Public sector organizations have much to gain from implementing modern ERP software. The intelligent workflows and automation that public sector ERP systems provide can help governments and nonprofits achieve economic, social, and operational success.
Yet, government ERP success doesn’t happen overnight. You must take your time evaluating public sector ERP software so you can find a solution that aligns with your highest-priority goals.
Today, we’re sharing a list of top ERP systems as well as ERP selection tips for government organizations. Keep reading to make sure you’re taking the right ERP selection approach for the public sector.
2025 Top 10 Government ERP Systems
This independent report reveals what vendors our consultants most frequently consider for public sector clients. These vendors enable states, municipalities, and other public sector entities to be more data-driven.
A Brief Overview at the Top Government ERP Systems
Infor provides solutions specifically for states, cities/counties, K12 districts, water utilities, tribal and sovereign nations, and transportation departments.
Microsoft’s enterprise software options for the public sector include a variety of solutions within its Dynamics 365 offering. These solutions are available both on-premise and on Azure in a government-compliant cloud.
Oracle offers a comprehensive set of cloud options for public sector entities, including federal, state and local, healthcare, national security, and higher education.
Sage provides solutions for nonprofits, foundations, associations, faith-based, and governmental organizations of all sizes.
SAP provides robust public sector solutions in the public cloud, private, and hybrid environments.
Tyler Technologies provides cloud ERP solutions designed exclusively for the public sector, including cities, towns, counties, K-12 school districts, special districts, and authorities.
Workday provides enterprise management cloud applications designed for governments, nonprofits, and other mission-based organizations.
AccuFund is a complete, browser-native ERP for government entities, including towns, cities, municipalities, tribal nations, and special districts, as well as departments like parks and recreation, fire, and utilities.
BS&A Software is a niche vendor that exclusively focuses on designing and building solutions for local government agencies.
CGI Advantage is an ERP platform specifically designed for the public sector, including state and local governments, educational institutions, and other public organizations.
Government ERP Selection Tips From the Experts
Here are our proven best practices for selecting the best government ERP system. These expert insights will help you narrow your list of options and select the system that’s best suited for your needs.
1. Start With Strategic Alignment
Ensuring all project stakeholders, especially executives, are on the same page is the key to government ERP success.
Executive buy-in is especially helpful when it comes to mobilizing resources and driving project priorities.
For instance, a city government might implement a new ERP system to streamline its financial operations and citizen service delivery. City leaders should be consistently involved in strategic discussions to ensure the software aligns with the city’s long-term goals. In particular, they need to participate in milestone meetings and communicate directly with project managers and vendors to address any strategic gaps.
2. Understand Your ERP Requirements
Before evaluating ERP systems, you’ll need to develop a list of software requirements that you can share with vendors.
As a public agency, you might find this task a little challenging. Process knowledge is often stored in the minds of your long-term employees who may feel it’s to their advantage to keep this knowledge to themselves.
Our ERP consultants always encourage clients to identify ERP stakeholders early so they can engage them in requirements gathering. This not only gives organizations valuable knowledge about various functional areas, but it also gives employees a sense of ownership, making them less likely to view new software as a threat.
3. Take a Phased Approach
As you begin comparing software options, it can be tempting to overhaul your entire IT ecosystem at once.
Yet, approaching your government ERP project as a big bang implementation could mean incurring major risks.
Adopting a phased government ERP implementation strategy can mitigate these risks and offer several benefits. When you phase in one module or business unit at a time, you can resolve issues gradually without causing significant operational disruptions.
A phased approach also gives employees more time to adapt to new workflows. Easing the transition should be a priority as public sector change management can be challenging.
Expert Insight
We recommend sharing project goals and milestones with vendors to get their input on the best phasing approach. Not all ERP platforms can support a phased approach. Modular systems usually work best.
4. Consider Your Long-Term Needs
Government organizations often take a short-term approach when considering their ERP needs. They know which pain points their employees are currently facing, and where their workflows need to be optimized. Then, they laser-focus on those issues when selecting an ERP vendor.
Solving these issues will only take you so far. How will you streamline processes in the future? Do you want to add new capabilities down the road?
You might save money by selecting software with limited functionality that only meets your immediate goals. However, you might incur more costs when you decide to expand functionality with customizations and add-ons.
For example, a municipality might implement specialized ERP software that is primarily focused on payroll, human resources, and accounting. Down the road, if they want to move their record management into the same ERP system, they might discover it’s not possible without heavy modifications.
Finding Government ERP Success
Public sector agencies face a unique set of challenges as they approach the ERP software selection process. Yet, they’re poised to benefit if they can find a solution that meets their needs.
Our ERP consulting firm can help you find technology that enables you to serve citizens and constituents more effectively. Contact us below to schedule a free consultation, or click here to download our 2025 Top 10 Government ERP Systems Report.
