cover
TO: Mayor Thomas J. Weisner
FROM: James Dahl, MIS Director
DATE: November 21, 2015
SUBJECT:
Request approval to enter into an agreement with Accela, Inc. of San Ramon, California for their PublicStuff Customer Relationship Management (CRM) hosted solution in the annual amount of $27,000.00, and a one-time data conversion fee of $6,000.00.
PURPOSE:
The City's current customer service system is obsolete and is no longer supported by the vendor. Accela's PublicStuff software will replace the Customer Service Division's current citizen relationship system, substantially increasing methods of communication between the City and the public.
BACKGROUND:
In an effort to modernize city-wide computer systems the Administrative Services Department recently undertook an RFP process to identify a replacement Enterprise Resource Platform (ERP) for public administration, including customer service. In this process several software demonstrations were held with leading municipal software vendors from the marketplace who offered their best CRM solutions. None of the identified ERP vendors were able to adequately satisfy the Customer Service Division's needs. Subsequent market research identified Accela's PublicStuff as a system that will not only meet the City's need, but will also offer improvements in processes and methods of communication.
DISCUSSION:
The current CRM solution is no longer vendor supported, and there are functions that are no longer operational (i.e. interface to GIS maps). It is no longer upgradable, and is run off of a server out of warranty. Not only can the software not be upgraded, but it does not run on newer server operating systems, so the server it is running on cannot be replaced.
Accela, Inc. will resolve these issues in the short-term, and may be expandable in the long-term. The PublicStuff software utilizes modern technologies, and is fully supported. In addition, as a hosted solution there...
Click here for full text