Fingal County Council has deployed data analytics software to enable its 1,400 staff to make more informed decisions and identify ‘value for money’ supply opportunities.
Nathean Technologies, a fast-growing Irish data analytics software company, has implemented Logix Professional data analytics solution across a number of key functional departments in Fingal County Council.
Fingal County Council provides more than 500 services to businesses and residents throughout the local area, including housing, environment, planning, leisure, libraries, water, roads and economic development.
With 24 elected councillors, 1,400 employees and 240,000 residents, Fingal’s primary objective is to deliver excellent service at all times to local citizens and visitors.
Nathean has provided Fingal County Council a pre-packaged data analysis software called Logix Professional. The solution has provided council management and staff with a fast and simple tool to explore and analyse huge volumes of data. It has enabled users to make more informed decisions on key areas such as rates collections, purchasing practices, resource planning and attendance management.
Nathean implemented Logix Professional across relevant departments, with seamless and full integration with all databases and systems, including Agresso in the finance department and CorePay in the HR department.
Logix has delivered particular value-add to the procurement department. An ‘Audit & Efficiency Unit’ was set up by the Council to identify savings and efficiencies, and to ensure ‘value for money’ opportunities from suppliers were being optimised. Logix plays a critical role in helping to identify savings and providing the council with the ability to negotiate more competitive terms with suppliers. Examples of this included significant savings in energy bills, as well as reductions in procurement costs in areas such as machinery and plant hire.
Nathean’s solution has also helped to remove costly administration for low-value purchases. Analysis undertaken by Logix highlighted that, on an annual basis, several thousand POs were being raised for supplier invoices of less than €50, which was resulting in a significant overhead payment for each of these invoices. Consequently, Fingal introduced credit card payments for all low-value invoices, saving major time and expense.
“We needed a fast, simple and cost-effective solution to leverage the value of all the data held across our organisation, and Logix Professional has given us this,” Gerry Duane, head of IT and water services, Fingal County Council, explained.
“Our users have expressed real satisfaction with its ease of use and the results it delivers. We can now make better informed decisions not only for the benefit of the council and its staff but ultimately for the people living and working in Fingal. Nathean’s solution has allowed us to do so much more with diminishing resources. We’re looking forward to extending the use of Logix on a wide range of existing and new projects.”
GIS and Google Maps in action
Logix has also been used to improve citizen services, enabling in-depth analysis of private and public housing throughout Fingal. It is geo-coded to integrate with census data, photo libraries, Google maps and other GIS platforms to obtain a clear and up-to-date view of all housing in the Fingal area. This helps inform decisions on estate management, rental accommodation schemes and managing vacancy levels.
Crucial information is also being provided to other council departments and divisions, helping to improve delivery of a wide range of citizen services, including schools, roads, libraries and environmental matters.
“It is providing greater insights into areas such as finance, HR and payroll,” said Barry Moylan, director of sales and marketing, Nathean.
“We are also delighted that Fingal County Council is leveraging Logix Professional to improve the quality of services to the hundreds of thousands of citizens that live in the Fingal area.”
Photo: Barry Moylan, Nathean Technologies, and Gerry Duane, head of IT and water services, Fingal County Council
