ERP For Government

We will define your needs and wants as well as how you would ideally use new automated solutions across your organization. 

We will guide you through selecting the best-fit, most cost-effective business applications and implementation partners.

After finalizing your government ERP software and services contracts, ERP Advisors Group stays with you to oversee your implementation until you successfully go live.  We will oversee integrations, data migration, change management, budgets, design and configuration, walkthroughs, training, testing, go-live cutover and will provide executive and project sponsor support throughout the duration of your project.

• System does not provide structure and avenues for resource allocation.
•  Constrained and inflexible system that cannot work within very constrained budget cycles and timelines.
• Reliant on disparate systems, manual processes, limited reporting, and inflexible resource planning systems for citizen insights.
• Poor integration between core accounting, budgeting, human resources, and payroll into existing systems.
  
• Highly customized ERP system requires extensive knowledge and training to operate.

• Inefficient processes reliant on manual workflow, paper documents and unorganized data management.
• Budget restrictions and increased service-level demands require highly specialized functionality and controls.
• On premise systems have high cost of ownership.
• Forced to make tradeoffs between business functionality and IT needs.
• Legacy ERP solution does not meet current federal and state government regulations and compliance requirements.

Our rapidly-growing government clients are already very busy with their day jobs and do not have time to become ERP experts.  Though your key people still have to devote some time to an ERP initiative, hiring an ERP consultant frees them up to make the important ERP decisions while staying focused on their day job.

The more complex your organization, the more likely for difficulty when selecting and implementing software.  ERP Advisors Group will help you uncover your true needs and will only vet the most viable options for your size, requirements, resources and strategy.

We will create your requirements document and demonstration script with government best practices in mind while retaining what is unique to your company, leaving out the manual workarounds.

Many clients hire us to help when they suspect they need a business case for new software.  ERP Advisors Group helps supervisors buy into what is best for the taxpayers by getting their input at multiple stages throughout the Needs Analysis, Selection and Implementation.

A frequent complaint we hear from prospects who tried to select software on their own is feeling confused about the software's capabilities.  We get ERP software vendors to show your requirements during their product demonstrations.  This ensures you feel confident about selecting the best products that can meet your needs.

We negotiate tens of millions of dollars in deals every year for our clients.  We provide contracts review on all terms and conditions, including software and services and every agreement embedded throughout the contract.  Our clients receive price protection for many years to come on their purchase.  While we don't guarantee it in writing, we normally save our fees on this step alone.

• Strong core financial management system, including utility billing, grants management, payroll, human resources management, fees, taxes and licenses.
• Leverages advanced analytics and real-time BI (automatically configures constituent insights and creates reporting dashboards to drive government decisions).
• Provides interactive dashboard, real-time business analytics, drill down reporting, and reporting templates.
• System that is web and mobile enabled. Cloud-hosted ERP solutions, native iOS and Android mobile apps for easy remote access.

Government entities to this day tend to rely on outdated legacy technology. Many of those applications were developed before the turn of the century and have received little innovation since. This makes it extremely difficult for government entities to comply with strict accounting standards, minimize manual tasks, or even keep outdated systems running.

Government entities have strict compliance requirements for accounting, operations, and data security, in additional to normal GAAP requirements. Accounting standards like GASB or FAR for agencies under the executive branch regulating the acquisition of goods and services (https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R42826), guide government entities through compliance with governmental reporting standards. GASB ensures transparency and consistency among all U.S. state and local governments. A solution that can comply with those standards is a must have. Government entities also often need contract oversight to ensure contractors are compliant with CAS standards. And, unfortunately, these strict requirements aren’t standard in every software solution. A commercial ERP solution may be flexible enough to customize for these requirements, but there are other solutions with government compliance standards out of the box. Depending on your government sector, this can vary. Some may have even more specialized requirements for FOIA for open records or ITAR, which drives all actions involved in manufacturing, exporting, or handling of defense items, services, or technical data lists on USML for government contractors and internal government operations. Each of these requirements are essential to an efficient, compliant government entity.

Additionally, an ERP should have protections in place for data security. If government data is flowing through the system, it must have a FedRAMP certification which indicates it has passed rigorous testing to comply with government standards. Sometimes this is in the form of a full ERP while other times only part of the technology stack must be certified.

There are a number of other requirements a government entity may need from their ERP depending on their industry, from manufacturers to service providers and everything in between, but they need to get their basic accounting in order before they can realize true value. An ERP will help them do that by automating core accounting tasks and pulling them out of their legacy applications. Many government entities need a system with a strong ability to manage the procurement process, including bid management and contract oversight for working with government contractors. This is mission-critical functionality for many government and government adjacent companies.

Not necessarily. With so many unique compliance requirements, however, it may be the “easier” path. Apart from FedRAMP, which requires any system in which government data is flowing through to be certified, other accounting and operational requirements can be customized within the system, including GASB and CAS. While it is achievable, sometimes it is unrealistic because of the increased costs and longer implementation timeframes. GASB, specifically, is extremely difficult to configure within a general commercial ERP and many are not developed for the specific structural needs of the public sector. Ultimately, it comes down to your requirements, budget, and future goals of the organization. An overly customized ERP could lead to blocked upgrades or broken code later down the line. The same is true with CAS for government contractors, which often takes very specialized expertise to develop within a general ERP and alterations to core code. While the customization path may work for some, it is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Most government entities are much more risk averse, making the configuration of a commercial ERP an unlikely choice.

It is also important to note that FedRAMP must be achieved through a rigorous process after a solution is sponsored by a government entity, so only some solutions are certified. This may heavily sway your decision. However, not all solutions that are certified are government-specific, some are more “generic” applications that can meet the needs of many when the system is configured properly.

Not necessarily, many government entities run on cloud ERP solutions, including Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). As mentioned above, FedRAMP is a major part of a federal agency running on a cloud ERP if they have sensitive government data running through the systems. Some government entities may be less concerned with these standards, as they handle nonsensitive data that can run on any trusted cloud solution without concern. It is also a matter of what your organization’s needs and the data being managed. Other factors could include costs, resources, or a lack of access to stable internet that can sway a government entity’s decision between the cloud and on-premises. Some may also run a hybrid model for the same data security reasons listed previously.