• Agilisys and North Somerset Council selects the Agresso Local Government solution as a key enabler of business improvement programme

• Low ongoing cost of ownership and the ability to meet future shared services requirements are key factors

Sliedrecht, The Netherlands – UNIT4, the world’s leading provider of business software for fast changing organizations, today announced that IT services and outsourcing provider Agilisys has purchased the Agresso Business World Local Government Solution in a deal worth over £600,000 as part of its ten year long services contract with North Somerset Council in the UK.

The solution will provide a complete view of finances, allowing councillors and officers to make informed decisions based upon accurate, real-time information.

The Agresso Business World (ABW) solution is a key enabler of the wider business improvement and transformation programme being undertaken at North Somerset, which is expected to save the council £13 million per year.  ABW will also be used as part of the South West regional Centre of Excellence, a shared services centre Agilisys will establish in partnership with the council.

Of particular importance to the council’s improvement programme is UNIT4’s track record in the sector - Agresso is used by more local government organizations than any other in the UK - and Agresso’s strengths in underpinning and supporting the continual improvement of business processes.  It is expected that these strengths will facilitate the delivery of outstanding service by the council to its citizens.

Agresso’s inherent flexibility means that users will be able to configure changes to the system themselves.  This will allow the council to rapidly adapt financial operations to meet the considerable change in the public sector and reduce its reliance on expensive IT consultants.

The flexible nature of the solution also means that as and when the South West regional Centre of Excellence takes on new clients, the Agresso Business World Local Government Platform will easily accommodate and scale to new finance and reporting structures, supporting a shared services environment.

“We were very pleased that Agresso was chosen as we know it is the market leader and the councils we have spoken to during selection were all very complimentary about the software,” said Peter Sloman, Head of Finance at North Somerset. “I am confident it will provide a platform for the council to ensure we can respond with pace and make the right decisions as the council meets its increased financial challenges in light of the Government spending review.”

The adaptability of Agresso Business World has seen UNIT4 build upon its position as the number one supplier of business software to local government in the UK. A total of 96 councils now use Agresso software to manage finances during this period of exceptional business change.

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About UNIT4
UNIT4 is a global business software and services company aimed at helping dynamic organisations to embrace change simply, quickly and cost effectively in a market sector it calls 'Businesses Living IN Change' (BLINC)™. The Group incorporates a number of the world’s leading change embracing software brands including Agresso Business World and CODA financial management software.

Agresso Business World is our flagship ERP suite for mid-sized services intensive organisations. It is widely acknowledged for delivering ongoing, post-implementation changes without the typical external IT costs and services that cost firms huge sums of money each year. This is achieved thanks to its powerful VITA™ architecture, which is unmatched in the ERP world.

CODA Financials is our award-winning suite of best-of-class financial management software designed to integrate with your industry- and company-specific applications. CODA’s LINK™ architecture sets it apart from ordinary accounting systems by providing a financial information backbone for companies with fast changing and mixed application environments. It is a global accounting solution for mid-to large sized organisations, offering a "no compromise" approach to financial modelling, process control and application choice.

In the UK we focus strongly on the public sector where we are the leading provider of finance systems to local government and post 16 education organisations. The company also has considerable presence in the emergency services and health sectors. In the commercial sectors Financial Services, Retail and Media and Publishing are key markets.  Overall we aim to be the UK’s foremost business software company, providing solutions that transform the delivery of public services and comprehensively support commercial organisation in their ability to adapt and prosper in rapidly changing environments.

UNIT4 is a top six mid-market ERP software player globally and the 2nd largest European ERP supplier. With offices in 17 European countries, as well as 7 countries across North America, Asia Pacific and Africa and sales activities in several other countries, a revenue of €379.4 million was realised in 2009. UNIT4 is headquartered in Sliedrecht, the Netherlands. The company has around 4,160 employees.

UNIT4 is listed on Euronext Amsterdam by NYSE Euronext and is included in the Amsterdam Midcap Index (AMX). For more information on UNIT4 or any of its operating companies, please visit the website at www.unit4.com

About Agilisys Ltd
Agilisys is the UK’s most innovative IT services and outsourcing provider, helping our clients transform their businesses.  Working for both the public and private sector, we have earned a strong reputation and hold deep domain expertise within Local Government, Healthcare, Travel and Tourism and Financial Services.
We support our clients through a network of offices and centres of excellence throughout the UK, employing over 1,600 people.
www.agilisys.co.uk