SAMRAS software has once again demonstrated the key role it can play in helping local government deliver better service to citizens. According to the 2012 Municipal Productivity Index, the top three district municipalities and the top three larger municipalities all run on Bytes Systems Integration's SAMRAS enterprise resource planning (ERP) software for local government.
The Municipal Productivity Index [1] is an annual ranking that combines financial and non-financial data to assess the ability of individuals and economic agents to operate productively in their municipalities. It thus indirectly reflects the performance of the local municipalities by measuring the extent to which they provide the empowering environment for their citizens' economic activity.
According to the 2012 Index, the top three municipalities are Overstrand, Stellenbosch and Bitou, while the top three district municipalities nationally are West Coast, Overberg and Cape Winelands.
"Aside from the fact that they are all in the Western Cape, what these six leading municipalities have in common is that they all use SAMRAS," says Brian Brougham-Cook, general manager for SAMRAS at Bytes Systems Integration. "A further 34 municipalities around the country also use our product."
SAMRAS, or the South African Municipal Resource System, is an ERP system developed by Bytes for local government. The Classic portion of the system (SAMRASclassic) has been in existence for several decades, and now also includes a Plus version built on Microsoft technologies, which include several additional modules, including Performance Management (SDBIP), Contracts Management for Income, Expenditure and Payroll Contracts, which also links into SAMRAS SCM Module.
According to Brougham-Cook, SAMRAS is able to compete successfully with conventional ERP systems like SAP and Oracle because it is much less expensive to implement and maintain - and it has been developed specifically for South African local government's requirements, both in terms of service delivery and in terms of good governance standards like GRAP, NT reporting and soon to come SCOA .
"Local government has very specific challenges and must also conform to stringent National Treasury guidelines," says Brougham-Cook. "SAMRAS has been refined over the years in close collaboration with our users to help them overcome these challenges and streamline their processes. The end result: municipalities better able to provide the services that empower their inhabitants to be more productive in whatever they do."
[1] http://www.municipaliq.co.za/publications/press/201112061036131698.doc
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