IT Governance Business Case
Background
The City uses Cityworks to manage assets, work orders, inspections, and real estate licensing & permitting. It is one of the most widely used operational systems in the City, connecting closely with ArcGIS. Field workers across departments use a custom field app to update their Cityworks work orders and inspections. Major users include:
- Durham One Call
- Environmental & Street Services
- Finance / Risk Management
- General Services
- Housing & Neighborhood Services
- Parks & Recreation
- Transportation
- Water Management
Current Business Problem
Cityworks is no longer receiving feature updates and will no longer receive security patches starting July 2027.
Trimble is shifting their focus to their cloud-based Unity platform. The City's on-premises instance will still receive standard technical support, but the lack of security patches introduces security risk.
Current Pain Points
• Impending security risk from 2027 sunset
• No further feature enhancements
• Custom field app has limited integration with core system
• Manual process for intake & prioritization
• Limited communication channels with residents
• Limited reporting & performance tracking
• Occasional outages related to on prem issues
Future State Benefits
• Regular security patches
• Regular feature enhancements for ongoing modernization
• Field app natively integrated with platform
• AI-assisted intake & prioritization
• Expanded communication channels with residents
• Improved reporting & performance tracking
• Improved continuity of service
Strategic Alignment
Analysis and Recommended Solution
Solution Analysis
Scope Analysis
• Est. 9-13 Month Migration. The scope includes an estimated 3-4 months of planning and 6-9 months of migration and validation, given the current level of cross-departmental usage.
• Timeframe – May RFP. To migrate in time for July 2027 sunset, migration must begin no later than October 2026. If approved, an RFP for migration vendors can be issued in May 2026 to begin migration as soon as funds are released in July 2026.
• Scope. A third-party migration vendor will:
• Map existing processes, reports & workflows
• Identify opportunities to rebuild streamlined workflows
• Identify what needs to be discarded, migrated, or rebuilt
• Rebuild or replace all API connections to other software
• Execute the migration and validate new setup
Recommended Solution: issue an RFP for Cityworks migration services
Description
Migrate our on-prem Cityworks AMS & PLL to Trimble Unity
Maintain and Permit, and replace the Freeance Mobile App with Trimble Unity Field
Pros
• Continued software updates & security patches
• More modern, unified platform
• Native integration between office & field workers
Cons
• N/A
TS Architecture Review
The recommended solution meets the architectural standards of the City of Durham.
Cybersecurity Review
The recommended solution meets the cybersecurity standards for the City of Durham.
Recommended Solution - Project Financial Estimate
Risk Identification
Mitigation Risk (Costs)
• N/A
Contingency Risk (Costs)
• N/A
Our ask
We are asking the IT Governance Steering Committee to approve and score the business case to migrate Cityworks to the cloud to maintain adequate cybersecurity. If approved, the business case will be submitted to the City Manager for final approval.