An enthusiastic reception was given to the new GST version of the popular Practical Computer Services (PCS) software by the 130 delegates attending their recent 14th annual Users Group Conference.
The new software enables Councils to meet their GST compliance obligations directly from the fully integrated system, including the electronic production and lodgement of their Business Activity Statement with the Taxation Office.
With over 20 years experience as Local Government software specialists, PCS has 95 Councils using its system, and is proud to note that every Council which has ever installed the system is still currently using it.
“If you do it well, Local Governments are very loyal customers,” said PCS Director, Dave Laughton. “In tailoring our product to specifically meet the unique needs of Councils with populations up to 50,000, we have focussed on providing functional power and flexibility without compromising operational simplicity.”
PCS can also provide Councils with a full range of services, including network design and installation, staff training, program development, system support and hardware maintenance. Over 90 percent of its clients use this full service, and with their own aircraft, PCS is well equipped to support even their most remote customers.
The maintenance and support aspects of PCS’s contracts are extremely competitive. In 1999, as part of their maintenance and support service, all sites were upgraded from a multi user DOS based system to a full Windows/SQL compliant system at no extra cost to Councils.
“With 85 sites to upgrade, 1999 was always going to be busy,” Dave Laughton said. “But it was made even more so with nine new Councils coming on board. Seven of these were in New South Wales, the first time the system has been made available in this State. Another two sites in NSW are preparing for installation in the next few weeks, with the promise of more as the word spreads.”
Along with rich functionality it is PCS’s low cost of purchase and ownership that is proving attractive to an increasing number of Councils. Daniel Cooper, Manager Finance and Administration when Goulburn City Council recently installed the PCS system, said that Council expected to reduce its IT costs by more then $500,000 over the next five years.
As part of its ongoing sponsorship of Local Government conferences, PCS representatives will be available to discuss all aspects of the system at the NSW Local Government Finance Professionals Conference to be staged at Hawkesbury on 22 and 23 May.
For further information about the PCS System, contact Dave Laughton telephone (07) 4639 3500
