Oracle Profit Publishes: Metaformers Helps City of Los Angeles Maximize the Power of PeopleSoft Enterprise with Successful Upgrade to 9.0

September 15, 2010
McLean, VA

From Profit Online: Metaformers Helps City of Los Angeles Maximize the Power of PeopleSoft Enterprise with Successful Upgrade to 9.0

Upgrading usually means new features and improved return on investment (ROI), but the process needs to be tackled properly. The City of Los Angeles uses Oracle’s PeopleSoft Enterprise solutions for its supply management system (SMS), which manages procure-to-pay functions for all departments controlled by the city council. The system has more than 3,000 users and supports more than 10,000 suppliers. When City managers realized they needed better control over finances and a clearer idea of committed and available funds, they decided to upgrade their SMS. They called Metaformers, an Oracle partner with expertise in the public sector, financials, and human resources solutions. With years of experience working with PeopleSoft solutions, Metaformers was the natural choice to implement government best practices and spearhead a low-cost upgrade to PeopleSoft Enterprise 9.0. The project helped the City of Los Angeles reap the benefits of a cost-effective, agile PeopleSoft Enterprise SMS.

Metaformers’ goal with the upgrade was to help the City’s IT department become more self-sustaining, so it wouldn’t have to depend on contractors to configure and manage the SMS. In addition, the updated solutions would make it easier to enforce standardized procurement policies, accelerate fulfillment, and increase efficiency.

Beverly Dembo, assistant general manager, City of Los Angeles Information Technology, says, “Metaformers’ executives put real skin in the game. They stood by us throughout our data cleanup and upgrade, and made our long-term success as their top priority.”

Metaformers has a methodology that focuses on change in the public sector organizations. According to Edward Bouryng, president of Metaformers, “IT executives in the public sector have very specific challenges: They need to have cost-effective enterprise solutions that meet the needs of the stakeholders, and they need to help drive the technology adoption and accountability with the end users.”

Bouryng added, “Metaformers has more than 10 years experience in the public sector. We understand the business, culture, and drivers needed to drive a successful IT project within this industry. Sometimes people wonder why a project fails in the public sector when they are successful in a commercial setting. Well, there is a strategic approach to it, and our methodology differentiates us.”

Randi Levin, chief technology officer, City of Los Angeles, says, “Metaformers has been more than a consultant to us. They are our strategic partner, helping us turn our PeopleSoft 9.0 upgrade into an investment that will benefit the city’s employees and residents for years to come.”

The new SMS went live in December 2008, right as the entire country experienced an economic downturn. The City estimates that direct ROI through the upgrade is more than US$2 million per year on contractor maintenance, offsetting upgrade costs in less than two years.

Bouryng says, “The changes and efficiencies came at the perfect time, right when the City started to run into economic challenges. Budgets were slashed and payrolls were cut, but still they were able to do more with less.”

Levin concludes, “In this tough economic environment, Metaformers is helping us operate more efficiently and effectively.”
“Metaformers has more than 10 years experience in the public sector. We understand the business, culture, and drivers needed to drive a successful IT project within this industry. Sometimes people wonder why a project fails in the public sector when they are successful in a commercial setting. Well, there is a strategic approach to it, and our methodology differentiates us."
- Ed Bouryng, President, Metaformers Inc.