St. Pete Beach staff recommend replacing failing ERP; vendor Aclarian highlighted

City staff presented the results of a business‑process review Monday and recommended replacing the city's partially implemented Central Square finance system with a cloud‑based ERP solution and integrated portals to improve support, transparency and automation.

"We have a system that is significantly outdated," Candice Galloway, information technology director, told the commission. Galloway said the Central Square implementation was partial, has produced persistent performance and support problems and lacks several modules the city now needs. "Central Square Technologies is not interested in being a long term viable partner for the city of St. Pete Beach," she said.

What staff recommended Galloway and finance consultants presented a three‑year cost and transition analysis. The recommended approach identified Aclarian (presented through a consultant who also serves as a principal at Aclarian) as a vendor the city would consider contracting under an existing state contract to shorten procurement time. Staff said the expected hard‑cost difference over a three‑year horizon would be roughly $12,000–$13,000 in net difference (not including soft‑cost savings) and emphasized that the recommendation is based on capability and service level improvements rather than a pure price comparison.

Expected benefits Staff said Aclarian would provide a true cloud environment, reduced administrative burden, professional services for implementation and ongoing support, and new self‑service portals for residents and vendors. Galloway described three day‑one capabilities: a vendor portal for vendor registration and payment tracking; a citizen portal for budget and public data drilldowns; and a resident portal to accept automated forms (for example, reclaimed water adjustments) that flow directly into finance workflows.

Timeline and procurement Staff proposed a phased approach: implement finance modules first through Q2–Q3, then add HR and payroll integration in a later phase. Galloway said the city plans to piggyback the purchase to a state contract (to meet procurement rules) and to include service level agreements that specify support and training obligations.

Why it matters City officials described the current system as time‑consuming to maintain and difficult to support without developer‑level staffing; staff turnover and loss of institutional knowledge after the original CFO left compounded problems. Galloway said a modern cloud ERP would improve data transparency, regulatory compliance and operational agility.

Questions and clarifications Commissioners asked whether HR and payroll are included. Galloway said HR/payroll would be a separate module added after initial finance implementation but integrated from day one once procured. She said staff did not issue an open solicitation beyond the state contract search and that the review focused on re‑implementing Central Square versus migrating to Aclarian. Devin Schmidt, introduced at the meeting as the city's new finance director, will help lead implementation.

Next steps Staff said the item will be handled through the city's procurement process, using available budgeted accounts during the transition year, and that more detailed procurement and contract terms will be presented to the commission for approval.