As a follow-up to Director's Memorandum DIR-00-045, issued 06/16/2000, the Arkansas Department of Education, through its Arkansas Public School Computer Network (APSCN), is beginning the next phase of its search for a more efficient integrated student and financial software package. This search will build upon efforts already underway by the State of Arkansas which, approximately one year ago, began an extensive Request For Proposals (RFP) process to locate a vendor to provide a statewide accounting system. The State's selection process for software, to be used by agencies outside APSCN, included a number of criteria consistent with that sought by APSCN.
Specifically, the software must: be capable of supporting statewide implementation; provide acceptable performance when deployed across a Wide Area Network; be flexible enough to meet the accounting needs of different government entities while still providing a common base of functionality; represent a vendor with the resources necessary to provide customer support; and be compatible with the State's information technology architecture.
The product SAP R/3 was ultimately selected and is currently being incorporated into the Arkansas Administrative Statewide Information System (AASIS). AASIS is expected to be operational by July of 2001. Because all of the factors that made SAP R/3 a good choice for the AASIS project are also critical to a successful APSCN financial software implementation, our search will begin here.
In addition to meeting the above criteria, the selection of SAP R/3 as the APSCN financial software would generate the following benefits:
· Using the combined strengths of the APSCN and AASIS projects will maximize vendor support.
· Additional trained technical expertise will be available at the state level to assist APSCN personnel customize, implement, and support the system.
· The current server hardware and network infrastructure can continue to be utilized.
· Allowing the State to purchase licenses in bulk will minimize software costs.
· An APSCN system with a common, integrated look and functionality can be realized by implementing the student software provided by SAP R/3's vendor partner, PowerSchool (which will also be reviewed to see if it meets the necessary requirements).
Site visits to schools using the SAP R/3 and PowerSchool products will be scheduled. These visits will include Arkansas school personnel currently using the Pentamation product. This will be followed by in-state vendor demonstrations of the software, to which a large number of our school representatives will be invited. If SAP R/3 and PowerSchool meet our users' functionality and performance requirements, we will negotiate a contract and schedule for implementation. If such is not the case, a specific RFP will be developed and other vendors solicited.
More information about SAP R/3 and PowerSchool can be found by accessing APSCN's web site (www.k12.ar.us) and linking to "Software Evaluation."
Your comments and suggestions are always welcomed and appreciated.