Cookeville City Council has approved a 10-year, $2.4 million contract for a new financial record keeping software.
The Enterprise Resource Planning software includes purchasing, payroll, and time keeping. Cookeville Finance Director Jenni Nisewinder said Cookeville’s current software has been in use since 1997 and has not kept up with the times. Nisewinder said the new software would be a major upgrade over the current software.
“The proposed ERP solution will centralize purchasing and timekeeping, and provide integrated functionality between modules to streamline processes and significantly reduce our reliance on our current paper-based systems,” Nisewinder said.
Nisewinder said it will take over a year for the city to integrate the new software. Council Member Ali Bagci said the upgrade will be worth the investment.
“I think the hours that you will save by going through and getting an automated system will pay for itself,” Bagci said.
City Manager James Mills said Nisewinder has already spent a lot of time working to get the new software. However, Mills said there is more work to do.
“The party is just getting started getting this implemented,” Mills said. “So Jenni and several others of our staff will spend a lot of time with this.”
The council also approved an estimated $227,700 contract with SoftResources for them to assist with the integration process.
