Carmel council gives consensus to advance ERP ‘Project Cornerstone’ procurement

Carmel officials moved Feb. 16 to advance Project Cornerstone, the city’s multi-year plan to replace legacy financial and administrative systems.

Zach Jackson, the city’s CFO and controller, described the project’s goals as improved accountability, planning, process improvement and cost savings. He said vendor quotes for implementation ranged from about $500,000 to $2 million and that staff’s working assumption is an implementation near $1 million; annual licensing fees were estimated at roughly $250,000–$400,000 depending on selected modules. Jackson said some existing contracts would be replaced, offsetting ongoing costs.

Councilors discussed procurement options (competitive RFPs or using publicly bid cooperatives), a phased rollout of modules, and the need for a full-time project manager. Audra Blaisdell of Waypoint Strategies also briefed the council on a parallel facilities assessment and energy-center feasibility work tied to capital planning.

Following discussion, the council, by consensus, moved to begin Phase 1: hire the project manager, pursue vendor selection and start procurement processes (motion moved by the finance chair and seconded). The meeting record shows a consensus vote to advance Phase 1 but no roll-call tally was recorded.

What the city cited as next steps: staff will return with procurement materials, a timeline for module selection and additional cost estimates; the council signaled intent to pursue transparency on cost recovery comparisons for replaced modules and to consider phased implementation to reduce operational disruptions.