ESPO – PunchOut Integration

Identifying the Gap in Integration

ESPO is a public sector buying organisation providing procurement services to schools, multi-academy trusts, local authorities, and other public bodies across the UK. Their customers use purchasing systems like IRIS Financials to manage procurement workflows, budgets, and financial controls.

As demand for integrated procurement platforms increased, ESPO recognised that it was missing a key element. They did not have a presence in the systems their customers were using. Without a PunchOut connection, buyers were choosing competitors that were already integrated, as this offered greater convenience. It is a pattern PushON sees across many sectors, the supplier with the smoothest connection into the buyer’s system wins the order, often regardless of price.

Challenges Facing ESPO in Visibility and Integration

ESPO faced an interconnected problem:

There was no presence in key procurement platforms. Customers using systems such as IRIS Financials could not access ESPO’s catalogue directly from within their purchasing workflow. This situation rendered ESPO invisible at the point of purchase, resulting in a loss of business to competitors who already had PunchOut integrations in place.

Phase 1: IRIS Financials PunchOut Integration

The first project involved creating a custom PunchOut integration between ESPO’s eCommerce platform, built on Adobe Commerce, and IRIS Financials, a finance system widely used in UK schools and multi-academy trusts. This integration allowed buyers using IRIS Financials to access ESPO’s live catalogue directly from their purchasing system. As a result, they could make purchases without switching platforms or re-entering order data.

PushON’s expertise in eCommerce and system integration facilitated a seamless integration, enabling us to successfully implement it and improve the purchasing experience for users.

How it works

A buyer logs into IRIS Financials and selects ESPO as their approved supplier.
The system securely redirects them to ESPO’s website and automatically authenticates their account, eliminating the need for a separate login.
The buyer browses and shops from ESPO’s live catalogue, which features real-time pricing, including customer specific pricing, and stock availability.
At checkout, the buyer selects “IRIS Financials” as the payment method and clicks “Export to IRIS Financials.”
The basket is sent back to IRIS Financials, automatically populating a purchase requisition with accurate line items, pricing, and descriptions.
In Adobe Commerce, the order remains in a pending state while it undergoes the approval workflow within IRIS Financials.
Once approved, the order status updates automatically, and the purchase is fulfilled.

Why it's important

The approval step is deliberate; it ensures buyers do not make purchases beyond their budget, or without internal approval from within their organisation. Finance teams maintain complete control, while staff enjoy a familiar and seamless shopping experience.

Phase 2: A Custom, Agnostic PunchOut Module

Following the success of the IRIS integration, the next project focused on creating a reusable, finance system-agnostic PunchOut solution for ESPO. Instead of building a bespoke integration each time a new buyer system needs to be connected, this module enables ESPO to configure and manage new and existing PunchOut connections directly from the admin panel.

Key capabilities of the module include:

This solution supports various PunchOut protocols and different types of buyer systems.
Connection settings can be configured for each vendor and are fully managed through the admin user interface.
You can customise the button text and order statuses to align with the terminology used by each buyer system.
Additionally, there are no limits on the number of connections.

At launch, ESPO had already configured around 20 active connections through the module, with additional connections added as demand increased, all without incurring any extra licensing costs or further development work from PushON.

Key Outcomes and Advantages for ESPO and Its Customers

For ESPO

Established a presence in key buyer procurement platforms, recapturing business that had previously gone to competitors
Eliminated ongoing per-connection licence fees and replaced them with a one-time build cost
Gained the ability to onboard new buyer system integrations independently and at no extra cost
Delivered a strong return on investment, with savings expected to significantly exceed the build cost as connections scale

For ESPO’s Customers

Buyers can shop directly from ESPO’s live catalogue within their existing purchasing system.
There is no need for manual data re-entry as orders flow seamlessly from the basket to the requisition.
Real-time pricing and stock information help to eliminate order errors and reduce supplier invoice queries.
Procurement policies and approval workflows are enforced automatically, maintaining financial control.
The requisition-to-order cycle times are faster, requiring less administrative effort.

Evolving Customer Needs into Strategic Capability

What began as a single integration to address a specific customer need has transformed into a strategic platform capability. By developing a custom PunchOut solution, ESPO eliminated a commercial barrier, regained visibility at the point of purchase, and provided its customers with a procurement experience that is both seamless and financially controlled.

The agnostic architecture allows ESPO to continue expanding their reach, connecting with new buyer systems as its customer base grows, all without requiring additional development investment.

Where this Applies Beyond Public Sector Procurement

PunchOut is not unique to ESPO or the public sector. Any organisation that sells to buyers operating inside their own procurement, ERP, or finance systems faces the same challenge: the supplier with the smoothest integration wins the order. The pattern PushON solved for ESPO recurs across sectors:

Manufacturing & industrial supply — Connecting into buyer ERP systems such as SAP Ariba, Coupa, and Oracle for high-frequency, repeat ordering.
Healthcare & life sciences — Integrating with NHS and private-provider procurement platforms where approval controls and auditability are mandatory.
Education — Catalogue access inside finance systems used by schools, colleges, and multi-academy trusts.
Distribution & wholesale — Reducing manual re-keying and errors for trade customers ordering at volume.
Facilities & Maintenance — Enforcing spend policy and budget controls at the point of purchase.

Bespoke Integrations by PushON

Because PushON builds these integrations bespoke, and can wrap them in a reusable, system-agnostic module, the approach scales to whatever mix of buyer systems a business needs to reach, without locking into per-connection licensing.

Does your business need a PunchOut connection to keep pace with the competition? Or bespoke integrations and modules building? Get in touch with PushON today to discuss how we can turn your requirements into reality.