effectively with accurate budget forecasts. Thanks to your team’s support, we’re now seeing efficiencies across the board, most notably in operational costs.
Steven Mearns – Associate Director of Engineering & Maintenance
Define it
The University of Oxford identified significant inefficiencies within its Purchase to Pay (P2P) process that were impacting operational efficiency, financial control and staff experience.
Key challenges included:
- Heavily manual purchasing and invoicing processes causing delays and increased error rates
- A high administrative burden on senior technical staff due to complex approval routes
- Excessive reliance on email, with up to six emails per invoice, creating bottlenecks and lack of visibility
- Poor purchase order (PO) housekeeping, including retrospective POs, leading to overspend and weak budget control.
These challenges resulted in reduced financial visibility, unnecessary rework and time away from value‑adding activities.
Improve it
CI Projects worked closely with the University of Oxford to redesign the P2P process using proven continuous improvement and digital enablement approaches.
Key improvement activities included:
End‑to‑End Process Mapping
- Mapped financial workflows to identify waste, duplication and control gaps
- Designed a future‑state process aligned to best practice purchasing standards
Digital Automation Using Microsoft Power Platform
- Implemented a controlled PO request process using Microsoft Forms and SharePoint, supported by automated notifications
- Automated invoice approval workflows, removing lengthy email chains and significantly reducing processing time
Purchasing and Invoice Optimisation
- Introduced consolidated ordering and invoicing for high‑volume, low‑value suppliers
- Implemented a three‑way match (3WM) process for goods suppliers
- Reduced retrospective purchasing and strengthened compliance
Controls and Governance
- Introduced PO housekeeping processes supported by Power BI dashboards, improving accountability and financial transparency
- Embedded best‑practice purchasing processes from requisition through to receipting
Change Adoption Ran pilots to build engagement, sponsorship and organisational buy‑in before full rollout.
Sustain it
To ensure improvements delivered lasting value, sustainability was built into the programme from the outset:
- Automation flows embedded into Nexus365, enabling scalability and long‑term adoption
- Regular automated prompts and reminders to support behavioural change
- Delivery of staff training on purchasing best practice
Full documentation of all new processes and procedures to support onboarding and consistency
Key benefits
- £300k budget freed within two months by clearing unused purchase orders
- 79% reduction in manual processing time, equating to £1.1m per annum through semi-automated approvals
- £230k per annum saving in invoice processing time for goods suppliers through three-way matching
- £24k per annum saving through consolidated purchasing and invoicing
- Improved governance and decision-making through more accurate and timely financial data
- Enhanced staff experience by reducing administrative burden and clarifying accountability
- Reduced financial risk exposure through improved control and visibility
- Recognition of the internal admin team, who were nominated for a staff award for “Continuous Improvement for Finance Process Improvements”
