Background
Before our engagement with this government agency they had run a procurement exercise to bring in a new ERP solution including their HR, payroll and finance functions. This was much needed given its current system was going end of life and its functionality was no longer meeting the requirements of the agency.
A preferred tender response was selected from the procurement, however subsequently the agency went through a period of change with some of the key stakeholders leaving the organisation.
Socitm Advisory was engaged by the senior leaders in HR at the agency to offer an independent view on the ERP solution selected from the prior procurement exercise.
Our project brief and goals
Socitm Advisory was commissioned to run a 12-week programme of work to deliver an options appraisal on the ERP options available to the agency.
The agency wanted to understand whether the decision from a previous ERP procurement exercise was still the right one for the business, and specifically the HR function, given the recent changes in the organisation.
The project included the following, to give the agency confidence in taking an option forward:
The options available to the agency
The pros and cons of each option
A final recommendations report
The biggest challenge
This was an independent assurance piece based on options available to the agency, and some of the key stakeholders involved in the original procurement decision had clear views. It was important for us to listen to those but not let them overshadow other opinions which hadn’t necessarily been aired before.
Our approach
Our consultants ran a series of interviews and workshops to gather insight from key stakeholders at the agency, which helped us understand the scope of ERP requirements and also establish what we thought the best approach would be for them. Our advice was well received as a result of our robust approach.
Our expertise across ERP systems and experience across central government allowed us to detail the pros and cons of each of the different options and put that in context with examples of different clients and the different systems being used.
“I needed that external expertise who understood operating systems and integrations more broadly, that had reach into the market in which we operate and to who I could ask the question to ‘show me’. That’s what Socitm Advisory gave me.”
HR Director, a government agency
Outcomes and benefits
The project provided the agency with:
- Clear recommendations on options to move forward with their ERP move to the cloud
- Advice on requirements for procurement to optimise responses and routes to procure
Our in-depth knowledge of the different ERP systems, our experience of the overall government shared services strategy along and our independent view point meant we were able to provide beneficial insight immediately.
We listened to the key stakeholders, and in return the agency made clear they thought our advice was good, and final recommendations were well received.
The government agency’s HR Director comments, “The work was well-delivered. Colleagues knew what they were doing, they did it well. They listened. I would recommend Socitm Advisory, their consultants were approachable, pragmatic, helpful, good communicators.”
Book a meeting with one of our team to discuss the ERP challenges you may want to overcome.