Erasmus WB

   

The entire ERASMUS WB system has been developed on distributed client/server architecture, using state-of-art Microsoft technologies. As a result, the entire Erasmus application is completely modularized, scalable and flexible.

Erasmus provides a coherent application model based on the client/server architecture organized on three layers:

1. The data layer – responsible with data storage on physical support in a format that can ensure the information’s coherence, security and availability;
2. The logical layer – responsible with logical processing of the information that was stored according with the real needs of users;
3. The presentation layer – responsible with the interface for the end-user.

The multi-layer organization of this application will ensure a high degree of independence for each tier, allowing in this way later development of a certain layer according to new potential demand without affecting the system’s general evolution.

The standard package of ERASMUS WB has a modular structure based on shared data and full integration of component modules.
The main modules are:

• The Accounting module,
• The Procurement module,
• The Budget module,
• The General Settings module and,
• The Reports Settings module.

We used this approach in order to allow the user to easily access other modules.
At its turn each module includes sub-modules, depending on its nature.

The Accounting module

The main capability of the system is that allows creation of sets of accounting records for specific transactions, saving user’s time and increasing efficiency. All reports are exportable to Excel, avoiding duplication of data input. A more detailed description of the accounting module was provided within our expression of interest.

The Procurement module

ERASMUS WB was especially designed to responds to World Bank financed projects requirements to account by project’s activities. The procurement plan was built hierarchically, in order to allow the user to expand the procurement plan to an unlimited number. This feature is more than beneficial in the case of multiple components or activities, with multiple locations and multiple categories of expenditure, such as capital expenditure, materials costs, labor costs, or any other classification desired by the user.

To each activity or sub-activity could be attached the following set of data:

• A pre-contracting schedule, having the capability to compare estimated data with actual data, with the milestones encountered during the procurement process, such as advertising, preparation of bidding documents, etc;
• A contract monitoring schedule containing:
• The contract details;
• The details of the invoices attached to the contract;
• A feature able to divide the contract by phases, having the capability to compare estimated data with actual data in terms of timing, output or degree of completion and cost;
• The budget for the activity (sub-activity). The system allows the user to store an unlimited number of budgets, retrievable anytime.

The procurement module contains also a managerial reports feature, allowing the user to report on the sources and uses of funds by activity, reconciliation between the accounting data and uses of funds by each activity, variance between budget and actual (using the capability to retrieve historical data from the budget). The data is tracked for a specific period and cumulative to date.

The Budget module

            The budget module allows the user to:

• Consolidate the budget for the entire organization (based on individual budgets for each activity/sub-activity for different periods;
• Calculate the variance between 2 sets of budgets;
• Initializing new budgets in order to allow the user to enter new set of data;

As mentioned in the guidelines for borrowers, among others, a good project implementation plan should financial projections and cash flows for the life of the project broken down by appropriate period, from which the annual budgets for the project should be developed. In this respect ERASMUS WB allows the users to take appropriate measures through its procurement plan (by each contract) and aggregate, through its budget module.

The General Settings module

            In principal, this module allows the user to:

• Insert information about the own organization;
• Set up the currencies and the main reporting currencies. In terms of reporting currencies, the system is limited to only 2 currencies, but the accounting records could be made in any currency as long as it is initialized;
• Set up the categories of expenditure (e.g. civil works, technical assistance, training, goods, operating costs, etc.)
• Set up the methods of acquisition and the relevant associated to them (such as advertising, preparation of bidding documents, etc.)
• Set up the sources of financing (e.g. Government, financial institutions, etc.).

 

The Report Settings module

This module allows the user to customize the managerial reports based on accounting information (for actual and cumulative to date information) and budgets – such as the FMRs required by the World Bank financed projects.

ERASMUS’s report generator is very flexible, allows the users to set up their own reports using:

• Accounting data: account balances, account movements (“rulaje”) and arithmetical operations with the accounting data;
• Preset values (as may be loan allocations, etc.) or
• Constants.

All reports generated by the system are exportable to Excel, allowing the user to create particular reports templates that can be used further on.

The feedback provided by our clients showed that the report generator was very helpful for the reports required by the Ministry of Public Finance and other State authorities, as well as for other reports either required by an effective project financial management or by the World Bank staff (separate from FMRs).

 

Other highlights

In terms of data integrity and security, the application allows for controlled access of users by modules and sub-modules through password protection.

Once users are organized into departments (such as financial, procurement, management, etc) specific rights can be awarded to entire department or specific user, based on individual log in password.

The data integrity is ensured by back up and system maintenance procedures and self-diagnostic checks with the possibility to convey error logs through email to SINCRON SOFTWARE.

ERASMUS WB offers also a multilingual support.

For a proper implementation, SINCRON SOFTWARE provides the users with appropriate training and manuals.