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PPS moves ahead with bond-funded data platform and issues ERP technical RFP; board to review contracts next spring
Summary
District staff said Nov. 18 they will buy a Snowflake data platform (approx. $300K for four years) as the foundational phase of a bond-funded ERP modernization and that an ERP technical RFP has been issued; staff expect proposals in January and a contract approval in March–April.
Portland Public Schools staff told the board on Nov. 18 that the district will begin the bond-funded Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) modernization program by purchasing a cloud data management platform and by issuing a technical RFP for the ERP solution.
Tom Odgers, the district’s chief integrated officer, and Russell Adamson, senior director of digital transformation, described the ERP as "the digital backbone for PPS" and said the district’s current PeopleSoft system is 25 years old. Staff said the immediate purchase is a Snowflake cloud data warehouse subscription priced at about $300,000 for four years and that professional services and implementation work will follow.
The district issued an RFP for the technical ERP solution; staff said proposals are due Jan. 8, demonstrations will occur in January, and they expect an intent to award in mid-February followed by contract negotiations and a board approval in March or April. Staff emphasized a focus on out-of-the-box vendor functionality (to avoid costly customization), data governance, and change management.
Board members asked whether the project will replace student information systems (Synergy). Presenters said student-facing systems are not being replaced in this phase, but data from Synergy and other systems will flow into the new data platform to enable analytics and better reporting. Staff also said they will seek to include local and minority‑owned subcontractors in implementation and program‑management roles where feasible.
What’s next: staff will bring the Snowflake/data-platform contract to the December consent agenda and return to the board with ERP contract approvals in the spring if procurement and negotiations proceed on the current schedule.
