We’re modernising the systems that help us run the council
Cabinet has agreed the next step in replacing some of the core systems we use to run the council every day.
Our current Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system supports essential work including payroll, finance, purchasing, payments and HR.
Most residents will never see or use the system directly, but it plays an important role behind the scenes in delivering council services.
Why we need to replace the system
Our current SAP system is approaching the end of its supported life, with extended support ending in December 2030.
Cabinet has agreed that we can now go to market for a replacement system and a partner to help us introduce it.
Starting the process now means we can manage the change in a planned and controlled way, rather than waiting until replacing the system becomes urgent.
The scale of the system shows why this matters. It currently supports payroll for around 19,000 people across the council, schools and partner organisations and is used by around 5,000 council employees.
In 2025/26, it was also used to make more than 23,500 foster carer payments and £38.64 million in direct payments to adults receiving social care.
Making the council more efficient
Up to £9.75 million of existing capital funding from our Innovation and Modernisation Fund has been allocated to the programme.
As well as replacing ageing technology, the new system will help us simplify the way we work. We expect it to reduce manual processes and duplication, increase automation and make information easier to access.
The programme is targeting an average reduction in our annual running costs of £1.7 million over the lifetime of the business case. Savings and efficiencies are expected to come from retiring older technology, greater automation, reducing duplication and improving productivity.
A modern system should also give us better financial information and reporting, make it easier for employees and managers to complete tasks themselves and help us make better use of staff time.
What Councillor Simon Brophy said
Councillor Simon Brophy, Cabinet Member for Strategic Finance and Local Government Efficiency, said:
“Most residents will never see the systems we use to run the council, but they rely on them working properly every day. They sit behind everything from paying our staff and suppliers to managing our finances and making vital payments to foster carers and people receiving social care.
“Our current system is approaching the end of its supported life and we want to accelerate its replacement, giving us the time to manage the change properly while bringing forward the benefits a modern system can deliver.
“This is a significant investment, but it is also an opportunity to reduce our ongoing costs and make the council more efficient. Greater automation, fewer manual processes and less duplication should help us work more efficiently, make better use of staff time and deliver savings over the life of the new system.
“We’ll be focused throughout on getting value for money from this investment and making sure the new system delivers long-term benefits for the council and the people we serve.”
What happens next
We have already spoken to potential suppliers, other councils carrying out similar programmes and specialist advisers to help shape our approach.
We plan to go out to tender in November 2026 and expect to award a contract in April 2027.
Work to introduce the replacement system would then begin, with the new system expected to be up and running by summer 2029.