Title
Customer Information System (CIS) Replacement Project (B)
Explanation
GRU relies on its Customer Billing and Information System (CBIS) to bill for $228,000,000 in services annually for both GRU and General Government. The technology that underlies CBIS is twenty years old making it difficult to change and integrate with other GRU systems. The system is premise-based, focusing on locations (meters) rather than customers, and cannot readily connect with other, newer technologies which could generate productivity savings for GRU. In addition, GRU's ability to continue to maintain CBIS diminishes as employees with knowledge and experience with the legacy system retire.
A Customer Information System (CIS) Replacement Team was formed in May 2004 for the purpose of developing a plan to replace CBIS with a new CIS by the Spring of 2007. To assist staff in the process, a CIS consultant, Advanced Automation Consulting, Inc. (AAC) was selected as a result of a solicitation and approved by the City Commission in October 2004. AAC assisted GRU with preparing the CIS Replacement RFP and evaluating the CIS proposals. AAC will provide assistance to staff with final contract negotiations with the selected implementer and software supplier as well as perform project oversight in the implementation of the new software.
A Request for Proposal for the CIS replacement was sent to thirty-five (35) prospective firms in March 2005 with ten (10) responding. The proposals were evaluated in three phases. The first phase of the evaluation was based half on technical and functional requirements and half on the proposed implementation plan, company profile and innovation and flexibility with GRU's requirements. Based on the evaluation results, seven (7) firms were selected for evaluation in the second phase which included product demonstrations, cost evaluation and references. The product demonstrations were observed and evaluated by 30-50 GRU and General Government team members. As a result of the phase two evaluation, Deloitte Consulting was determined to have the best overall scoring. The third phase of the evaluation included a detailed five day product demonstration with the "core" CIS replacement team members and a site visit to a current SAP software user. A tabulation of the evaluation results is attached for your reference.
Upon approval by the City Commission, GRU will begin negotiations with Deloitte Consulting with plans to execute a contract in September 2005. If GRU is unsuccessful in negotiating a contract with Deloitte Consulting, staff requests approval to negotiate a contract with the second highest ranked firm.
Recommendations
The City Commission: 1) authorize the General Manager, or his designee, to negotiate and execute contracts with Deloitte Consulting LLP, a Customer Information System (CIS) software implementer and its proposed software firm, SAP, for implementing a new GRU CIS, subject to the approval of the City Attorney as to form and legality, 2) approve the issuance of a purchase order to Deloitte Consulting LLP in an amount not to exceed $5,100,000, and 3) authorize staff to procure various services, equipment and materials and negotiate and establish software license and maintenance agreements in conjunction with the project, as required, to implement the CIS replacement project as budgeted, subject to the appropriation of funds in each fiscal year.
Fiscal Note
Funds for these services have been included in the proposed FY 2006 and 2007 budgets and will be requested in future fiscal years.
Drafter
Prepared by: Stephen J. Stagliano, CIS Project Manager
Submitted by: Michael L. Kurtz, General Manager