County launches ERP procurement roadmap, aims for vendor RFP this fall

Harris County's Universal Services and consultants from Gartner outlined the county's approach to replacing legacy finance, procurement and HR systems. The plan centers on: a single unified platform to improve data reliability and cross‑department collaboration; extensive stakeholder workshops to design business processes; and a phased procurement and implementation roadmap aimed at selection, phased rollout and value realization.

Consultants said they held dozens of workshops with hundreds of county staff to capture requirements and avoid earlier mistakes associated with large enterprise projects. The vision statement presented to court said the future ERP "will be the backbone of our organization's growth, efficiency, and innovation."

Commissioners directed staff to continue the RFP work and to return to court with the selection schedule and a report on how the evaluation committee intends to present its award recommendations. Purchasing staff noted typical public‑sector ERP procurements run multiple months and the county expects a phased implementation through 2029; staff emphasized robust change management and close business‑owner involvement to limit risk.

Court members asked for guarantees that the procurement will reflect business owners' needs, that data‑governance and contract‑management work be integrated, and that regular updates appear on the court calendar as milestones are reached.