State of Maine improves efficiency and control

The Challenge

Although a CGI Advantage Financial Management client since 1989, the State was maintaining a large number of agency-specific feeder systems, contributing to a high degree of redundant data entry, slow processing time and lack of timely information.

Through modernization, the State would consolidate systems and streamline processes, putting them on the right track toward greater efficiency and control. In 2005, they chose to upgrade to the web-based CGI Advantage solution for a centralized and integrated finance, budget and procurement environment.

The Strategy

The project kicked-off in April 2005 to implement Financial Management, including Asset Management, Procurement, and Vendor Self Service. The initial analysis examined their business processes, including the flow of paper between agencies and the centralized Finance office and the use of feeder systems. By working closely with each agency, they would leverage out-of-the-box functionality and take advantage of online forms and automated workflow to tackle paper-intensive processes and redundant data entry.

With a centralized Chart of Accounts and customizable budget structures, the team would balance the oversight the Finance office required, with agency control over budget set up for internal projects and grants as well as vendor registration.

When it came to information access, the State examined their labor-intensive reporting process and how a move to real-time information and query and drill-down on the user desktop would provide the right information at the right time.

The Results

The State went live on time and on budget in July 2007, achieving its mission for a centralized finance, budget and procurement system. Today over 139 agencies, including the Department of Education, Environmental Protection, Department of Human Resources, Department of Labor, Department of Transportation, Treasurer of State, and Public Safety, use the centralized CGI Advantage Financial Management system, realizing the following benefits:

• Single source of financial truth with centralized system
• Real-time financial and budgeting information with synchronous posting
• Improved access to information with real-time updates, data query and drill-down at the user desktop
• Faster more reliable payments with no rejects to reconcile
• Reduced the number of agency-specific feeder systems
• Improved operability with other state-wide systems, automating interfaces for faster verification, approval and processing
• Eliminated tens of thousands of pieces of paper through automation, online forms, workflow and approvals
• Reduced costs of report printing, storage and distribution costs
• Increased central oversight authority
• Increased agency control and information accuracy, less reliance on central Finance
• Greater flexibility to make adjustments to adapt quickly to change
• Reduced feeder systems, including vendor registration, bid processing, contract awarding and payment systems, eliminating redundant data entry and improving accuracy of information
• Reduced manual reconciliation
• Accelerated approvals
• Increased vendor response to solicitations, better control over bidding rules

Continuous Improvement

"The upgrade project has helped solidify a direction the Controller had decided on before we even started," said Mr. Cotnoir, "It has helped to support our goals for an integrated Financial and Procurement system. And it has set the foundation to support our future plans to add HR and Payroll."

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