PeopleSoft, Motswedi partner to address issues faced by municipalities

PeopleSoft and Motswedi have entered into a partnership which provides end-to-end solutions for the government sector. Together the two companies assist municipalities and other government organisations to address four major requirements: compliance, billing, accountability and service delivery.

PeopleSoft offers world-class enterprise application tools and methodologies. Its integration partner Motswedi is one of the largest black-owned IT companies in SA. Founded in 1994, Motswedi has substantial experience in government-related projects and also assisted in the formation of government policies with regard to IT and telecommunications.

Municipalities have a number of responsibilities and employees risk prosecution if they do not comply with regulations such as black empowerment policies, and the Labour Relations and Skills Development Acts. The public sector is also affected by laws including the Public Finance Management Act, Government and Municipal Financial Requirements, the Municipal Systems Act and the Municipal Structures Act. The PeopleSoft solution can be customised to enable users to report on compliance with such laws as well as covering all requisite back office functionality.

The solution has an integrated billing engine that can be incorporated into financial applications to support municipalities with billing and collecting for services such as rates, electricity and water. It also facilitates proper record-keeping and ensures data integrity.

The PeopleSoft solution enables organisations to be accountable for the efficient provision of services to citizens in their constituent areas. Municipalities must have transparent procurement policies and can be severely penalised for "fruitless" and "unauthorised" expenditure that does not provide return on investment. The attorney-general looks closely at such issues, and reports back to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA).

The PeopleSoft solution has an integrated asset management module that assists with transport fleets and state-owned asset management. It also has a project-costing module to ensure services are effectively costed and resourced.

Andrew Krause, sales director of PeopleSoft, says: "Municipalities have had a period during which government was not too harsh on them with regards to the provision of services and the collection of monies, but that is changing now. Central government is expecting local authorities to get their house in order and manage service delivery effectively. In order to do that, they need the right systems in place."

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Tebo Matsoso, managing director of Motswedi, comments: "Most municipalities are locked into contracts for their existing systems, many of which have shortcomings and don`t cater to all requirements. Because the architecture of PeopleSoft products is open, organisations don`t have to throw out their current systems to implement the solution. They can add the modules required to suit their needs and leverage their investment in technology."

PeopleSoft`s human capital component allows for the effective management of employees and has been enhanced since the merger of JD Edwards and PeopleSoft.

Andrew Krause, comments: "Overall, the JD Edwards product solution set has been enhanced with the addition of PeopleSoft functionality, since PeopleSoft is the leading enterprise provider for the public sector, with a very strong vertical focus on that industry. This will allow us to provide an even better service to existing JD Edwards public sector clients."

Post the merger between JD Edwards and PeopleSoft, the products are now called Enterprise, Enterprise One and Enterprise World. Krause comments: "We have not discarded any products from either company, but simply integrated the strong points from each of them."

PeopleSoft and Motswedi will exhibit their offering at the forthcoming Institute of Municipal Finance Officers (IMFO) annual conference, "Emerging trends of municipal financial management", from 29 September to 1 October at Caesars Gauteng.

Those who cannot attend the exhibition, but would still like to find out how the PeopleSoft business solutions can assist public sector organisations, should contact Nicola Stolzenberg, marketing manager, on (011) 236 6520 or e-mail Nicola_gartland@jdedwards.com, or visit www.peoplesoft.co.za.