Bedford Borough Council has signed a contract with Agresso UK worth more than £400,000 which will see the company implement and provide support for the core financial system for the unitary authority.

Being awarded Unitary Authority status means that Bedford Borough Council, which already uses the Agresso Business World suite, will take over responsibility for services provided by the County Council, which currently uses SAP. Following an evaluation process, Agresso was chosen as the preferred financial management system for a unitary Bedford Borough as it was felt the system would deliver more value for money over time and better meet its financial management requirements.

Frank Branston, Mayor of Bedford, commented: Selecting Agresso means we have a fit for purpose system that the unitary authority will be able to rely on for accurate and up to date financial information. The Agresso system will be housed and operated by Bedford Borough Council so we have the ability to tailor it to meet the needs of the authority.”

Selecting which financial management systems will be taken forward represents a critical step on the way to creating the new authority. The Agresso system will provide the data for the new council’s statement of accounts as well as allow capital and revenue budget monitoring.

John Crooks, Agresso Managing Director, commented: “This is a great endorsement for Agresso. Our unique architecture eliminates the need to modify source code so that organisational change is typically reflected in the system by the business users rather than IT personnel or expensive consultants. The solution is unique among ERP systems and this ability to address change continuously after the initial implementation is complete, delivers cost savings for customers.”