REDWOOD SHORES, Calif., Jan. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Oracle today announced that the City of Winnipeg has selected Oracle® Utilities Customer Care and Billing and Oracle Utilities Business Intelligence to support the ongoing delivery of superior customer service for the Winnipeg market. The City of Winnipeg Water and Waste Department plans to implement the Oracle solution to help manage customer account and billing information in near real time.

The City of Winnipeg's review and selection process for the new system included a detailed evaluation of product functionality, technology and vendor reputation in the utilities industry. While the City of Winnipeg placed weight on the initial solution cost in its selection criteria, the primary concern was long-term total cost of ownership and the department's ability to manage the new system internally without incurring ongoing IT service fees.

"We are focused on maintaining exceptional customer service while continually advancing operational efficiencies," said Derek Osborne, utility information systems coordinator, City of Winnipeg. "We selected Oracle Utilities to serve as a true partner and provide a reliable solution to help enhance customer account and billing services for the City's water and waste customers. At the conclusion of our selection process, Oracle Utilities Customer Care and Billing offered the strongest functional fit while also offering a cost advantage over competitors. The new solution supports our ongoing focus on customer service and streamlining operations, and we expect the solution to provide for additional continuing improvements over the next decade."

Located in Manitoba, Canada, the Winnipeg metropolitan area population is projected to grow by nearly 200,000 within the next 25 years -- exceeding 900,000 residents by 2031 -- according to the Conference Board of Canada. The City of Winnipeg's Water and Waste Department serves more than 180,000 customers and is focused on providing exceptional customer service and on gaining additional scalability in IT systems to support projected population growth.

"We support the City of Winnipeg's commitment to provide its customers with excellent service by introducing new offerings and examining ways to increase efficiency," said Quentin Grady, senior vice president and general manager, Oracle Utilities Global Business Unit. "Our engagement with the City of Winnipeg underscores Oracle's focus on providing best-in-class applications and services to help public utilities meet their objectives."

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