ERC Search for ERP Software

The Ethiopian Railway Corporation (ERC) is acquiring an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software, which will integrate the entire operations of the company under one electronic system.

This will be the third bid for the acquisition of an ERP by a state-owned company in Ethiopia, following Ethiopian Airlines (ET) and ethio-telecom, both of which have been using this business management software since 2009. Ethiopian bought its software from Systems, Applications & Products (SAP), a German company, for 8.5 million dollars, while ethio telecom purchased theirs from Oracle Global for 6.1 million dollars.

This Project will cost the ERC, which has a plan to build 11 rail transit projects across the country through two phases, six to 10 million dollars, according to IT experts.

The tender will be announced and the implementation will take place soon, before the Addis Abeba Light Rail Transit (LRT) becomes functional in January 2015, if it is completed according to the plan. The project, which started in 2011, has now reached 75pc completion, according to the Corporation. The project extends 16.9Km along the North-South route and 17.35Km along the East-West route, both double tracks. The rolling stock includes a total of 31 trains, each with three carriages attached, operating on both routes. One train, manufactured in China, arrived at the Port of Djibouti this month.

The ERP software, an enterprise application designed for large businesses, often requires dedicated teams to customise and analyse the data, as well as to handle upgrades and deployment. Four companies have expressed interest and presented their proposals to the Corporation for the job. Three of these include Ernst & Young, whose local partner is Zemedeneh Nigatu; Deloitte Consulting, which has merged with local consulting firm HST and KPMG Consulting, an American firm.

These companies are also competing for the study and design of a management strategy for the Bank of Abyssinia (BoA), which is striving to achieve international standards.

The ERP will enable the ERC to manage the business and automate many back office functions related to technology, services and human resources.

Source : allafrica