SR-502-001-02
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SCJ~O(//-02- JAN 1 01989
Santa Monica, California
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Council Meeting:
January 10, 1989
TO:
Mayor and City Council
FROM:
City Staff
SUBJECT:
Recommendation to Authorize the city Manager to
Negotiate and Execute a Contract with Idaho Computer
Services to customize and Implement New utility
Billing Software.
INTRODUCTION
This report requests that the City Council authorize the City
Manager to negotiate and execute a contract with Idaho Computer
Services (lCS) for professional services to customize and
implement new utility billing software.
BACKGROUND
In FY 1987-88, the City Council authorized staff to purchase new
water billing software as the current billing system is
inefficient to use, cumbersome to modify, and ineffective in
producinq necessary financial and customer use information.
Staff contacted 12 vendors and compared their software products.
This review of utility billing software products resulted in the
determination that both the les product and rcs t s record of
support to municipalities are best suited for the needs of the
Utilities Division.
lCS was selected for the following reasons:
1. The rcs billing system is the most complete software package,
providing nearly all the functions currently required, as
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JAN 1 0 1989
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well as many innovative features which may be incorporated
for future use.
2. The conversion should be relatively free of problems as the
Ies data base contains most of the elements of the ei ty IS
current billing system.
3. IeS was the only software vendor which could provide the
customized features within 30 days of signing a contract.
4. Current users enthusiastically recommended the company and
were impressed with ICS I S ability to provide timely
modifications.
Contract costs with ICS for the software, customization and
implementation are not expected to exceed $50,000. Additional
computer hardware, such as disk drive, extra memory and printers
necessary to support the software will be purchased by the
Information Systems Department.
hardware is approximately $32,000.
The estimated cost for the
BUDGET/FINANCIAL ANALYSIS
Appropriation authority in the amount of $92,408 is available in
Account No. 25-760-671-000-940, Water Billing Software.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council authorize the City
Manager to negotiate and execute a contract with Idaho Computer
Services for professional services to customize and implement new
utility billing software.
Prepared By: Stan Scholl, Director of General services
Byron Gaines, utilities Manager
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