County’s operations optimized by modernizing ERP and workforce systems

Client background

As one of the most populous counties in Wisconsin, it serves as a major regional hub for industry, agriculture and papermaking. To support future operational needs, the county launched an enterprise modernization initiative to evaluate and replace its legacy ERP, timekeeping and workforce management systems with modern, integrated solutions. 

The business challenge

The county needed a clear and defensible approach for evaluating ERP, timekeeping, attendance and scheduling solutions while maintaining operational continuity, reducing implementation risk and ensuring future investments aligned with long-term strategic goals.  

The county has faced growing operational, reporting and technology challenges driven by aging ERP functionality and the approaching end-of-life of several workforce management systems. Departments relied on disconnected systems, manual processes and limited integrations to support finance, payroll, HR, timekeeping, scheduling and operational workflows, which created inefficiencies and reduced organizational visibility. 

With the impending end-of-life for the county’s systems it created urgency to establish a fixed timeline for selecting and implementing new systems, particularly for public safety departments with complex timekeeping, scheduling and compliance requirements. 

Strategy and solution

The county selected Baker Tilly based on the team’s ability to provide independent, vendor-neutral advisory services, deep experience supporting public sector ERP and workforce transformations, and a proven methodology for aligning complex, cross-departmental stakeholder needs. Baker Tilly’s approach combined structured evaluation frameworks with hands-on facilitation, enabling the county to make informed, defensible decisions while maintaining operational continuity. 

Baker Tilly collaborated with the county to lead a comprehensive enterprise modernization and system selection initiative across ERP, timekeeping and advanced scheduling. Through a structured and independent assessment, the team evaluated current-state operations, identified opportunities to streamline processes and improve system integration, and defined a future-state road map aligned with the county’s long-term strategic priorities. 

Unlike traditional ERP selection efforts, Baker Tilly led a coordinated, multi-system evaluation spanning ERP, timekeeping and advanced scheduling — ensuring dependencies across finance, HR, payroll and public safety operations were evaluated together rather than in isolation. The engagement brought together stakeholders across departments to build consensus around business needs, operational goals and governance expectations. By emphasizing transparency, stakeholder alignment and a disciplined evaluation framework, the county was positioned to make informed technology investment decisions, reduce implementation risk and improve operational efficiency and service delivery for constituents. 

Business impact highlights included: 

• Established a single, countywide set of business and technical requirements, reducing department-level variation from over 30 departments and enabling alignment across finance, HR, payroll and public safety functions 
• Defined integrated sequencing and dependency strategies across ERP, timekeeping and scheduling systems, reducing the risk of rework and misaligned implementation timelines 
• Developed vendor ready requirements and equipped leadership with clear evaluation criteria, structured scoring and documentation to support defensible procurement decisions and audit-ready outcomes to evaluate over 29 vendor solution options 
• Led parallel ERP and workforce management evaluations aligned to critical operational timelines  
• Reduced implementation risk by aligning system selection decisions with operational complexity and labor constraints and phased deployment considerations, particularly for high-complexity public safety environments 
• Provided structured contract negotiation guidance to help the county improve vendor contract language, clarify implementation responsibilities, and mitigate financial, delivery and governance risk prior to award 
• Positioned the county with a clear road map for modernizing enterprise systems, supporting long-term service delivery and operational scalability