Shreveport Files Lawsuit Against Software Company in Water Billing Saga

The water billing saga continues as the City of Shreveport has now filed its own lawsuit, this time against the software company that provided the operation management system that billed water customers across the city. Shreveport accuses the company, Systems & Software Inc., of making various errors in programming the city's tiered water rates, which resulted in the under-billing of water and sewer revenue. The city is demanding payment from Systems & Software Inc. for that lost revenue.

“My administration is taking actions to address the long-standing Water and Sewerage Department billing issues we believe were caused by the City’s third-party billing contractor, Systems & Software,” said Mayor Ollie Tyler. “My staff and I are working tirelessly to resolve the problems created by the Systems & Software product,” Tyler said. “We are committed to making system-wide and operational changes to address these and other related concerns which include the implementation of a reliable billing system that will have the full confidence of our citizens.”

A press release from Mayor Tyler's office gives us more insight on the city's decision to take the matter to court.

Systems and Software was hired as a contractor by the City in 2010 to provide the operating management system for water and sewer billing. The City has been in communication with Systems & Software since the problems were detected and has been working through the steps required by contract prior to filing suit. Over this period, the administration has sought to hold the contractor accountable for the errors. The City has decided not to renew the service contract with Systems & Software that will expire at the end of this year and has provided the company with notice of this decision.

The City will replace Systems & Software with a new provider for the operation management system for billing and related water and sewer operations. A Request for Proposal (RFP) will be issued in May seeking professional submissions from interested providers for these services. A new selection process which includes the administration and the City Council will be used to select the new provider.