Purpose

The
current DES system which is supported by SAP will be end of life in 2027 and
therefore will need to be replaced. We have been working with Socitm Advisory (external consultancy) to investigate the
options available. The outline business case is to be presented to Cabinet for their
approval.

Content

That authority be delegated to the Executive Director of
Place, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Corporate Development and Transformation,
to commence the procurement of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution,
with the approval of contract award to be subject to a future report to Cabinet
(estimated May/June 2025 with Full Business Case)

 

Reason for the decision

Dorset Council’s ways of working and financial
sustainability required core business processes, across our HR, finance and
procurement functions, that were transformed to improve the user and customer
experience; to improve the quality and availability of rich data and insights
to inform strategic planning and operational delivery; and to take advantage of
the opportunity to adopt automation and artificial intelligence to streamline
processes to make them more agile and less costly to operate.

 

In addition, the incumbent SAP solution would become ‘end of
life’ in December 2027, meaning the product would no longer receive
functionality or security updates.