Council finance managers embrace cloud technology
0Councils are increasingly moving their financial management systems into the Cloud, according to provider Civica.
The public sector ICT firm says that more than 70 councils have already moved to one of its products, which allows finance officers to use an internet-based package to manage council finances and procurement.
The software, designed specifically for the public sector, provides core accounting and administration capabilities, according to Civica.
Lorraine Smith, managing director, financials, at Civica said: “We’re seeing a growing number of local authorities adapting their financial systems to meet the ever changing requirements from government.
“Through self-service systems, workflow is improved, and the responsibilities of the budget holders can be managed more efficiently.
“By streamlining administration and processes, financial teams are in a much better position to be able to improve the service provided to citizens and colleagues, without reducing service levels.”
Following a competitive tender process, Surrey Heath Borough Council awarded Civica a contract for a new financial management system in an attempt to streamline processes and cut costs.
Kelvin Menon, executive head of finance at the council said: “We are faced with the challenge of cutting costs and improving services for each and every one of our growing number of citizens. On top of this, the requirement to comply with changing industry standards meant that we needed to re-think the way that we operate.
“We are anticipating that we will able to improve our internal processes, cut costs, and improve the resilience of our financial systems.”
Civica said that its financial software provides full purchase to pay facilities, including procurement, contract monitoring and a supplier portable. It also covers accounts recievable and legal modules, IFRS-compliant assets, e-budgeting, forecasting and fully-automated bank reconciliation with a web query tool.
