Evansville utility approves $3.2m Workday ERP migration to overhaul digital operations

Evansville utility approves $3.2m Workday ERP migration to overhaul digital operationsThe Indiana utility will phase out its legacy Tyler Munis platform in favor of a new Workday system, aiming to consolidate third-party software and unlock in-house rate modeling and electronic procurement.

The 10-year, $3.2 million Workday agreement will cost $278,000 annually, replacing a $340,000-a-year legacy system.

Capital funds will cover the $1.6 million implementation, which is slated to begin in October 2026 and finish by October 2027.

The new platform will introduce an upgraded vendor portal, electronic sealed bidding, and long-term financial planning capabilities.

The utility expects to save an additional $200,000 annually by eliminating supplementary third-party software.

The Evansville Water and Sewer Utility (EWSU) Board approved a 10-year, $3.2 million agreement with Workday on August 18 to replace its enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. The digital overhaul is expected to yield long-term savings while expanding the utility's in-house capabilities for financial planning and procurement. According to Director of Finance Keith Penney, the utility has utilized Tyler Munis for its ERP needs since 2012. However, the legacy system has struggled to keep pace with the utility's growing operational demands, forcing EWSU to rely on costly third-party software to bridge the gaps. Following a review process that narrowed the final vendor choices down to Workday and Oracle, EWSU staff recommended Workday as the superior option. The new 10-year subscription will cost $278,000 annually, a notable reduction from the $340,000 EWSU currently pays each year for its existing ERP. Additionally, Penney noted that migrating to Workday will allow the utility to eliminate more than $200,000 in annual fees currently spent on supplementary software. "It will pay for itself within the 10-year window," Penney told the board. "It's a good investment that will help the utility be more organized, more integrated, and more structured going forward." The transition will unlock several new capabilities that EWSU previously could not perform in-house, including long-term financial planning and rate modeling. It will also modernize the utility's procurement process by introducing a more user-friendly vendor portal and enabling the use of electronic sealed bids and proposals, replacing the traditional paper-based opening process. Implementation of the Workday system will cost $1.6 million, which will be financed through capital funds. The rollout is scheduled to begin in October 2026 and is expected to take one year to complete. To ensure a smooth transition, EWSU plans to temporarily overlap the two systems. While the current Tyler Munis contract expires in May 2027, the utility intends to extend it through December 2027 to guarantee all necessary data and processes are fully migrated before the legacy system is officially retired.