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Congressional Quarterly

Congressional Quarterly (CQ) has been widely recognized as the number one authoritative news source on government, politics and public policy for more than 50 years. Today, CQ's influential readership includes 95% of the members of Congress, the nation’s top academic and media outlets, and the best-informed business, not-for-profit and government-affairs leaders.

CQ’s reputation for thorough, accurate and fair reporting is unsurpassed. Congressional Quarterly aims to uphold high journalism standards while expanding products and services, particularly in electronic media. CQ has been pioneering online information services since 1984, when they launched their first electronic product. This trend of innovation and foresight is continuing as CQ develops its infrastructure and products to lead the way into the next century.

According to Peter Jennings at ABC News, “CQ is unbiased and, most of all, absolutely accurate…it's the 'Bible’”.

CQ is located in District of Columbia, near Dupont Circle adjacent to Rock Creek Park. This is a perfect location, near Capitol Hill and the US government offices throughout the District of Columbia.

Meeting Business Objectives
In mid-1999, Congressional Quarterly began to evaluate their existing accounting systems. It quickly became evident that the Digital mini-computer software they were using was not going to meet the needs of the growing company. CQ’s accounting systems were slow and did not provide a flexible and timely reporting system. Often, reports needed to be ordered in batch process overnight, and then printed the next day. This limited the finance department’s ability to provide timely and accurate information on which to make informed decisions. Additionally, the system was not year 2000 compliant.

Another challenge CQ was facing was the lack of standardized procedures. Over time, written procedures and effective system controls had been left by the wayside. This created a true management challenge each time there was a staff change. By implementing standard procedures, CQ would be able to ensure effective controls, and train new staff members quickly.

Additionally CQ wanted to make certain that whatever system they selected would meet all the reporting requirements for a public company. This included guaranteeing a good audit and fulfilling any SEC reporting standards.

The Challenge
The challenge was to find an accounting package that fit the business, solved the existing problems, and established a solid foundation on which to grow. After assessing the products available, CQ chose to purchase Epicor’s Platinum ERA product. This decision was based on technology, software functionality, reporting capabilities and long-term integration potential.

The Process for Getting There – Choosing the Right Company to Help
Selecting the software was just one step in successfully implementing the new accounting system. Next was the process of selecting a qualified system integrator and assembling the appropriate project team. CQ’s management knew this would be a fast track implementation – they needed to be live in September, and it was already August.

CQ chose Second Foundation based on the experience and skills available to effectively implement ERA in the available time frame. Diane Atwell, CQ’s Chief Financial Officer said “Second Foundation came to us with a thorough proposal and a detailed plan of how they could help. We felt from the start that Second Foundation would be a long-term partner in helping us move toward our future goals.”

Services to Win
Second Foundation provides a full suite of services encompassed in a strong five-stage analysis and implementation methodology. We offer a wide range of business and technical expertise to support the needs of every different customer we encounter, regardless of industry segment. Second Foundation’s staff is focused on listening and solving the client’s problems, whether they are technical, procedural or business policy issues.

Congressional Quarterly required a full suite of services from Second Foundation during the Platinum ERA implementation. At CQ we:
• Re-engineered existing business processes and recommended more efficient processes
• Programmed CQ specific customizations for invoicing and management reporting
• Setup and implemented the Microsoft NT and SQL Server environment
• Provided on-site staff support for system cut-over and reconciliation
• Organized and executed customized training programs for all modules
• Guided the project with a proven methodology and strong project management skills

Positive Experience, Positive Results
After being live on the system for six months, CQ’s management and staff are very satisfied with Epicor ERA and Second Foundation. CQ’s month end processing has been significantly reduced, procedures have been well defined, and reporting has been greatly improved. This has allowed the finance department to focus on key business issues and not just the accounting system.

To the Future and Beyond!
CQ is ready to carry on with future projects including a full budgeting and allocations solution and future integration of the accounting systems to the existing fulfillment system.

CQ Chief Financial Officer Diane Atwell says, “Second Foundation helped us to get our accounting systems on track. We reached the goals we set for the implementation of Platinum ERA, and CQ is excited about our future projects. Second Foundation is a professional organization that shines in the area of project management; we look forward to our continued partnership.”