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Polk County approves new countywide financial system and funds implementation from reserves
Summary
Polk County commissioners voted to buy a countywide financial ERP from BS&A, approving an implementation contract of about $213,145 plus roughly $197,000 in support services and training; officials said the system will centralize accounting, improve controls and integrate with state systems, with implementation expected within 6–9 months.
Polk County commissioners voted to adopt a new countywide accounting and financial-management system from BS&A and to fund associated implementation support from county reserves.
Jean, the finance lead for the county, told commissioners the selection followed demonstrations and an RFP process that compared two vendors; staff preferred BS&A because it matched the county’s needs, was easier for staff to use and came in at roughly half the cost of the competing option. The contract price for software and initial implementation services was presented at $213,145, with an estimated annual maintenance/subscription fee of about $50,000.
Commissioners also approved an additional services package to support the rollout: $24,000 for chart‑of‑accounts mapping, an estimated $97,000 for project management and an estimated $75,000 for staff augmentation during implementation. County staff said the total near‑term cost for software, vendor implementation and additional professional support could reach roughly $410,000 once travel and any final staff‑augmentation needs are counted; staff indicated those funds will come from previously reserved county funds rather than from a new levy.
Board members and staff described the expected benefits as greater visibility into accounts receivable and vendor records, a purchase‑order workflow to provide pre‑purchase budget checks, an integrated fixed‑asset register and the possibility of replacing multiple, small legacy systems with one centralized platform. The finance presentation noted specific workload problems the ERP is intended to address: duplicate vendor records across departments, manual invoice routing and limited visibility into departmental invoicing and receivables.
Implementation logistics discussed at the meeting included a vendor kickoff within weeks of contract execution, a projected 6–9 month implementation window (subject to scheduling around audit and budget cycles), and a phased approach to SSIS/state‑system integration. Commissioners emphasized the need to avoid importing poor‑quality historical data into the new system and asked staff to prioritize clean vendor and chart‑of‑accounts mapping before major data migration work.
The board approved the contract and the additional support services in a voice vote. County staff said they will report back to the board with a more detailed implementation timeline, budgeted annual maintenance costs and any adjustments to resource needs as the project proceeds.
