There is a growing number of local governments that are sourcing innovative technology to improve grants acquisition and management.
Pasadena, California (PRWEB) August 19, 2015
eCivis, the nation’s leading Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) grants management system, was selected by the City of Miami to provide grants research and management solutions to address both programmatic and fiscal grant requirements throughout the grants life cycle. Market research conducted by the City’s procurement staff found that eCivis is the system most widely used by governmental entities to pursue and manage grants, and best fit the needs of the City as a sole source solution.
“There is a growing number of local governments that are sourcing innovative technology to improve grants acquisition and management. We’ve experienced a groundswell of demand among local government leaders to find alternative funding sources,” said James Ha, CEO of eCivis. “Many of our local government clients have worked together, or partnered with community-based organizations, to pursue and secure grant funding they would otherwise not be eligible for. In Florida alone, eCivis is working with hundreds of cities, counties, and local organizations that are achieving high levels of success through collaboration.”
Pittsburgh and Allegheny County Partner to Implement Enterprise Grants Software
In 2011, the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County joined forces to launch a Shared Service Center that highlighted an innovative partnership between the City and County. By sharing resources and system licensees the City-County service saved millions in costly software upgrades and consulting fees. One of the immediate goals of the Shared Service team was to address critical needs such as general ledger management, accounts payable, treasury management, purchasing, contracts and grants management.
As the City researched grants management systems in 2014, City Budget Director Sam Ashbaugh stated that eCivis would take the grants function of his office “to the next level” by increasing the capacity of the grants office to pursue grants and improve the management of federal, state, and foundation funding. “One of the things we do now is manage this on a series of spreadsheets,” said Ashbaugh on 90.5 WESA. “One bad grant management experience can cost the city tens of thousands or millions of dollars.”
In 2015, Pittsburgh selected eCivis to provide grants management capabilities and integrate with its existing JD Edwards software system to provide unparalleled transparency into the City’s grants portfolio. eCivis worked closely with the JD Edwards team (part of the Shared Service Center) to develop and implement the system in weeks—one of the fastest integrations on record.
Now that the City has completed its integration, it can now retire its spreadsheets and allow software to automate the process.