Tyler Tech’s troubles in South Florida raise several red flags

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At a time when everything seems to be done online, it comes as little surprise that states and cities across the U.S. are moving their permitting and licensing systems online to maximize efficiency and serve constituents more effectively.

Many counties and municipalities in Florida are following suit, replacing obsolete systems with new, user-friendly technology.

Unfortunately, a company claiming to be the best in software solutions for government organizations has been ousted from two local cities, and by the end of this year can possibly have its contract canceled in a third.

Tyler Technologies has had a bumpy road in various South Florida cities. Last year alone, both the Village of Key Biscayne and the City of Hollywood terminated contracts with Tyler Tech.

In Key Biscayne, officials tried to work with the company to get its online permitting software to function properly. After three years, they eventually gave up.

Now, the City of Miami Beach is experiencing the same problems.

Tyler Technologies is Miami Beach’s current vendor for both the Enterprise Resource Planning System used by city employees and the online permitting software used by residents and businesses. As in Key Biscayne, numerous issues have been raised over the city’s permitting system.

Residents, contractors, and even city officials complained that the functionality they expected is simply not there.

On April 26, the Miami Beach Commission decided to set up a task force to compile a list of all the unresolved issues they are experiencing. That way, the can present they findings to Tyler Technologies, and demand an explanation on how they intend to fix all these problems.

According to commissioners, if the issues are not resolved by December 2017, the Commission will re-evaluate the contract and consider termination. Then they can look for more qualified vendors.

Having two (and possibly three) contracts terminated for inefficiency over the last year — and in the same region — should probably disqualify a company from being awarded another multimillion-dollar contract to provide the same services.

It behooves governments to do their homework before spending millions of taxpayer dollars and awarding future contracts to Tyler Technologies, in light of its negative track record in South Florida and across the U.S.

Peter Schorsch

Peter Schorsch is the President of Extensive Enterprises and is the publisher of some of Florida’s most influential new media websites, including Florida Politics and Sunburn, the morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics. Schorsch is also the publisher of INFLUENCE Magazine. For several years, Peter's blog was ranked by the Washington Post as the best state-based blog in Florida. In addition to his publishing efforts, Peter is a political consultant to several of the state’s largest governmental affairs and public relations firms. Peter lives in St. Petersburg with his wife, Michelle, and their daughter, Ella.


2 comments

  • Mitch Bradley

    May 1, 2017 at 6:17 pm

    Peter,
    Great article and thank you for sharing this news. Hollywood and Key Biscayne should be applauded. Not for choosing Tyler, but for having the courage to admit the mistake and correct course. Many government agencies would not have the courage to admit the mistake, fail quickly and find a vendor that can meet their requirements.

  • Matthew Hopkins

    May 1, 2017 at 7:11 pm

    A patent “YES” is not always good answer to hear from vendors when agencies are vetting requirements for software.

    Better would be “LET ME SHOW YOU HOW THIS WORKS IN A LIVE ENVIRONMENT”.

    The more agencies that expect software companies to prove out feature and function scenarios in a live environment, according to agency specs, the less money wasted and the better solution gained. Better for everybody.

    Why not put the live environment demonstrations back to back so that you can have continuity of thought and comparison before buying?

Comments are closed.


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