Agenda item

The Executive Director of Finance and Corporate Resources and the ICT Application Support Officer presented a business case in respect of the Enterprise Resource Planning System.  Members were informed about the following matters during the presentation of this report:

·                A number of the Council’s existing computer systems were not fit for purpose as they were not flexible or integrated with other systems.

·                Concerns in relation to these systems had been raised by officers, including many budget holders as well as internal and external audit.

·                The Enterprise Resource Planning System would be fully integrated and incorporate systems for HR, finance, procurement and cash receipting.

·                The Council would be using capital receipts to fund the introduction and installation of the system.

·                By basing the data on one system officers would have easier access to this when needed.

·                Officers would be able to incorporate systems from other departments if needed without requiring the Council to incur any additional costs.

·                There was the potential when using this system to use robotic software to complete mundane tasks on behalf of teams.

·                A separate system for the Housing Service would need to be introduced at a later date. 

The Committee discussed the report in detail and raised the following points as part of this debate:

·                The timescales for delivering the project.  Officers advised that the Council would need to be realistic about the timescales involved and it was suggested that to ensure a smooth transition a phased approach should be adopted.

·                The potential for the new system to meet customer needs.  The Committee was informed that stakeholders would be consulted and a focus group of customers would be convened so that their needs could be taken into account.

·                The background research that had been undertaken by officers, which had included investigating the impact of similar systems utilised by other local authorities.

·                The training that would be provided to staff when the new system was introduced.  Members were informed that this was likely to involve a number of training sessions.

·                The budget that had been allocated to training staff to use the system.  Members were advised that this budget had been included in the calculations contained in the report.

·                The length of time that the Council’s existing systems had been in place and why these had not been replaced at an earlier date.  Officers advised that the Council’s finance system had been procured three years ago and as the contract for this service was due to expire it had been considered timely to explore this subject.

·                The potential for the Council’s future Housing system to be integrated with the Enterprise Resource Planning System.  The Committee was informed that this had been taken into account and it would be possible to integrate the systems.

·                The lifespan of the system and the extent to which upgrades would be required.  Officers advised that the system would be built to work seamlessly like a mobile phone and like that equipment would need to be upgraded from time to time.

·                The likely cost of any upgrades.  Officers agreed to investigate this matter further and to report back to Members.

·                The Palace Theatre’s booking system and the extent to which this could be integrated with the Enterprise Resource Planning System.  Members were advised that there would be links, such as through cash receipting arrangements, but these two systems would not be integrated.

RECOMMENDED that

the Business case for the implementation of an integrated Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERP) is approved.

[During consideration of this item Members discussed matters that necessitated the disclosure of exempt information. It was therefore agreed to exclude the press and public during the course of the debate on the grounds that information would be revealed which relates to the financial and business affairs of the local authority].