Utility Interface Project

About the Program

Category: Information Technology (Best in Category)

Year: 2011

Traffic signals. Security lights. Water and Sewer pumps. Like all county governments, Gwinnett County, Georgia operates many facilities that use electricity – and often each one has its own meter and is billed as a separate account. Before the Utility Interface Project, Gwinett’s Treasury Division got thousands of separate invoices from multiple utility vendors every month. Each invoice triggered a 15-minute process of scanning, indexing, header creation, and payment preparation within the Department of Financial Services plus administrative review and accounting information entry by user departments. Every invoice also cost the utility provider’s staff time, materials, and mailing expenses. The Utility Interface Project is a series of partnerships between Gwinnett County and utility providers that results in significant efficiencies for all concerned. Participating utilities now send one electronic interface file for all County facilities they serve each month and the County has automated its monthly processing and payment procedures.