Designed for Local Government Powered by Microsoft Dynamics CouncilFirst is a Division of Open Systems Technology Pty Ltd (OST )
A Powerful, Flexible Business Solution CouncilFirst delivers a fully integrated business management system for local government. Developed by local government experts, and powered by Microsoft Dynamics, CouncilFirst is an easy to use, cost-effective solution that delivers comprehensive functionality to meet the operational objectives of councils and city authorities. Connecting All Your Operations With one integrated system that works seamlessly with Microsoft applications, gain operational efficiencies in all business process areas. CouncilFirst is reliable, scalable and highly secure, with superior reporting tools that enable councils to effectively address requirements for transparency, fiscal accountability and compliance. Community Engagement Financial Management Payroll & HR The solution supports wireless mobile technology to streamline processes and improve the efficiency of field workers. Property & Rating CouncilFirst is a Certified Microsoft Gold Partner and Local Government Supplier, with a proven track record across Australia. Projects & Job Costing Procurement Seamless Integration CouncilFirst integrates management of Financials and Budgeting, Payroll & HR, Property & Rating, Procurement & Sourcing, Projects & Job Costing, and Community Engagement. Microsoft CityNext As a CityNext partner, CouncilFirst supports this Microsoft global initiative and through easy to use, familiar solutions and devices, assists local government to engage everyone, across Australia.
Key Benefits CouncilFirst is simple and easy to use, with an intuitive user interface that looks and works like Microsoft, with the added advantage of seamless integration with Microsoft applications. Powerful, Flexible and User-Friendly Scalability ensures flex and fit to your business as it changes. By connecting all your operations in one integrated system, achieve increased productivity with significant cost savings. With availability 24/7 from anywhere, achieve faster response with mobile staff connected at all times. The cloud-based solution provides benefit of GIS integration for MapInfo, IntraMaps and ESRI for Property and Rating. Exceptional Service and Support Our expert project management assures smooth implementation, with professional user training, responsive service and priority support to ensure your staff are operating at maximum efficiency. Security Assured Enjoy peace of mind with privately-hosted security, plus physical backups kept safe locally. You can be assured that your information and data is protected and always available. Superior Reporting Gain greater control and visibility with powerful reporting tools for business intelligence, regulatory and compliance requirements. Role-tailored design enables ease of reporting, with reports that can be designed by end-users. Powered by Microsoft Dynamics With the Microsoft advantage, CouncilFirst is the ultimate council business management solution. Continual system innovations deliver improvements specifically for local government, ensuring that your business stays agile and progressive. Low Total Cost of Ownership Leverage the benefits of an affordable system with rapid return on investment, and no need for expensive system infrastructure, resources or costly upgrades. It is an operational expense, so you can avoid capital outlay on your balance sheet. We Understand Your Business With extensive experience working with local government, and backed by leading global technology partners, our success is your success.
Functionality You can add or remove functionality from developed modules to support your changing business needs. Modules can be deployed very quickly, with neither the need to install software on council computers, nor an IT team to configure a server or database platform. Financial Management General ledger Budgetary control Cost accounting Forecast management Cashflow management Unique dimensional cost centres Bank management Bank reconciliation management Accounts payable management Accounts receivable management Fixed asset registers Property & Rating Rating and valuations Property and rating certificates Billing Water, sewerage and waste management Bond and guarantees Fire abatement management Property lease management Payroll Automatic pay processing and leave calculations Complex back-pay calculations generated for increases Automatic costing to original jobs/ departments worked Unlimited allowances, deductions and award levels Flexible pay period frequencies Automatic switching to new award classification On-line payroll enquiries Award interpretation module Integrated on-line time sheets Employee Self-Service (ESS) portal SuperStream ready Procurement & Sourcing Inventory management, stores/depots Purchasing management Supplier contract management Direct and indirect procurement Purchase requisitions Supplier relationship management Project Job Costing Capacity management Budgets/estimates Job Tasks and Work in progress Project accounting and invoicing Project cost control Work breakdown structures Business Intelligence & Reporting Standard, ad hoc and analytical reports Role tailored, predefined, multidimensional data cubes Dashboard views of KPIs Human Resource Management Organisational and workforce management Recruitment and selection Development, training and performance management Community Engagement Customer service management Request management Task management Outlook client integration Interaction/document management Mail logging for MS Exchange Infringements Parking Animal Control Public Health Signage Litter Public Places Regulatory and other Law & Order Regulatory Applications Development Application Building Application Plumbing Application and Special Plumbing Permits Road Permit Subdivision Application Fire Abatement Animal Management Animal tracking and control Pet registration Permits and Fines Benefit from Superior Reporting Gain greater control and visibility with powerful reporting tools for business intelligence, regulatory and compliance requirements.
Mobility Solutions CouncilFirst supports wireless mobile technology to streamline processes and improve the efficiency of field workers. The cloud-based solution is available from anywhere at any time, with benefit of GIS integration for MapInfo, IntraMaps and ESRI for Property and Rating. Real-time secure exchange of data via Windows 8.1 Tablets, Android, IOS iphone and ipad. Information accessibility: Employee Self Service Purchase Orders Purchase Approvals Work Orders Enquiries & Reports Inspections Infringements GIS & Maps Property Search Photo Capture & Tags Cloud Software as a Service (SaaS) Software as a Service (SaaS) makes use of a cloud computing infrastructure to deliver one application to many users, regardless of their location, rather than the traditional model of one application per desktop. It allows activities to be managed from central locations in a one-to-many model, including architecture, partnering, and management characteristics. Key benefits: Delivering applications on demand. The Software as a Service (SaaS) model has been proved as a major source of business value in organisations of all sizes. With SaaS, CouncilFirst delivers local government business solutions that can be accessed from anywhere, on any device and at anytime. Cloud SaaS services help businesses to innovate faster, cut costs and be more agile. 24/7 Mobile Accessibility Real-time secure exchange of data via Windows 8.1 Tablets, Android, IOS iphone and ipad.
Online vs On Premise Benefit from an integrated business process management solution based in the cloud. Enjoy lower total cost of ownership and rapid return on investment, without a large upfront capital investment. With a monthly subscription fee you can better manage your cash flow, allowing you to assign funding to essential business and community initiatives. By comparison, a typical onsite implementation involves purchasing and maintaining servers, housing them securely, then deploying, configuring and maintaining software. We manage the software, hardware and network administration, so there is no ongoing IT infrastructure maintenance and operational overhead. This reduces the strain on your organisation s resources and capital, thereby enabling your staff to focus on critical business activities. On Premise (Cost Factors) Infrastructure / Equipment Server/s (including maintenance & upgrades) Memory Data Storage UPS & Back Ups Maintenance & Replacement Software Licenses Upgrades, Patches, New Versions Firewall, Malware, Security Patches IT Wages Configure & Maintain software Monitoring & Alert Systems Operational Overheads Physical Environment Secure, clean area Permanently Air-conditioned Electricity Active Fire Detection System Fire Suppression System Insurance Online (Included in Monthly Fee) N.A. Enjoy Low Total Cost of Ownership We manage the software, hardware and network administration, so there is no ongoing IT infrastructure maintenance and operational overhead.
Service Ethos We have a Client for Life philosophy and believe in building long term successful relationships with our clients. We are committed to providing exceptional service, always with rapid response and priority support to ensure your business operates efficiently at all times. Our certified specialists are highly experienced technically and operationally, with excellent knowledge and understanding of local government processes. Our proven Delivery Management Methodology ensures a smooth transition with little or no disruption to your business activities during implementation. We provide expert guidance for project managers and decision makers, and professional training for users, so you can be assured of outstanding support at all times, as we know that council systems must continuously be working at optimal levels. Seeing the growing need for an alternative, cost-effective solution, we invested significant resources and technology to develop CouncilFirst, a user-friendly enterprise management system designed specifically for local government. Our strategy of continual innovation is based on the requirements and feedback from our local government advisors, representing a diverse range of councils. As requirements increase, we are committed to developing best-practice solutions that are easy to use, with improved functionality. Key activities covered in the phases of our project lifecycle: Project Scope Definition and Planning Project Management and Co-ordination Design and Configuration Training Testing Implementation and Deployment Project Close Out Post Implementation Review Ongoing Support Get the Service You Deserve Our expert project management assures smooth implementation, with professional user training, responsive service and priority support to ensure your staff are operating at maximum efficiency.
Partners CouncilFirst is a Certified Local Buy Government Supplier, with a proven track record across Australia. CouncilFirst is a Division of Open Systems Technology Pty Ltd (OST ). www.councilfirst.com.au 131 Carrington Street Adelaide South Australia 5000 Phone +61 8 8110 3800 Fax +61 8 8110 3850 info@councilfirst.com.au