An
IBM-led SAP implementation at two councils and a police
authority has become a political matter in the run up to
local and European elections on 4 June.
Somerset County Council, which is part of a joint venture
Southwest One,
says it has ceased to answer questions on the SAP implementation
because it is a political matter. The council wants to avoid saying
anything which could affect the views of voters in the run-up to
the local elections.
But, despite the electoral "purdah", the SAP implementation is
expected to be hotly debated at a full meeting of the county
council tomorrow.
Since Southwest One went live with the first phase of SAP on 1
April 2009 there have been conflicting views on its success.
The council says that SAP will help transform the council's
front and back-office and will cut costs. It says that
problems since the go-live are "teething" and that significant
progress has made to resolve them.
IBM says one of the benefits of the SAP CRM is that it will
enable staff at Somerset County Council and at another of Southwest
One's partners, Taunton Deane Borough Council, to cut the time they
take to answer phone calls by an average of 8%.
But some council staff say that some large payments are taking
much longer, cost more to process than before and some large
invoices are being paid without proper checking to clear a
backlog.
Computer Weekly has learned that Somerset County Council has
asked Southwest One to produce a recovery plan that "addresses the
areas not delivered [at the go-live] and those service areas
affected".
An e-mail this month from a corporate director at Somerset
County Council, David Taylor, to a local councillor Paul Buchanan,
says: "Our service order for the delivery of SAP contains a
description of the system and the project 'deliverables'. We are
constantly monitoring the progress of [SouthWest One] and IBM in
respect of this agreement."
If a post project review shows that the required deliverables
were not achieved, "we will be speaking with [SouthWest One] and
IBM in respect of the matter, where compensation, if appropriate,
will be covered".
A spokeswoman for Avon and Somerset Police - another main member
of the SouthWest One joint venture - declined Computer Weekly's
invitation to say that the authority is generally happy with the
SAP go-live.
She said: "The SAP implementation is hard work but we are
pleased with the progress we are making and looking forward to the
efficiencies it will bring."
Links:
Council chief's apology after SAP go live
Public sector remains wary of Southwest One
Councils snub SouthWest One joint venture