FAQ
wvOASIS Vendor Self-Service Benefits
What is an Enterprise Resource Planning system?
Why does the State need it?
What benefits does an ERP provide?
Why Now?
Who are the Executive Sponsors of this project initiative?
wvOASIS Vendor Self-Service (VSS) Benefits
These are a few of the benefits VSS will provide to vendors for the State of WV.
wvOASIS Vendor Self-Service Outreach Benefits
What is an Enterprise Resource Planning system?
An ERP system is a comprehensive suite of commercially-available integrated modules that provide end-to-end support for statewide administrative functions. In state government, a comprehensive suite of integrated modules that provide end-to-end support for statewide administrative functions
such as:
- Financial Management
- Procurement
- Asset Management
- Personnel Administration
- Payroll
- Time Reporting
- Benefits Administration
The purpose of this system is to facilitate the flow of information between all business functions inside the boundaries of the organization and manage the connections to outside stakeholders, such as vendors and retirees. These systems play a vital role in centralizing transactional data that is useful in tracking, reporting, and providing transparency to State government functions.
Why does the State need it?
The ERP system will transform the State’s business processes through automation, more than any other IT initiative embarked upon by the State in the past. This system will fully or partially replace approximately 100 of the State’s existing legacy business applications. Many of these existing applications and database environments are technologically obsolete with no vendor support or security patches available.
The State spends over $35 million annually to support these highly distributed legacy business applications. Approximately 500 of these legacy business applications, which utilize over 70 different application development languages and over 40 different data repository tools, exist within the executive branch. Simply put, the State cannot sustain this business model.
What benefits does an ERP provide?
As one of the few states operating without a deficit in today's challenging economy, the State can be seen as a model of fiscal responsibility, financial stability, and accountability to its citizens. The system will modernize and continue to improve WV’s statewide budgeting, financial management, and human resources operations.
In addition, the ERP will:
- Facilitate the standardization and the use of best practices across the State government
- Replace and consolidate existing administrative systems that are redundant, aging and risking technological obsolescence.
- Automate and seamlessly integrate the State’s financial accounting, procurement, personnel, payroll, budget development and other business processes within a single database enabling improvement of business functions, and access to information
- Eliminate duplicate data entry, storage and processing, as well as reconciliation tasks
- Real-time data update, retrieval, validation enabling significant improvement in the quality, quantity and timeliness of information used in decision-making, and more efficient and accurate research capability
- Elimination of paper documents (e.g., vouchers) and reduced paper and handling costs
- Efficient processing and control of electronic “documents” through workflow management, providing for document routing, review, and approvals, and online inquiries
- Web-enabled self-service for all state employees and vendors that do business with the State
Why Now?
The Governor, State Auditor, State Treasurer, and Legislature recognize the benefits an ERP system will provide to the State of West Virginia. The Legislature has provided initial funding for the effort. The Governor, State Auditor, and State Treasurer have committed to actively participate in the project as Executive Sponsors. All parties agree the timing is right due to:
- Critical legacy administrative systems are at the end of their useful lives and the State is exposed to significant risk.
- Funding is available now to invest in this critical project which will provide a significant return on investment for the State.
- ERP software has matured in recent years, with considerable improvement in functionality for the public sector, thus lowering the implementation risk.
- Current market dynamics provide a more competitive environment for the acquisition of ERP software and associated integration services.
Who are the Executive Sponsors of this project initiative?
The State of West Virginia has three Constitutional Officers -- the Governor, the State Auditor and the State Treasurer -- with key responsibilities for the majority of the State’s administrative business processes that will be impacted by the implementation of a statewide Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. House Bill 3204 was passed on March 12th 2011 to create an Enterprise Resource Planning Board. The Board is comprised of the three Constitutional Officers and a sixteen (16) member Steering Committee. The Committee is comprised of; Secretary of the Department of Administration, Secretary of Revenue, Secretary of Transportation, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services. In addition, the Governor shall appoint five (5) persons, three (3) from institutions of Higher Education; two (2) persons appointed by the State Auditor; two (2) persons appointed by the State Treasurer; one (1) member of the Senate appointed by the President of the Senate; one (1) member of the House of Delegates appointed by the Speaker of the House; one (1) non-voting member representing public employees.