Evaluation of property management systems for use within the Social Housing Sector in South Africa

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative research project is to establish whether or not there is currently a property management system or systems available that meet the unique requirements of the overall ICT strategy for the Social Housing sector in South Africa. This included a detailed evaluation of candidate systems wherever possible. A generic functional specification was outlined in the report and these, together with other factors including conformance with the proposed strategic architecture, technology imperatives and vendor characteristics formed the basis of the evaluation and recommendation that followed. The state of Information Technology within a sample group of Housing Instititions was determined, together with an evaluation of available skills. The JD Edwards Financial Real Estate system owned by PeopleSoft and supported by Delloites, stood out as the leading commercial software package to satisfy the requirements of the overall ICT strategy for the sector. The IFCA Property Plus system ranked a close second.