Background
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is business process management software that allows an organization to use a system of integrated applications to manage the business and automate many back office functions related to technology, services and human resources.
To find a software that would fit our needs, The University of Louisiana at Lafayette sought proposals (through a Request for Proposal, or RFP) from all qualified vendors.
Those vendors were required to show they could install and implement an integrated administrative information system (or ERP system) with state-of-the-art software and implementation services. A contract was awarded to Ellucian, Inc., as their proposal was graded to best meet the needs as defined in our RFP.
Specific components of the solutions-based Request for Proposal (RFP) included:
- Software acquisition
- Implementation services
- Training and documentation services
- Multiyear support and maintenance contracts
- Hosting
- Payment options
A multi-phase evaluation and grading process was utilized to select the solution provider. An objective matrix of grading criteria included an evaluation of:
- The proposer
- Functional applicability
- Technical applicability
- Implementation services
- Integration with existing University information technology assets
- Support and maintenance
- Hosting
- Total cost of ownership
The proposers who were reasonably susceptible of being selected for award were asked to make presentations to the University community utilizing demonstration scripts prepared by the University ERP Procurement Team to assess each proposer’s ability to meet University requirements.
Our implementation approach included a hosted and managed environment necessary to stand up the system (hardware, application, application components, database, operating systems, etc.) in the cloud and currently allows the University to focus its human capital on business process change, system functionality, training, and maximizing both the tangible and intangible benefits available to our community using the solution.
The possibility of a longer-term hosted and managed solution was evaluated and determined after the economies associated with this approach were realized and determined to be in the best interest of the University.
This approach also facilitated an immersive and operationally independent technical training program that reduced risk and increased system uptime, reliability and stability of the solution.
Read more about the Applications/Modules included in the project, the benefits of the project and associated components, and constituent benefits of each module.