The Tampa Port Authority was looking for a way to improve the management of the organization’s requisition and procurement processes. With the help of Paramount Technologies’ WorkPlace, the Tampa Port Authority was able to achieve an increase in productivity, and a seamless integration with their Microsoft Dynamics GP ERP and WennSoft Job Cost solution.
Primary Needs
Before implementing WorkPlace, the Tampa Port Authority had faced a number of challenges brought about by out-of-date paper-based procedures. The Tampa Port Authority was frustrated with persistent issues such as a lack of adequate response to requisitions due to the need for multiple levels of approvals within the organization. A solution with automated approval workflows and the use of electronic signatures was needed.
In addition, the Port had an urgent requirement to track the cost of major engineering projects such as the construction of piers, docks, buildings or access roads while engineering managed projects and passing documents to Finance for cost incurred, payment, and financial reporting. The two separate and disjointed processes resulted in different costs reported for projects. The organization needed a solution that not only worked with their Dynamics GP ERP, but included a new job cost solution. According to Chief Information Officer Ken Washington, the Tampa Port Authority was looking to move forward with a new way of operating, but within their existing ERP applications.
The Solution
The Port Authority selected the Paramount WorkPlace eProcurement Requisition and Expense applications, integrated with the WennSoft Job Cost Solution. Once its users were brought up to speed and the new operational procedures were solidified, the Port Authority implemented the WorkPlace solution without any hiccups. “The process was extremely smooth,” Washington said. “We spent a lot of time getting our users acclimated to how we were going to perform in the future. Once we did that, we just had to load the software, go through training, and use the product.”
Benefits
Since becoming WorkPlace users in 2007, the Tampa Port Authority has seen positive results when it comes to overall efficiency. “It was a significant change for us going from paper to electronic, primarily in the approval process. Now, the only thing that could hold us up is if someone just doesn’t happen to check their email,” said Washington. “Time is always a major factor, especially for an organization like ours,”
The Tampa Port Authority’s Engineering department sets up and manages projects using the WennSoft Job Cost application. WorkPlace manages purchases and expenses, with the correct cost data automatically reported to Job Cost and the Dynamics GP financial applications. The WorkPlace interface to WennSoft serves as the ideal liaison between Finance and Engineering by ensuring that both functions report the same expenditures and capital investments in projects. “We used to have a problem where Engineering would report on cost allocated to a project, and Finance would only have information on payments. As a result, we had disparaging numbers,” Washington said. “But now we’re able to link those two sets together through WorkPlace.”
WorkPlace has proven to be of great value to the Tampa Port Authority by providing tools to automate workflows and the flexibility to adapt to a constantly changing market. Washington reiterated the benefits that WorkPlace has brought to the Tampa Port Authority. “For us, it just made things a lot smoother,” Washington said. “We use WorkPlace religiously.”
About Paramount Technologies
Paramount Technologies is a leading global provider of web-based / mobile spend management and workflow automation solutions for midmarket and enterprise organizations. Our WorkPlace solutions automate Requisition, Procurement, AP Invoice Automation, Materials Management, Project Time, as well as Travel and Expense transactions. The WorkPlace suite of products can be deployed on premise or in the cloud and is universally accessible from any browser-enabled device. WorkPlace 2014 integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Dynamics, Sage, Blackbaud and other financial systems. Established in 1995, Paramount is a private company headquartered in Walled Lake, MI with regional offices across the United States and Canada.
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