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Metra hires firm to pull its financial systems out of the Stone Age


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#1 CNJRoss

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Posted 26 March 2015 - 03:46 PM

Chicago Sun-Times, 3/25:

Metra hires firm for $12.6M to pull its financial systems out of the Stone Age

 

Metra board members have agreed to hire a Chicago accounting firm for $12.6 million to pull the commuter rail agency’s financial management system out of the Stone Age.

 

“This may not be one of the sexiest issues Metra has to deal with,” Chairman Martin Oberman said at Metra’s monthly board meeting Wednesday.

 

But Oberman said, “This may be the single most important management step, other than hiring Don [Orseno as Metra CEO], that this board has taken in the last 1 1/2 years.”

 

By replacing Metra’s current financial management system, Metra will be better able to identify efficiencies, save costs and improve services, Oberman said.

 

 



#2 CNJRoss

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Posted 31 March 2015 - 11:33 AM

Metra news release:

 

Metra to modernize its financial systems

Board approves $12.6 million contract to upgrade back office systems

 

(March 31, 2015) – The Metra Board of Directors has approved a $12.6 million contract to replace a diverse set of aging, back office financial systems with a modern, fully integrated system that can better support the railroad’s operational and financial reporting requirements.

 

After a thorough selection process, Crowe Horwath LLP has been chosen to assist Metra with installing and configuring Microsoft Dynamics AX financial software.  Crowe Horwarth will bring a team of technical and functional consultants to redesign Metra’s business processes using best practices, and to assist the organization in transitioning from antiquated technology to a new, fully integrated application.   The effort is expected to take three years to complete.

 

“This may be one of the single most important management steps that this board has taken since it was reconstituted a year and a half ago,” said Metra Board Chairman Martin Oberman. “If we want to operate as effectively and as efficiently as possible we must bring our operations and financial reporting systems up to par.”

 

The new system will support a variety of functions, including grant management, project accounting, purchasing, budgeting, general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, treasury, payroll, inventory and fixed assets. It will enable more efficient operations and tracking for Metra’s financial systems and replace systems that are more than 25 years old and no longer supported by the information technology industry. In addition, the systems being replaced are not integrated and require additional resources to meet operational and financial reporting needs.

 

“Most of our current systems were state of the art three decades ago but have been obsolete for quite some time,” said Cherie Kizer, Metra’s Chief Information Officer. “It’s critical that we get a single integrated system in place that can meet our current and future needs.”

 



#3 KevinKorell

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Posted 01 April 2015 - 10:35 AM

I wish I had $12.6 million to use to modernize my finances.   Just think how Metra's finances would be if they didn't spend that $12.6 million !!  There is something highly ironic and very obvious about this story.



Kevin Korell


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