SAP Modernization for the benefit of the citizen

The SAP Public Services contract for the supply of the SAP software for the implementation of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution is set to streamline the City of Cape Town's IT systems.
This is the first implementation of a complete SAP suite of solutions with Revenue Management focusing on key services in a Unicity in South Africa. The City of Cape Town is now poised to become the forerunner in the National Strategy aimed at developing e-government solutions addressing the needs of citizens.
"The decision to implement the SAP ERP solution by the City of Cape Town will lead to it becoming the most technologically advanced city in Africa," says SAP's Senior Account Executive, Andre de Meyer. "and derive extensive benefits from expertise developed by SAP in more than a thousand public sector and city government installations worldwide".
"In the future, the City could further benefit by this back office modernization through the closing of the loop between their service offerings on a Portal, whereby technology is allowed to talk to the back office applications so internal processes can reach out to citizens." De Meyer added.
The SAP provided platform will enable the city to manage its resources more efficiently, plan more effectively and devise more accurate projections in terms of needs and shortfalls. The SAP solution will also link geographically scattered departments and their differing functions to a centralised computer system.
The upgrading of the existing IT systems follows close on the heels of other significant developments in Cape Town. In 1996, a decision was taken to amalgamate 18 local authorities into to 7 administrations. In 2000, these 7 administrations were brought together under the auspices of the Cape Town Unicity structure. The resulting authority with a staff compliment of close to 28 000 serves over 3-million people.
The SAP ERP system has several advantages for the City of Cape Town, and these include:
· The Streamlining of financial processes such as collection, financing, payment and settlement;
· Allowing Increasing operational efficiency therefore reducing transaction costs;
· Ensuring profitability and increasing liquidity;
· Improving investment communication and decision-making;
· Enhancing e-business strategies by linking financial processes with business partners and service providers;
· Enabling the City of Cape Town to make effective and strategic business decisions.
The Citizens of Cape Town can expect improved efficiencies when transacting with the council, therefore enhancing transparency of processes and experience a reduction in errors following the introduction of automated rather than manual processing of transactions.
The implementation of the SAP ERP solution, christened Project Ukuntinga (Xhosa: "to Soar") is geared for iKapa eqavileyo (a smarter Cape Town) and kicked-off in January of this year, and first phase benefits would be realized as early as November this year.