The Enterprise Resource Planning system, or ERP, is the backbone of county operations, managing everything from budgeting and contract payments to payroll and foster-care stipends, and it’s getting a major upgrade. Council, on Tuesday, approved a $12 million contract with RPI Consultants to implement the upgraded system by 2028, and a $22 million contract with Infor Public Sector to run the system over 10 years.
During discussions about the contracts, however, Councilman Robert Schleper wondered how else the system might be used to streamline other county functions, or what he termed “budget inconsistencies.” He specifically asked about tracking overtime and contract spending, two areas that have been an issue in the sheriff’s department.
The department was the focus of weeks of tense budget disputes over how to rein in overtime spending and who was at fault for a $14 million accounting error that almost charged the county twice for medical services in the jail. Questions have since evolved into allegations of retaliation and a battle between the prosecutor’s office and the county’s law department over who maintains authority of the sheriff’s fiscal office.
Council has been seeking solutions for how to more accurately budget for the sheriff’s expenses and reduce it, if possible. That includes requiring the department to submit monthly expense reports next year.
Robert Noll, the county’s deputy chief information officer, suggested that the new system could help track overtime and limit department spending. However, the system is more focused around scheduling, he said. It can analyze when contracts get approved and how fast, or which departments submit the most invoices, but it’s not really equipped to track spending to know when balances remain on contracts.
“There are ways to handle some of those scenarios, that I think the ERP could help us,” he said. “But I think on the auditing side, it’s more around who’s doing what and when.”
Cuyahoga County first started transitioning to the ERP system in 2016, but the overhaul was plagued with cost overruns and delays. The final pieces of the rollout were completed in 2022. But now, three years later, the IT department says it needs another upgrade.
Noll said the current system was already becoming outdated when the county implemented it, and it will reach its end-of-life in 2030. Noll promised that the new version is the latest available, however, and will allow for continuous updates similar to how the iPhone pushes out periodic upgrades, rather than another massive rebuild.
To avoid past failures, though, Noll said the county has added stronger oversight, including an executive steering committee to ensure the program delivers on time and on budget. The county expects to begin the upgrade in January 2026 and go live around August 2028.
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