Richmond signs contract on IT project

Jun 22, 2012 (Richmond Times-Dispatch - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- RICHMOND, Va. -- Richmond has signed a $1.6 million deal to replace computer systems that handle building permits, inspections, development review and code enforcement, among other functions.

The new system is one of an array of city information technology upgrades totaling at least $24 million that are being implemented or are in various stages of the bidding process.

"They are all designed to improve the customer service offerings for the various departments throughout the city," said Mike Wallace, a city spokesman. "It's to ensure that we're a well-managed government as well as improving resident customer service experiences." According to a news release from EnerGov, the Georgia-based company that won the land-use and permitting system contract, the software will allow the city to "become more business-friendly in an effort to enhance the overall economic vitality of the region." EnerGov, which specializes in developing software solutions for the public sector, said the new Web-based platform will replace "disparate, antiquated systems" that were not "scalable," which means unable to be upgraded.

"Many of the city's critical business processes will be centrally managed, automated and extended to the appropriate personnel across multiple departments as well as the constituency served," the news release says.

Mark Flanary, a geographic information systems specialist in the city's Department of Planning and Development Review, said in the news release that the multiple systems the city is now using are impractical and expensive.

Flanary referred a request for an interview to the city's public information office. However, he said in the news release that city officials sought a platform that, in addition to centralizing functions, provided an easy-to-use experience and could grow as the city's needs change.

Ryan Hountz, a spokesman for EnerGov, says typical projects take 12 to 16 months to implement.

Wallace said that although the new system won't eliminate trips to City Hall, it should "decrease the need to come downtown." "Hopefully this will streamline and make better use of their time during those visits," he said.

The EnerGov contract comes as the city struggles to implement RAPIDS, a complex and comprehensive enterprise resource planning system for payroll, personnel, finance, and inventory and asset management. The project, started in July 2010, originally was scheduled to be finished in October 2012 but has been pushed back to July 2013. A former city contractor alleged that the $18 million program is being mismanaged, prompting the City Council to request an audit.

That audit is in its early stages and could take two to three months to finish, said City Auditor Umesh Dalal.

Wallace said the EnerGov system will have minimal interaction with RAPIDS, except to convey financial transactions, such as building permit fees, to the city's general ledger.

The city's Procurement Department also announced this month an intent to award a $2 million contract to SyCom Technologies of Richmond to replace the city's Internet Protocol Contact Center system.

The system consists of 15 servers that support the Public Utilities Department's gas and water emergency line and the city's 311 contact center, and several components have become "out of date or out of support," according to the request for proposals for the project.

This month, the department also issued a request for proposals for Richmond's Citizen Relationship Management Project.

The project would replace the present Citizens' Request System and the SeeClickFix, both Web-based systems for making service requests to City Hall for issues such as potholes, overgrown lots, abandoned cars, trash and streetlights, among others.

The budget for the project is about $2.5 million, including $1.2 million for the fiscal year ending in June 2013 and an additional $1.3 million the following year.

rzullo@timesdispatch.com (804) 649-6911 ___ (c)2012 the Richmond Times-Dispatch (Richmond, Va.) Visit the Richmond Times-Dispatch (Richmond, Va.) at www.timesdispatch.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

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