ERP Upgrade for Waco, Texas

The Situation

The City of Waco has become a center for business and tourism in central Texas through the coordinated efforts of the City to promote growth. Beyond economic development, the Waco City government also manages local attractions and amenities including the Cameron Park Zoo, Waco Convention Center, Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum, and Waco Regional Airport. The City also supports regional activities by providing Animal Control, 911 Dispatch, Library and Health Department services.

Growing constituent expectations – both internally and externally – was placing greater demands on the IT staff and resources. With an aging technology infrastructure, the City needed an investment and technology plan that created efficient systems without disrupting the wide range of City services.

The Challenges

Technology had not kept pace with the development of the City. IT support resources were spread too thin and critical technologies, like the ERP system, had accumulated an array of other software packages to fill gaps in its functionality. With improved and streamlined customer service as a central focus, the City needed a forward-looking technology investment plan.

The Waco City Council and City Management wanted modern, effective and easy-to-use solutions for better field mobility, citizen self-service and government transparency. Information needed to be readily available to ensure informed decision-making for the City.

265,207

Citizens

$131,844,788

Total City Budget

22nd

Largest City in TX

The Solution

Sciens conducted a comprehensive assessment of the City’s technology infrastructure, both hardware and software, to identify opportunities for improvement. All City departments were interviewed to understand how work was done.

Sciens evaluated both the municipal operations systems, including Finance, Human Resources, Community Development, Public Works, and the Health Department; and the Public Safety systems, including Police communications and records management systems, and Fire records systems. Sciens also reviewed the City’s ecommerce and social media capabilities. The IT staff was interviewed, while Sciens analyzed the current infrastructure and technology support capabilities, to understand the technology landscape and problem areas.

Current ERP solutions were examined as they related to Waco’s functional requirements and available resources. Based on benchmarks against industry standards, such as ITIL, Sciens presented recommendations for alternative ERP solutions, complete with budget and timeline. Working closely with the Waco city staff, Sciens developed a citywide technology plan with investment prioritization. The expertise of the IT staff influenced the mix of insourced and outsourced resourcing.

As planned, upon completion of the IT Plan the IT Director for Waco retired, leaving the IT department without leadership. As the Strategic 5-year IT plan was executed, Sciens also provided interim IT management support and assisted with the selection process of a new IT Director. Our support ensured a smooth transition for the IT Department while the new Director came up to speed.

The Results

After eight years of collaboration with Sciens Consulting, the City of Waco successfully defined a technology investment strategy that they have executed over the years. An initial assessment and 5-year IT Strategic Plan has guided the process to achieve unprecedented improvements in efficiencies and citizen services.

The new ERP system was selected as the best option to meet Waco’s functional requirements. Sciens assisted the City in contract negotiations with the new ERP vendor, ensuring cost savings consistent with other Sciens clients. Not only did Sciens facilitate the vendor selection and negotiation process, they provided ongoing vendor management and collaborated with the vendor on a detailed project plan. The wide area network (WAN) and telephony infrastructure, including voice over IP services expansion, were also upgraded.

Despite core administrative and operational system upgrades, Sciens ensured that no disruptions occurred to City services. After completing the initial 5-year IT Assessment and Strategic Plan, Sciens has worked with City Management to revise the IT Strategic plan for the next five years.