When The Casco School opened its doors in Panama in 2019 with just 30 students, no one could have predicted the remarkable journey ahead. Fast forward to 2025, and this international British school now serves 430 students across two campuses—a 14-fold increase that would challenge any organization’s operational capabilities.
But rapid growth brings its own set of challenges, particularly when your mission is to provide world-class international education at 50-100% less cost than comparable institutions. How do you maintain lean operations while scaling at breakneck speed? For The Casco School, the answer came through modernizing their procurement processes with Procurement Express.
The Growing Pains of Success
Alejandro Vargas, The Casco School’s Chief Financial Officer, faced a familiar problem that many growing organizations encounter: their back-office systems hadn’t kept pace with their expansion. “We were managing procurement through emails, with no tracking or budget visibility for department heads,” Vargas explained. The result? Lost communications, delays, and department heads making financial decisions in the dark.
For a school that prides itself on operational efficiency—it’s how they deliver exceptional education at such competitive prices—this manual process had become a critical bottleneck. Teachers needed supplies, departments needed equipment, and administrators needed visibility into spending, but everything was stuck in email threads and spreadsheets.
A Digital Transformation in Education
The partnership with Procurement Express, announced on August 7, 2025, marks a significant step in The Casco School’s digital transformation journey. The comprehensive solution addresses every pain point the school identified:
- Real-time budget visibility: Department heads and teachers can now see their budgets and spending in real-time, enabling informed decision-making
- Mobile accessibility: Staff can submit purchase requests and scan invoices from anywhere using the mobile app
- Automated workflows: Customizable approval processes with spending limits replace the chaos of email chains
- Bilingual support: The platform works in both English and Spanish, accommodating the school’s diverse community
- Seamless integration: Two-way synchronization with QuickBooks Online ensures financial data stays consistent
Racing Against the Clock
With the new academic year starting in late August, time was of the essence. Procurement Express committed to an accelerated implementation schedule, including data migration, budget configuration, and comprehensive staff training across all organizational levels. The company even assigned Mariska, a specialist in educational institutions and QuickBooks integration, to ensure a smooth transition.
The custom pricing structure—$700 per month for up to 20 users with waived onboarding fees and a 90-day money-back guarantee—demonstrates Procurement Express’s confidence in delivering immediate value.
Lessons for Growing Schools
The Casco School’s story offers valuable insights for other educational institutions experiencing rapid growth:
- Don’t let back-office systems lag behind: As student numbers grow, administrative complexity grows exponentially
- Invest in visibility: When budget owners can see their spending in real-time, they make better decisions
- Choose partners who understand education: With over 27 educational institutions as clients and some partnerships lasting over nine years, Procurement Express brings deep sector expertise
- Act before it’s critical: The best time to upgrade systems is before they become a crisis
Looking Ahead
As The Casco School prepares for another year of growth, they now have the operational foundation to support their ambitious mission. By replacing email-based procurement with a modern, integrated platform, they’re not just solving today’s problems—they’re building the infrastructure for tomorrow’s success.
For other schools watching The Casco School’s journey, the message is clear: operational excellence isn’t just about cutting costs; it’s about creating systems that empower your team to focus on what matters most—educating students.
The partnership between The Casco School and Procurement Express shows that with the right tools and partners, schools can maintain their commitment to affordable, high-quality education while scaling to meet growing demand. In an era where educational costs continue to rise globally, The Casco School’s model—and the systems supporting it—offer a blueprint for sustainable, accessible international education.
