Victoria's environment regulator brings in SAP CRM

Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) Victoria has entered the second phase of a regulatory transformation designed to address a scathing 2010 report by the state's auditor-general.

The EPA in July switched on an SAP CRM 7.0 system under phase one of a project to transform its services, processes, systems and information management.

The project came after an audit found its monitoring and inspection activities "[lacked] coherence, purpose and coordination" and data management was "inadequate" (pdf).

The EPA selected SAP and NTT Data Business Solutions-owned Extend Technologies for the project in April 2011 and commenced work after several months of contract negotiations.

Phase one was about capturing EPA's client-management process, SAP Australia's general manager of state and local government Kal Marshall explained.

Marshall said the process included "who all their clients are, the license permit that site has from an emissions point of view", as well as actual emissions, onsite inspections and reviews.

Phase two, which was currently underway, would introduce automation to parts of the EPA's regulatory process, as well as some mobility capabilities.

"The overall business solution includes software, services and ongoing application management by Extend," SAP said in a statement.

It involved enhancement pack one of SAP CRM 7.0 with investigative case management, portal, business warehouse and Business Objects functionality.

Marshall was hopeful that the solution might find a home outside of just the EPA in Victoria.

"It would be screamingly obvious to a lot of people that we will be working with Extend to have this platform replicated in other states," he said.