Interim measures said to help Finance Department system situation

Benicia’s Finance Department computer system has outlasted its lifespan and needs replacing, the City Council heard Tuesday. Once a contractor is hired, the job may take nearly two years to complete.

In the meantime, the department has made some changes to improve and streamline its technological operations, interim Finance Director Brenda Olwin said.

Originally, the city had asked its longtime contractor, SunGard, to provide an upgrade to the existing system, Bi-Tech, which SunGard had sold the city years ago.

In 2011, the company recommended ONESolution software, expected to be a $66,000 project that would let the Finance Department’s computers exchange information with other departments, in hopes that those departments would be able to have greater control of their budgets, that reports could be generated more quickly and that the city itself would become less dependent on paper for departmental reports.

Because this was defined as an upgrade, it wasn’t considered a separate purchase, so it wasn’t subject to the requirement of open bidding.

But getting the new system in place and city employees trained to use it was more difficult than anticipated, in part because the city’s computers weren’t accepting the change, Olwin and other city officials have said.

Benicia hired the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) to negotiate with SunGard about the scope of work, progress and future of the project.

By January, Olwin and City Manager Brad Kilger — who called the situation “a perfect storm” — announced the city was changing its approach upon learning that to make ONESolution work on Benicia’s computers would cost between $300,000 and $500,000.

“We said, ‘This is not a good process,’” Olwin told the Council. “We thought this was an upgrade.” Instead, she said, “it’s considered an ‘implementation.’”

She explained that the city found NexLevel Assessment, based in Carmichael, that has helped her department make interim changes.

“Now we have department desktop importing,” Olwin said. “This is the first time the departments have had this. Before, it was paper reports.

“This is huge.”

Formerly, other departments would have to call Finance Department employees if they needed reports compiled, she said, but “now they can do their own reports.”

The Finance Department also has changed its procedures and reorganized, she said.

However, the department still needs the computer changes, Olwin said, particularly since NexLevel staff told her that the city’s computer system is unable to provide what a full-service city needs.

“This is just management reporting,” she said.

The change isn’t easy, management consultant Kevin Anderson said. “I’ve done 20 of these,” he said. “They’re so painful.”

Currently, the city is still able to operate in a timely basis, “and you’re getting a clean audit,” Anderson said.

Another complication, he said, is Benicia “can’t stop doing business.” He compared the change the city needs to changing an engine without turning off the car.

But it’s a necessary step, he said.

“Your system is past the end of its life,” he said, adding that SunGard is willing to support the current system while the city moves away from Bi-Tech.

Anderson said the information technology Benicia needs is the computer equivalent of such infrastructure as water pipes and paved roads.

Its components helps the city pay its bills, he said, determine how much money is left in the budget and remain financially prudent.

“It’s not centered in the Finance Department, but in all departments,” he said.

Mayor Elizabeth Patterson said the system change will need staff oversight.

“One person keeps things on track,” she said.

In addition, someone familiar with the process and experience with the systems needs to review the request for proposals.

“This is a priority,” Kilger told the Council. “One challenge is we tend to throw people at problems. You spend more time fixing than doing.”

The new computer system, he said, “is a tool to ensure effectiveness, not a guarantee of fiscal sustainability.”

The Council did not vote on the matter Tuesday. “We will come back with specific dates,” Kilger said.