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Board approves Workday ERP contract, Cognizant implementation and $5 million ISF loan to modernize county finance and HR systems
Summary
The Board authorized a multi‑year Workday subscription, a Cognizant implementation contract and established an internal services fund funded by a $5 million interfund loan to finance a phased ERP replacement of the county’s aging FinPro system; staff said the total implementation/first‑phase cost estimate is about $6.7 million and recurring subscription is projected at roughly $455,000/year.
Nevada County supervisors on Sept. 24 approved a plan to replace the county’s aging financial and human‑resources systems with Workday and to hire Cognizant as the implementation partner.
Information and General Services Director Steve Monahan and Chief Information Officer (self‑identified as Landa Beard in the public presentation) explained that the county’s current system (FinPro) dates to the early 2000s and that vendor support was winding down, increasing cyber and continuity risk. Auditor‑Controller Gina Will recommended Workday for its reporting, grant and best‑practice process templates; Barry Anderson (management analyst) presented a financing model that combined a proposed $5,000,000 interfund loan from the General Fund into an internal services fund (ISF), existing technology assignments and an ARPA contribution to smooth costs over a 10‑year subscription term (with an option to renew).
Key points from staff: • Procurement: An RFP issued Dec. 2023–Feb. 2024 produced eight proposals; staff recommended Workday with Cognizant as implementer based on comparative evaluations and peer jurisdiction experience. • Scope and timing: A phased approach will implement core financials first (approximately 2024–2025), financial planning in 2025–26, and core human capital management in 2025–26, with an estimated two‑year implementation window for core modules and staged follow‑on work. • Cost: Staff presented an estimated gross project cost of roughly $6.7 million (product, implementation, contingency), a proposed initial 10‑year subscription contract not to exceed $3.9 million (plus contingency) and a Cognizant services contract of about $2.6 million (plus contingency). Annual subscription/maintenance was modeled at approximately $455,000 averaged over the contract term. • Financing: Staff proposed establishing an ISF, a $5,000,000 interfund loan from the General Fund (2% interest), and a FY 2024‑25 budget amendment to encumber initial contracts. Departments would repay ISF charges through budget allocations beginning in the 2025‑26 fiscal year; staff emphasized modeling to spread costs proportionally across participating funds.
Board members asked for details on department cost allocations, grant management functionality, continuity during transition and contract milestones and holdbacks. Staff said the contract contains milestone‑based payments and a 10% holdback to ensure final delivery before full payment; they also said they will maintain the legacy system until core functionality is stable and will reduce legacy access to manage cyber risk.
The board approved three separate motions: establish the ISF and interfund loan; execute the Workday service contract; and execute the Cognizant implementation contract. Roll calls recorded yes votes from Districts 2, 4, 3 and 5; District 1 was absent for each vote.
Why it matters: County staff said a modern ERP will reduce manual 'shadow systems,' improve grants accounting and reporting, strengthen cybersecurity posture and provide a unified financial/HCM platform for decision makers. The project will shift costs into an ongoing subscription model that departments will fund starting in the next budget cycle.
