CGI's state and local ERP solution, specifically built for government

For state and local governments, enterprise resource planning (ERP) means more
than technology. It means transformation that increases efficiency, transparency,
accountability and information access. Many public sector organizations struggle with
ERP solutions that do not meet their needs, support their business, or match their
processes. As a result, they face extensive customizations, process modifications and
unpredictable costs.

CGI solves the challenge

CGI Advantage ERP is a powerful combination of modern technology and
integrated business applications that are specifically built for government use. The
solution complies with GASB and GAAP, and includes government-required
functionality such as CAFR and CMIA processing to increase automation and
information access. Because CGI Advantage ERP is highly configurable, it minimizes
customization to reduce total cost of ownership (TCO).
With integrated functionality, workflow and configurable processes, the CGI Advantage
ERP suite contains built-for-government software for:
Financial management to provide organization-wide accountability through consistent
accounting rules across all financial transactions, to track and control internal and
external funding sources and fiscal and multi-year budgets
Performance budgeting to automate the budgeting process for better planning to
improve financial and operational performance and critical decision-making for day-to-
day efficiency and long term forecasting
Human resource management to streamline the HR and payroll process from hire to
retire, including online recruiting, timekeeping and direct access for employees to
manage benefits and leave
Procurement to automate purchasing via catalog-based ordering and paperless approval
processes that link directly to the government accounting system for automated matching
and payment processing
Business intelligence to unlock data quickly for more effective decisions and increased
measurement of key performance indicators through sophisticated reporting, ad hoc
query and visual, interactive dashboards.
We also offer state-of-the-art collections, case management and permitting solutions
specifically for the public sector.

CGI Advantage ERP supports government needs for flexible delivery options
with managed services that can be used on client premises or hosted in secure cloud
infrastructure, including a FedRAMP-compliant cloud system. In addition, our Software
as a Service (SaaS) offering, CGI Advantage360, provides robust, out-of-the-box ERP
capabilities at a lower TCO. Learn more about our vision for Agile-Cloud Enabled
Services (ACES).
The future of public sector ERP deployment
A growing number of state and local governments are turning to secure, cloud-enabled
services for ERP software, platforms and infrastructure so they can stay focused on their
mission and spend less time managing technology.
Factors influencing the migration to cloud-enabled ERP deployment are reflected in the
priorities of CIOs at both the state and local levels. Based on these trends and more than
38 years of experience in public sector ERP, CGI believes the next wave in this evolution
is the Agile Cloud-Enabled Services (ACES) ecosystem. This integrated ecosystem
features flexible use of three delivery models:
 Government-owned private cloud, where the government provides the infrastructure
on which the software provider deploys and manages the solution.
Community cloud, where the software provider owns, operates and maintains the
entire infrastructure and application stack, including the operating system and database,
and is responsible for security, disaster recovery and backups.
Software as a Service (SaaS), where the software provider owns, operates and
maintains the entire infrastructure and application stack as in the community cloud, but
deploys and manages a single instance of the software across multiple clients.

The compelling value of this ecosystem is the ability of government to choose among and
move between these models, without having to make a singular decision for all ERP
functions in the system. In other words, government will require the ability to deploy any
ERP function in any of the three models, even when a function is part of an integrated
solution suite.
In addition, the ability for a solution provider to offer multiple ERP deployment models
requires that the software be designed at its core with all of these models in mind. Only
CGI has evolved its ERP product strategy to support governments future needs for
deployment flexibility and provider accountability. We combine our purpose-built CGI

Advantage ERP software, secure cloud infrastructure and extensive implementation

experience to deliver flexible, seamless solutions:
Our Managed Advantage services can be used on client premises or hosted in our
secure community cloud.
Our CGI Advantage360 SaaS offering provides robust, out of the box ERP
capabilities at a lower cost of ownership.
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
Improving controls to drive enhanced accountability
State and local governments seek to increase efficiency, transparency, accountability and
access to information. However, many organizations struggle with financial management
solutions that do not meet their needs or support their business processes. As a result,
they face extensive customizations, process modifications and unpredictable costs.
What governments need is a solution that works the way they work by providing
consistent accounting rules across all financial transactions and tracking/controlling both
internal and external funding sources. Governments also need a solution that provides
real-time commitment of departmental budgets and offers immediate access to
performance indicators.

CGI Advantage provides a solution that will meet those business needs. At CGI,
we believe state and local organizations should not be confined to the rigid structure of
traditional commercial financial management applications. Drawing upon best practices
and experience working for government since 1976, we deliver a web-based financial
management solution that is built exclusively for the business of government, thereby
reducing the need for customization and lowering the total cost of ownership. With CGI
Advantage Financial Management, governments are meeting their goals to:

Improve accountability and transparency

Provide consistent accounting rules across all financial transactions
Track and control internal and external funding sources
Provide real-time commitment of budgets
Offer immediate access to performance indicators
Maximize discounts while adhering to prompt payment guidelines
Increase revenue by offsetting open receivables against payments to the same entity
 Allow funds to maximize revenue by pooling funds for investment purposes
Easily develop and deliver financial reports that meet GAAP and GASB requirements.

PERFORMANCE BUDGETING
Aligning strategy and resources to produce measurable results
Increased scrutiny into the cost of government services places great demand on the public
sector to produce measurable results. CGI Advantage helps state and local governments
streamline and automate the budget process to provide better efficiency and transparency.
CGI Advantage automates the budgeting process for better planning to improve financial
and operational performance and critical decision-making for day-to-day efficiency and
long term forecasting. With measurable results as an integrated part of real-time budget
formulation, analysis, reporting and monitoring, CGI Advantage provides information
needed to measure goals and invest in the future. Key features and benefits include:
Central solution supports all the budget cycle activities from budget preparation to
enactment, publishing and execution.
Single point of entry reduces time spent on data entry.
Support for a range of budgeting approaches includes incremental, performance-based
and program budgeting.
Access to historical, budget and actual expenditures and revenues improves modeling
and forecasting.
Streamlines budget review process with configurable workflow for agency, department
and executive requests and reviews.
Versioning and auditing of requests supports quick reconciliation of changes.
Ability to easily and quickly access relevant data includes real-time calculation and
consolidation of data through reports and ad-hoc queries.
HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Harnessing your most valuable organizational asset
Human resource departments in state and local government serve many different
stakeholders, each with their own needs. Day-to-day tasks for employees include
timekeeping, payroll, benefits and training. Management has tools for data gathering,
analysis and forecasting. There is also a growing need from executives for greater
efficiency. Yet many HR and payroll solutions are labor-intensive and lack required
business functions, resulting in delayed payrolls, incorrect paycheck calculations,
retroactive adjustments and inflexible benefit plans.
The unique demands of government regulations and union mandates contribute to the
complexity of human resource management (HRM) operations. Governments need a
solution that addresses critical functions with ease by accommodating organizations of all
sizes and integrating with comprehensive government features.
CGI Advantage delivers a web-based human resource and payroll management solution
that helps organizations focus on the strategic demands of increasing efficiency,
improving management and reporting and reducing the total cost of ownership. With CGI
Advantage HRM, clients are achieving their goals to:
Streamline administrative activities with online access to employee data and forms that
utilize integrated workflow and approvals
Reduce redundant data entry while improving data consistency with integrated business
areas. Provide immediate access to detailed information with online inquiries
Support workforce-related decisions with flexible reporting and graphical dashboards
Reduce pay cycle time with integrated timekeeping and the ability to automatically
calculate sophisticated payments
Flexible role-based security model controlling access to sensitive information including
immediate online access to a detailed audit trail
 Attract, manage and retain employees with integrated recruiting, training and
performance management.

PROCUREMENT
Supporting efficient, best-value purchasing
Promoting procurement efficiency, accountability and transparency is a top priority for
state and local governments. However, too many governments remain strapped to
procurement systems that stovepipe the process and rely on manual and other inefficient
processes.
CGI Advantage Procurement increases buying power, streamlines processes, increases
accountability and fuels greater decision making by transforming the end-to-end
purchasing process for procurement professionals, vendors and shoppers. Its configurable
features include solicitation management, contract administration, e-commerce and
vendor management. In addition, self-service capabilities allow vendors to manage their
accounts, review and participate in solicitations, upload electronic catalogs, submit online
invoices and view financial transaction history. Included with Procurement are mobile
capabilities that allow access to information anytime, anywhere.
Key benefits of CGI Advantage Procurement include:
Reduce costs by automating routine spending, consolidating purchasing and creating
larger cooperative purchasing opportunities
Increase spending under management and reduce maverick spending via mandatory
source contracts
Expand competition and level the playing field for small and disadvantaged businesses
Simplify end-user shopping from electronic catalogs and other sources of supply
Define and monitor key performance indicators to improve process efficiencies and
lower costs.
 Decrease vendor support via self-service options, including access to financial
transaction history and invoice submission via PO Flip
Incorporate rules-based approval and automated workflow to control spending while
reducing cycle times.

BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE
Turning data into intelligence
In todays world of readily available information at the click of a mouse, citizens are
expecting more from their government than ever before. In response, state and local
governments are looking for ways to aggregate data from multiple sources to increase
productivity and measure performance while also communicating this information to
their citizens.
CGI Advantage helps state and local governments turn distributed information into value-
added knowledge with both our standard info Advantage solution that is delivered with
CGI Advantage ERP and Enterprise Intelligence360, which offers enhanced
capabilities.
Info Advantage provides integrated access to financial, human resources, procurement
and budgeting information. The solution allows for configurable reporting and dashboard
options and access to information anytime and anywhere through mobility. CGI
Advantage clients are achieving their goals and lowering total cost of ownership through:
Delivered data warehousing that accelerates the use and distribution of business
intelligence
Reduction in needed maintenance since changes to reports and dashboards can be done
without customization of code
Standard reports that apply state and local government best practices, including a
Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) module, that reduce the significant
effort required to create government specific reports
 Web-enabled query and reporting enables decentralization in accessing information
Google-like search capabilities allow for a broad set of users to obtain information in a
timely and efficient manner
Mobile access to business intelligence information

Enterprise Intelligence360 (EI360) takes the features provided in infoAdvantage one step
further. EI360 combines industry-leading business intelligence (BI) tools and best
practices to integrate data from disparate sources into a unified information system that
supports departmental and enterprise needs. With business intelligence and analysis tools
drawing from all databases, legacy systems and new applications across the enterprise,
governments increase transparency, productivity and performance measurement while
also reducing operating costs.

Additional EI360 features include:

Allows finance and budget departments to pull together data from their ERP solutions
and other sources to increase accuracy and timeliness of financial reporting
Leverages historical information to model or predict future outcomes
Leverages historical data to optimize procurement lifecycle reporting
Presents and visualizes information that aligns with various user audiences within
government organizations
Makes use of data from non-ERP sources to compliment data from ERP systems
Looks at what might happen based on historical data in addition to
reporting on past events and monitoring what is currently happening.
CASE MANAGEMENT
Transforming processes through greater efficiency
Managing government cases, applications and claims traditionally has involved labor-
intensive processes that are costly and slow.
CGI Advantage Case Management automates and transforms processes for creating and
managing cases to improve efficiency, flexibility and customer service. Integrated with
CGI Advantage ERP, this flexible, web-based solution provides workflow automation,
document management, party management, collaboration and risk and performance
reporting capabilities bundled together in a business administration engine.
Business advantages include:

Complete solution: Provides comprehensive functionality to create and manage cases

using industry-standard technology including workflow automation, document
management, party management, collaboration and reporting.

Adaptability and flexibility: Configuration engine reduces the need for costly
customizations and allows processes to be modified quickly and easily when required

Quick implementation: Enables an implementation to be prototyped within weeks and

then finalized to meet client requirements and expectations.

Control: Provides maximum control over the management of rules, processes and the
case management lifecycle.

Transparency: Provides full transparency of case management processes, facilitating

analysis, change management, reporting and auditing.
CGI Advantage Case Management supports unique public sector business rules and
processes while providing flexibility to meet client-specific business automation needs
without the risk and expense of an IT development effort.

THE FUTURE OF ERP FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Local governments are seeking to improve efficiency and citizen services while reducing
the capital investment and organizational challenges of modernizing and maintaining
enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.

With CGI Advantage ERP, the leading built-for-government solution, hundreds of

states, counties and cities of various sizes have improved their operational efficiency,
service quality and transparency.
 To bring these benefits to mid-sized local governments, we developed CGI
Advantage360, a Software as a Service (SaaS) ERP solution that provides affordability
and cost predictability.
CGI Advantage360 encompasses software, support, services and hosting delivered in a
SaaS-based cloud offering, supplemented by value-added business process services to
specifically address the needs of mid-sized local governments. This results-based offering
balances client needs for price, flexibility and functionality in a solution that grows and
evolves over time.
Benefits of CGI Advantage360 include:
Delivers rich ERP capabilities proven for large governments at significantly lower cost
Promotes faster data entry, ease of use and quicker access to information with intuitive
user experience and portal
Reduces operational costs using multi-tenant, cloud-based delivery that lowers the cost
of computing resources
Provides rapid deployment using standardized, preconfigured data, reducing
implementation time by at least 50% compared to traditional implementations
Includes regular updates to meet changing regulatory and business needs
Achieves long-term predictable spend and improved service levels, allowing clients to
redirect valuable resources to other activities.

CGI Advantage360 allows agencies to spend less effort getting their business support
technology right and more on the delivery of services that maximize the performance of
government. CGI has the people, expertise and commitment to deliver. Through our SaaS
delivery model, governments benefit from the advanced capabilities built into the
solution at a fraction of the cost.
Dedicated to transforming government
When clients select CGI Advantage, they do not just adopt a solution, they become part
of a community dedicated to the transformation of government of Doug Cotnoir, State of
Maine Controller, discussing the strength of the CGI Advantage client community.

Collaboration with clients to meet evolving needs

Forward-thinking solutions development based on evolving demands and
technologies
Product direction and investment plan driven by substantial client user community
input, including a client-elected steering committee

Enhancements are recommended and prioritized by clients and many are developed
in partnership with them.

Tools to collaborate and share

Solution Support Center (SSC) The SSC is the online community of CGI
Advantage users where they can submit issues, find product information and suggest
enhancements.
Discussion and Focus Groups - Forums where clients can post questions and
share ideas with peers regarding specific areas of functionality. User-to-user discussion
boards provide a simple, flexible and effective way to collaborate on best practices and
common issues.
Webcasts Interactive and educational sessions for the CGI Advantage
community. Sessions provide information on latest releases and tips for using CGI
Advantage so that clients can get the most from their ERP.
 CGI Advantage Resource Library An online resource where CGI Advantage users
can share or download examples of reports, test cases, training materials and other project
resources from different sites.
Networking and educational event for the CGI Advantage community
CGI User Forum A yearly event for the CGI Advantage community that
provides an opportunity for education and collaboration. With numerous in-depth product
sessions and abundant networking opportunities, the Forum is the must-attend event for
government professionals to share experiences and best practices with peers and experts
in the field.

"Being a part of the CGI Advantage community is an opportunity to collaborate and

work with other cities and states so that we can meet the challenges that are unique to
government, we can collaborate on best practices and meet requirements from new
legislation collectively."