SANTA MARIA, Calif. – The Santa Maria City Council will discuss investing more than $8 million to upgrade software technology that handles financial system operations.
If approved, the new Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERP) would replace the existing software Santa Maria has used since 1998.
According to the city, the current system only maintains core financial records, with most other financial processes handled via paper workflows, email or Excel spreadsheets. According to the city's report, this outdated technology has led to inefficiencies, inadequate internal audit capabilities, and an increased risk of human error due to disjointed systems and multiple data entry points.
City of Santa Maria employees help the city meet its legal obligations for financial reporting, provide the tools it needs for payroll and human resources management, and manage key city-wide processes such as procurement, grants, projects, accounts payable, and receivable. He added that ERP is essential to enable electronic workflows. , time management, payroll processing, cashier operations, utility billing, etc.
To modernize the system, Santa Maria's selection committee selected a proposal from Cognizant/Collaborative to implement Workday, SpryPoint, and CanAm/Teller technologies. Staff report that these are modern systems with open interfaces that allow for integration with other systems. And workflow. The report further states that integration will improve staff efficiency and reduce errors and rework from disparate applications and manual data entry and processing.
The financial burden for the City of Santa Maria to purchase and implement the new system is estimated to be $8,221,000.
The new ERP implementation brings the latest technology to the City of Santa Maria's financial and human resources operations, improving operational efficiency, strengthening the security of city assets, and increasing information transparency for the city and its residents. officials say it will benefit the public.
