Proposal for an ERP System

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Reference no: EM133756823 , Length: 10 Slides

Information Systems in Accounting Assessment

Response to Request - For - Proposal (RFP) for an ERP System

Aim:
This assessment is designed to give you the opportunity to learn about ERP systems and to make decisions based on your investigation.

Assignment Facts
Innovatek Water Solutions Pty Ltd (IWS), a medium-sized specialist pump supply and water treatment company with a turnover of $75 million per year, is considering the purchase of an ERP system.

As they have an urgent need to update their accounting system, they plan on purchasing an ERP financial module as the first step and then over time, they plan on integrating this module as part of a larger ERP rollout through the company.

Kieren Pembroke, the CEO of IWS recently issued a request for proposal (RFP) to a number of ERP vendors.

To assist the vendors in the preparation of their responses, Kieren has provided the following information:
IWS was founded by Kieren's father (Peter Pembroke) in 1979. Even though Peter is now in his 70s, he still plays an important figurehead role in the company and will have influence in the choice of vendor. Kieren has emphasised that whilst the presentation materials be to a high professional standard, it is imperative that they clearly and simply articulate the benefits of the new system and don't just contain "cut and paste" from the company's website as his father would be very disappointed by such an approach.

The current IT systems could best be described as "home grown" and have become increasingly difficult to maintain. These systems support the major accounting functions including: sales order processing, inventory control, accounts receivable, accounts payable and the general ledger. These applications use multiple legacy file systems which create both data redundancy as well as data inconsistencies. As could be expected from such a "home grown" "cobbled together" system, almost no documentation is available, and it is difficult to produce management reports.

Many of IWS's competitors have adopted or are adopting fully integrated ERP systems that enable web-based front ends for order processing, order tracking and order follow-up. However, IWS's back-office systems are in disarray, and they cannot offer these services to their clients. One of their largest clients has indicated that they will shift their business to IWS's main competitor Vincent Water Technologies (VWT) if IS cannot provide a similar (or better) level of service to the current level of service being offered by VWT.

Ideally the selected ERP system will support HR, materials procurement and Customer Relationship Management. It is anticipated that these capabilities will eventually be implemented in subsequent phases.

IWS currently has approximately 25 computers (including laptops), uses a Windows based network system and has a Hewlett Packard server that supports the legacy systems.

IWS is currently uncertain about the exact budget they should allocate for the new financial module of the ERP system. To ensure the budget is appropriately set, they have requested that shortlisted vendors provide guidance on the total costs, including necessary upgrades in hardware, software, and networking facilities. This feedback will help the company establish a realistic budget for the project, ensuring all critical components are adequately funded

Vendor Related
Corporate history as an ERP vendor & market strategy
Number of years experience
Market share
Market strategy
Overall strengths

Product offerings, integration & scalability
Overall ERP product line
Module integration strategy
Web-based application strategy
New offerings

Consulting support
Support for configuration of organisational data
Technical support for system implementation
Cost of consulting support
Availability of consulting support

Availability of training
Training in configuration of master data
Training in operations

ERP Modules Supporting Sales & Financial accounting
Fit with current business processes
Fit with sales order processes
Fit with financial accounting processes (A/R, A/P & GL)
Fit with managerial accounting processes

Cost
Cost of ERP modules
Cost of configuration and implementation support
Cost of training
Cost of maintenance and software licenses

Reporting applications
Current reporting capabilities
Availability of tools for database query and reporting
Web-based reporting capability

Ability to integrate sales & financial accounting with other ERP modules
Integration with production and manufacturing modules
Integration with marketing modules
Integration with HR modules
Integration with Web-based applications

User friendliness
Availability of tutorials
Availability of application module documentation
Technical documentation

Key Skills Developed:
The ability to conduct industry-based research to solve a "real world" problem.

The ability to select an ERP system that would align with IWS's requirements.

Reference no: EM133756823

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