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Orange County <br />Needs Assessment Project <br />APPENDIX C. COST ESTIMATES <br />Page 17 <br />The replacement of the County's busvaess systems (as listed, in the cover to this report) is a <br />critical project that requires the support and cooperation of alk levels of management and staff to <br />be successful. Many counties in North Carolina have already converted to new business systems <br />over the past five (5) years. The overall cost of these implementations is greatly influenced by <br />the support of the employees and the degree of project planning and control utilized. The <br />County can anticipate the total cost of this project, including planning, implementation and <br />training, to cost between $500,000 and $750,000. The reason for this range is attributable to the <br />differences in vendor software pricing and County-defined requirements such as the degree of <br />historical information converted and software customizations. <br />Based on our experience with projects of compazable size, the County can expect the following <br />cost breakdown: <br />Software licensing: 60% <br />Additional Hazdware: 10% <br />Planning/Implementation/Training: 30% <br />Most Commercial-OfF The-Shelf (CATS) business systems aze marketed as independent <br />modules that comprise an overall integrated solution. Therefore, the software costs will be <br />driven by the number of modules requested and the number of concurrent seat licenses required <br />by the County. <br />Based on the County's current infrastructure, additional hardwaze needs should be minimal <br />regazdless of the softwaze systems selected. <br />Planning and implementation should be viewed as vital elements to the success of the County's <br />project. When business system replacements are unsuccessful it can generally be traced to one <br />of the following causes: <br />~ Insufficient project planning <br />~ Incomplete analysis of vendor systems <br />~ Lack of internal commitment (all levels) <br />~ Poor project management <br />~ Inadequate training <br />~ Insufficient funding <br />More concise cost estimates will become available as the project progresses to the point where <br />the optimal vendor package(s) is selected. <br />