FROM: Robert Thompson, General Manager
Originator: Wally Ritchie, Director of Finance
SUBJECT:
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FINANCE BUDGET SOFTWARE IMPLEMENTATION
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GENERAL MANAGER'S RECOMMENDATION
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RECOMMENDATION:
A. Approve a Professional Services Agreement to TruEd Consulting, Inc. to provide Finance Budget Software and Implementation, Specification No. CS-2022-1362BD, for a total amount not to exceed $441,000 for the Implementation Services portion; and
B. Approve a contingency of $44,100 (10%).
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BACKGROUND
The current Orange County Sanitation (OC San) budget process is a collection of reports from varying system sources, ad-hoc analytics, and spreadsheet aggregation that is assembled each year by the Finance team. It consists of a labor-intensive process to compile, provide appropriate approval workflows, and package together into the final budget. Each budget cycle requires significant effort and remains prone to human error. OC San and its customers will benefit in both accuracy, timeliness, continued transparency, and processing efficiencies with the implementation of a formal budget software.
RELEVANT STANDARDS
* Produce appropriate financial reporting - annual financial report & audit letter and Ops & CIP budgets every two years, with annual update
* Maintain a culture of improving efficiency to reduce the cost to provide the current service level or standard
* Ensure the public's money is wisely spent
PROBLEM
OC San's current budget process is a compilation of multiple data sources and reporting tools, that is put together by the Finance Department. The process relies heavily on manual processes and review, with a large amount of Finance's time updating formulas in Excel, adjusting graphs, and correcting budget numbers within the budget. Additionally, the process lacks the kind of sophisticated capabilities that an organization like OC San should come to expect from a budget process like intelligent automation, KP...
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