OpenGov announces the launch of its full-cloud ERP for local governments to streamline financial management

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Apr 28, 2020, 08:00 ET

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., April 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today OpenGov, Inc. publicly launched OpenGov Financials, a new financial management solution that expands its cloud-based software offerings and unveils the industry's first fully integrated cloud ERP designed exclusively for local government. OpenGov Financials is a complete financial system that allows governments to run their daily, mission-critical processes, as well as report, forecast and budget using one online platform. The software eliminates the need for many physical documents like timecards, invoices and cash receipts, and supports efficiency by reducing manual processes and heavy workloads.

OpenGov Financials works seamlessly with the company's two other software suites, Budgeting & Planning, and Permitting, Licensing & Code Enforcement, all of which offer governments the ability to continue operations remotely in the face of a crisis like Covid-19. In addition, OpenGov's Reporting & Transparency Platform—the company's original award-winning reporting, data visualization, and communications suite—is now included for all new customers, supporting OpenGov's mission to power more effective and accountable government. This combination creates the industry's first full-cloud ERP built specifically for the public sector.

"Local governments and their financial executives have waited many years for a fully cloud-based ERP solution that is purpose-built for their needs," said OpenGov CEO Zac Bookman. "This has been our vision since day one, and in light of the current crisis, it's clear now more than ever that these old systems present a growing liability for cities and counties across the country. Aside from forcing staff to miss their kids' practices and family dinners, they are cumbersome, open to security risks like ransomware attacks, and not available online. To effectively respond to a rapidly changing world, government leaders need flexible, modern technology that can enable remote work with high security, that breaks down silos and encourages collaborative data sharing, and that continuously improves based on their feedback. Accordingly, we are excited to see the impact that the OpenGov ERP Cloud will bring to leading administrators, staff, and stakeholders across the country."

As local government executives face unprecedented and growing challenges, technology modernization, including ERP systems, has shifted from a tentative investment to a mission-critical need. In addition to the impending wave of workforce retirees, government leaders are adjusting to the fallout from the Covid-19 public health crisis and economic recession by upgrading their technology to ensure their organizations are efficient, responsive, and resilient.

"With one of the lowest tax rates in the state, we simply don't have the money for additional staff and we can't afford to make mistakes," said Julie Schmelzer, Director of Operations, Curry County. "OpenGov will offer more transparency to the public and allow us to become more efficient while minimizing chances for human error. Internally, we will now know where each department is in their budget with the click of a mouse, and that information can easily be shared with the public."

As part of this product expansion, nearly 100 governments are already using OpenGov Financials with continued participation from customers in the company's Early Access Program. Feedback has been very positive with numerous local governments already seeing the transformative impact of moving to the cloud, such as Denton County, TX, Curry County, OR, and Portola Valley, CA.

The complete OpenGov ERP Cloud now includes the following integrated suites:

OpenGov Financials is an end-to-end accounting system built exclusively for local government, with a comprehensive suite of applications including core financials, general ledger, accounts payable and receivable, HR payroll, fixed assets, purchasing, requisitioning, and utility billing with SMS text functionality. The City of Grapevine, Texas has been successfully using OpenGov Financials to power the City's core finance and accounting needs. The software's intuitive interface and flexibility have allowed City staff to effectively integrate the ERP suite with other software core to their needs.

OpenGov Budgeting & Planning is a budget creation solution for governments looking to improve their processes for developing operating budgets, capital planning, workforce planning, and delivering an online budget book. Using OpenGov Budgeting and Planning to streamline their budget process, the City of Ashland, Ore., reduced monthly reporting time by 3-4 hours and spent 67 percent less time preparing the annual budget as detailed in this recent case study.

OpenGov Permitting, Licensing & Code Enforcement is a workflow automation solution that streamlines community development services such as permitting, licensing, code enforcement, and inspections, and includes a customer-facing web portal. After the Town of Kernersville, N.C. implemented OpenGov PLC in just two months, their Building Department expanded capacity and improved customer service by decreasing their average permit processing times by over 75 percent as detailed in this case study.

OpenGov Reporting & Transparency is the company's foundational platform, included with all products to provide governments with open reporting and analytics, storytelling tools, intuitive dashboards, community feedback tools, and full integration with 3rd party software applications. With OpenGov Reporting & Transparency, the Illinois State Treasurer's Office was able to show progress on key objectives on their interactive site. The initiative received positive press coverage and created greater transparency, leading to improved trust and engagement among stakeholders as detailed in this case study.

Now more than ever before, leaders everywhere are seeing the need to support economic development, centralize and modernize business operations, recruit new talent, and build trust in their organizations and communities. The launch of OpenGov Financials and the broader OpenGov ERP Cloud marks a critical milestone in the digital transformation for local governments, now giving them the option to partner with a modern cloud ERP vendor that will continue growing with their evolving needs for decades to come.

About OpenGov
OpenGov is the leader in providing our nation's local and state governments with modern cloud financial software to help power more effective and accountable government. Built exclusively for the unique budgeting, financial, and community development needs of the public sector, OpenGov solutions help more than 1,000 customers plan effectively, increase efficiency, and improve engagement through better collaboration and transparency.

SOURCE OpenGov