Commission raises questions about Wayne County's Oracle —Connect 43— project as managed-services contracts come back for approval
Loading...
Summary
Commissioners approved four retroactive Oracle managed-services contracts intended as bridge agreements for the county's Connect 43 enterprise systems, but they pressed staff for a committee briefing on the project's timeline, total costs and reasons for repeated extensions.
The Wayne County Commission voted to approve four retroactive cooperative agreements with Oracle America to maintain and optimize the county's enterprise systems while leaders finalize longer-term amendments for the Connect 43 project. The contracts cover the budgetary planning system (EPM), enterprise resource planning (ERP) financials, and the human capital management (HCM) payroll environment; the four managed-services agreements together were described as totaling roughly $301,000 to bridge services through April.
Mike Jamieson, Connect 43 project director, told the commission the managed-services contracts are intended to "bridge" the end of a prior combined contract and the start of new multi-year amendments the county plans to present in May. Jamieson said the county went live on HCM July 1, 2024; ERP on Oct. 6, 2025; and EPM on Oct. 27, 2025. He and staff said the only outstanding project piece is implementing the ERP data warehouse component and that the overall implementation completion was anticipated around June 2025, with longer-term maintenance then transitioning to ongoing managed-services contracts.
Commissioners expressed frustration that the project has required numerous extensions and ongoing expenses. "I too am very concerned about this project," Commissioner Baker McCormick said, noting repeated timeline slips and repeated extensions over multiple years. Commissioner Kenlock asked whether the county planned to shorten timelines rather than extend them; Commissioner Clemente requested a committee of the whole for a full briefing. Chair Bell said she will call a committee of the whole in early February to review the Oracle program's costs, delays, corrections and next steps.
County counsel said penalties or remedies depend on contract language and that no immediate legal remedy appeared evident from the materials reviewed. Commissioners pressed for a clear, consolidated accounting of total project spending and a plain-language "cheat sheet" explaining the EPM/ERP/HCM acronyms and scope in advance of the committee meeting.
Why it matters: Connect 43 is a multi-module enterprise implementation that affects payroll, financials and budgeting across the county; ongoing delays and recurring maintenance costs carry budgetary and operational implications and prompted commissioners to demand a thorough review.
What's next: Chair Bell scheduled a committee of the whole in early February for a complete briefing; staff were asked to prepare consolidated cost summaries, a timeline and explanations of contract language and potential remedies for delays.
