A Midwestern county needed to evaluate the management of its financial, inventory, human resources, work orders, and payroll system. The county was primarily motivated to assess its current system due to concerns about life cycle reliability, functionality, usability, interoperability, and accessibility. After using the same system for over twenty years, the county recognized its custom operating environment was failing to maximize utility.
Baker Tilly performed a comprehensive needs assessment on more than three hundred (300) county systems and a number of different modules e.g., accounts payable, accounts receivable, cash receipts, purchase orders, general ledger, chart of accounts, bank reconciliation, and payroll. We identified that county systems were designed to fit a particular department’s needs instead of contributing to a uniform process for the entire county. Baker Tilly applied data from the needs assessment phase to develop a long-term strategy for the county that would outline business and system requirements, create an RFP for release, and effectively assist in vendor selection/contract negotiations.
Baker Tilly identified more than two hundred (200) improvements for the county during the needs assessment phase. We made recommendations for the acquisition of a new system that would improve internal processes, provide integration with existing software systems, and reduce operating costs. Our team designed policies and procedures that would not only fit the new system, but also align with the overall vision of the county to have a system supported by uniformity across the enterprise. Baker Tilly continues to serve as a Valued Business Advisor for the county during the implementation phase to prepare its workforce for the new system.
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