Case Study: City Lit achieves £50k a year outsourcing savings and stronger financial control with Access Group

Implementing Access software has helped City Lit save £50k a year on outsourcing costs

City Lit, the UK’s largest adult education college, was hampered by a 15‑year‑old finance system, paper‑based purchase orders, manual invoice processing and slow, incomplete management reporting. To modernise its finance function and better track student fee income, City Lit engaged Access Group to implement its Access finance solution, including a phased core financial system rollout and integration with the student records/EBS.

Access Group delivered a phased implementation that added electronic purchase orders, automated daily journals from EBS and self‑service reporting for budget holders, closing control gaps and streamlining month‑end processes. The Access solution saved City Lit £50k a year in outsourcing costs, gave budget holders autonomy to drill into transactions and invoices, tightened purchasing controls and freed the finance team to focus on driving efficiencies and timely management accounts.

City Lit

Paul Evans

Chief Financial Officer