The Cityworks Contracts module is an optional feature of the Cityworks Server AMS system that has allowed Troy to set up and manage all costs for approved activities on a per-contract basis. In addition, other essential details about the contract can be documented, such as basic contractor information, insurance specifications, and contractor bond data.
Troy’s Information Technology Department, which worked closely with the Public Works Department to implement Server AMS service requests and work orders, assisted in developing the necessary workflow and configuration of the Contracts module to manage maintenance activities. The city initially started with the management of its concrete slab replacement process. With an annual budget of just over $3 million, it was no small undertaking. The revamped process worked extremely well and provided several unintended benefits.
“Utilizing the Contracts module not only gives the city a better tool to organize and manage its ongoing work activities, but also provides up-to-the-minute expenses on projects against budgets to avoid exceeding approved contract amounts,” said Alex Bellak, GIS administrator at the City of Troy. “In conjunction with the project management features of Cityworks Server AMS, Contracts has provided the City of Troy with a suite of tools to dramatically revamp the administration of construction projects.”
In addition to gaining a better handle on its ongoing projects, the city also gained substantial efficiencies in the invoicing process, significantly shortening the time from approval of work to be performed to approval of a contractor to do the work. Now entering its forth construction season since implementing Cityworks, with over 5,500 work orders and 11,000 cost activities tracked using the Contracts module, the city has expanded the management of work activities to parking lot resurfacing and sidewalk replacement. To date, over $13 million worth of repair activities have been successfully managed with the help of the Contracts module within Server AMS.
“Today’s business world is about contracts—regardless of the industry,” said Brian Haslam, president and CEO of Cityworks – Azteca Systems. “The Cityworks Contracts module empowers agencies with the tools to take control of their contractual responsibilities and concerns. For example, tracking activity costs allows users to stay within budget—an important objective at any organization and the key component of a contract. Cityworks Contracts adds to the already comprehensive asset management platform, further Empowering GIS®.”