ERP Use Cases: The Top 5 for Local Governments

By: Keith Wayland    August 20, 2024

It’s generally known that enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems provide a wide variety of benefits to private sector companies, their employees, and their customers.

However, the right ERP system can also do wonders for public sector entities, like local governments, and their constituencies.

Today, local governments face a growing demand for the transparency around process, in addition to managing disparate data and systems, communication disconnects among departments, operational inefficiencies and time lags.

These are just some of the struggles that local government faces today, and they’re also the reasons for why they are increasingly adopting cloud technology.

But choosing the right ERP system can be a difficult task. The software needs to address public sector specific challenges, be affordable, and offer capabilities for demonstrating transparency to constituents.

In this post we’ll take a look at five ERP use cases local governments should consider when evaluating cloud ERP solutions. We’ll also examine the advantages of implementing a cloud-based ERP such as Infor CloudSuite Public Sector—with the help of an expert partner like RPI Consultants.

1. Financial Management & Budgeting. Like any organization, local governments need to plan and control a budget. That means managing finances across departments, tracking expenditures, and ensuring funds are used effectively. You also need accurate, up-to-date financial reporting to meet regulatory requirements and provide transparency. Plus, chances are, you receive federal grants, which make up about 17 percent of state and local governments’ total revenues; when receiving grants, you have to ensure you’re complying with funding and reporting requirements. Fortunately, there’s an ERP designed specifically for local governments that will have you covered. Infor CloudSuite, a secure FedRAMP and NIST cloud-based ERP solution, provides critical financials, procurement, HCM, payroll, and operations on an integrated, mobile-ready platform.

2. Procurement & Supply Chain Management. Just like private sector companies, local governments have to manage vendors, inventory, and contracts. With regard to vendors, many ERPs, like Infor CloudSuite can help you streamline the entire procurement process, from selecting vendors to processing payments and managing vendor contracts. An inventory management system will help you track inventory levels, make your procurement process more timely, and reduce waste. And automating the lifecycle of your contracts will ensure compliance and efficiency.

3. Human Resources & Payroll. It’s important that public sector organizations manage personnel effectively. An ERP will make it easier for you to optimize hiring, track performance, and maintain detailed employee records. When processing payroll, local governments need to be mindful of complexities such as employee classifications and pay rates, a revolving door of contractors, and ever-changing labor laws. Your ERP should be able to ensure you remain on time, accurate, and in compliance with tax laws and benefits administration. Plus, your employees should be able to self-serve with regard to their own information, benefits, training plans, and so forth.

4. Public Services & Citizen Engagement. Here’s where the rubber really starts to meet the road as far as what local governments provide to the public. A solution like CloudSuite has the functionality to handle your case management, service requests, and incident responses. Infor CloudSuite helps with managing cases related to social services, health services, and public safety. It assists with requests, complaints, and other issues from citizens, even offering online portals so citizens can self-serve when accessing information, paying bills, and other interactions. What’s more, CloudSuite helps local governments maintain the openness that citizens expect and deserve. Afterall, transparency is “a fundamental component of democratic government and addresses the rights of citizens to know about activities of their government.” All that begin said, when evaluating ERP options, be sure to give special consideration to how the system will support your ability to serve constituents.

5. Regulatory Compliance & Reporting. Because local governments are so tightly regulated, you’ll want to choose an ERP solution that can save your employees vast amounts of time and effort with regard to compliance and reporting. For example, Infor CloudSuite will make it easier to establish an audit trail to ensure financial and operational activities are traceable and auditable. It will also protect sensitive data to help you comply with privacy laws. And you can easily generate ad-hoc reports in line with regulations and internal requests as needed.

The Business Case for CloudSuite

Even if your organization already has an ERP in mind, when it comes to supporting public sector operational processes, one solution stands alone: Infor CloudSuite Public Sector.

It’s a cloud-based ERP suite designed to offer real solutions to the challenges faced by government, education, transit, utilities, and more.

CloudSuite can help modernize the operation of your public sector entity—by enabling you to deliver full transparency, comply with regulations, and offer services more efficiently.

Plus, it’s built to scale and meet the needs of your growing community. In fact, ​​17 of the 20 largest cities in North America are powered by Infor; see how the City of Las Vegas helps citizens do business without making the trip to city hall.

The Added Value of a Proven Implementation Partner

The best way to avail your organization of the benefits of CloudSuite, however, is through an expert ERP partner, such as RPI Consultants.

Our Infor Government Essentials Program combines the power of Infor software and a wide variety of expert services from RPI. What’s more, your ERP is implemented and managed through a single relationship to minimize risk and maximize value.

Infor’s multi-tenant CloudSuite platform allows for seamless migration from legacy systems. Moreover, RPI’s technical and functional experts will employ industry-tested best practices to ensure a successful implementation. So, you’ll see benefits of your new system from day one. Plus, with expertise in post-go-live support, we can see to it that CloudSuite continues to scale with you and your increasing needs.

In fact, RPI offers decades of experience optimizing ERP implementations for public and private sector organizations alike. Also, as an Infor Alliance partner and certified reseller, we’re informed, educated, and up to date on the latest software developments.

Discover Infor CloudSuite for the Public Sector

Choosing an ERP system can help your public sector organization meet its mission and goals—and save time and reduce the burden on your employees as well. That’s why it’s so important to choose the right solution and expert partner.

Contact RPI Consultants for assistance with any or all of the five use cases discussed here. We have the proven expertise and track record with Infor CloudSuite Public Sector to help ensure your ERP implementation is a success.

To learn more about how local governments can benefit from Infor’s products and RPI’s services, check out our case study below. It details how the town of Apex, North Carolina implemented a user-centered ERP solution that puts public service at the forefront.