We ended up going with MuniSoft.  When we decided we needed a new computer system, I have to confess that I was already inclined to go with MuniSoft.  I had heard good things about their software and service from colleagues at other municipalities.  But once I got a look at the proposals, I changed my mind!

In fact, at first blush, it looked like MuniSoft was much more expensive than the other quotes.  I know my council and I knew there was no way they would choose the more expensive option, no matter how much better I thought it might be.

But the difference in price seemed a bit strange to me.  One of the things other MuniSoft users had talked about was lower costs.  I decided to do a bit more digging.

That’s when I got the first big surprise.  I discovered I wasn’t comparing apples to apples.  MuniSoft’s proposal included on-site training at our office and included all travel costs.  Some of the proposals I received didn’t even mention the possibility of on-site training and none of the others had included travel costs.  The additional costs we would have to pay added up!

After uncovering that discrepancy, I started looking a little more closely at other aspects of the proposals.  I soon discovered that features that MuniSoft included in its basic software would be an additional cost with the other suppliers.  I found that MuniSoft’s licensing arrangement allowed me to have one less user than I thought I needed.  I found other differences, as well, and though each difference didn’t seem like a big deal by itself, by the time I added them altogether, the price difference was more than accounted for.

But that wasn’t the thing that finally clinched the decision for council.  It was when we started looking at ongoing costs that we realized how far ahead we would be with MuniSoft.  MuniSoft’s ongoing support costs were substantially less than some of the other proposals.  And, unlike some of the proposals, MuniSoft’s first year of support was included in the base price of the system.

Added to that, MuniSoft’s ongoing package was the most thorough, including unlimited, toll-free support.  Software enhancements and maintenance upgrades were included.  And I would have access to professionally prepared checklists, help files and other documentation through their on-line knowledgebase.

I was glad I did my homework.  We’ve been very happy with our choice and, over the years, we’ve saved a bundle because…

We ended up going with MuniSoft.