Authority software suite gives ‘single view’ of council services and 200,000 customers

Hamilton City Council in New Zealand has chosen Civica as its primary vendor for implementing a council-wide enterprise software platform, which the council’s management is confident will help fulfil the city’s vision for the future. 

Civica’s Authority local government management software suite will form the council’s core business application, delivering a full enterprise system. The total solution will include third party vendor applications such as geographic information systems, electronic meeting software, and staff rostering platforms.

These elements will be fully integrated with the Authority suite of applications including software for managing customer requests, financials, assets and infrastructure, property, consents and rating, human resources, mobile computing and executive management reporting. In addition, the council will upgrade to the latest version of Civica’s Spydus Library Management System. The authority will adopt a phased implementation approach working closely with Civica’s team in what Hamilton’s deputy CEO, Blair Bowcott, describes as “a significant undertaking.”

He says: “Ultimately we will have a single, integrated view of the council and a clear picture of all our customers, as compared to the present system where information is kept in a number of individual silos which cannot ‘speak’ to each other. There will be minimal or no duplication of data.”

Blair Bowcott sees other benefits, including software tools that allow customers, businesses and agents to seamlessly interact online with the council, plus mobile technology for the council’s outdoor workforce. 

“Our senior management will also have access to executive management reporting tools, such as performance dashboards, with the range of Authority BIS and Authority Performance Manager applications, so they can make real-time and informed value-based decisions,” he adds.
“Hamilton City Council has a clear set of goals to become New Zealand’s leading service organisation and Civica’s Authority enterprise suite for local government will be a significant enabler towards achieving those goals. It will help us to fulfil the organisation’s vision for the future.”

The council’s search for new business systems began two years ago when management commissioned the formulation of a strategy for a sustainable IT solution. This study laid down a number of principles including the need for:
• a customer relationship management (CRM) solution

• a ‘single version of the truth,’
• council-wide process improvement
• service improvement through innovation
• sustainability
• knowledge leverage
• protection and compliance
Going to market seeking a solution to meet these principles began the process of moving away from the council’s multiple best-of-breed stand alone applications.

“We had limited and complex integration and no sustainable plan to renew those individual pieces of software that were just becoming older and outdated,” says Blair Bowcott. “We had no real vision of how the organisation wanted to look at our customers, view information and integrate it.”

The council developed a very comprehensive request for proposal (RFP) and after an extensive 12-18-month evaluation process, short-listed three vendors before choosing Civica.

"It was critically important to choose the right partner for a long-term relationship. We were seeking a vendor which would partner with us rather than just be a supplier. So the evaluation team focused strongly on making sure the chosen vendor would not only deliver the solution Hamilton wanted, but would also listen and work collaboratively with the council’s team,” says Blair.

Hamilton also sought a vendor with a sustainable product, one with an ongoing development path and a clear road map, supported by a sustainable and financially profitable owner.  In addition, the vendor needed to have significant market share and show clear evidence of growing its products in New Zealand as well as delivering rich functionality across all areas of the council.

Hamilton City has been a Civica customer since 2002, running the property modules of Civica’s Authority suite.