RFP Title: Phoenix SAP System Integration Support
RFP Number: RFP-TCAS-2026-202-RB
REQUEST FOR
PROPOSALS
JUDICIAL COUNCIL OF CALIFORNIA
REGARDING:
RFP-TCAS-2026-202-RB PHOENIX SAP SYSTEM
INTEGRATION SUPPORT
PROPOSALS DUE:
MARCH 20, 2026, NO LATER THAN 5:00 P.M. PACIFIC TIME
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RFP Title: Phoenix SAP System Integration Support
RFP Number: RFP-TCAS-2026-202-RB
1.0 BACKGROUND INFORMATION
1.1 VISION
The objective of the Phoenix Program is to maintain a statewide finance and human
resources system, with the same core configuration, for the fifty-eight (58) superior courts
in California. The system is supported by a single SAP software system on which all fifty-
eight (58) trial courts maintain their financial data (Financial Services), and twenty (20)
trial courts maintain their payroll data (HR Payroll Services). It is referred to as the
Phoenix System, or just Phoenix.
1.2 ORGANIZATION
The Phoenix Program (Program) is maintained by a State of California entity, Judicial
Council of California (“Judicial Council”), Branch Accounting and Procurement, Trial
Court Administrative Services (TCAS), and Information Technology, Enterprise Systems,
Phoenix unit. The data in the system and the primary system users are from the fifty-eight
(58) trial courts.
The Program is comprised of two main units:
• The Phoenix Shared Services Center (SSC) consists of staff who are super-users
of the Phoenix System, who provide day-to-day operational support of the courts.
• The Phoenix Center of Excellence (COE) consists of staff who are proficient in
functional configuration, ABAP, UI5, and other related development, Basis, and
who provide analytical, configuration, and technical support of the Phoenix
System.
See Attachment 12 for program information, including current program organization;
deployment footprint; court employee and user counts; key system usage and support
metrics; and current environment and system support requirements, including brief
descriptions of main support organization processes and responsibilities.
1.3 SERVICES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
1.3.1 SHARED SERVICES CENTER
The Shared Services Center provides centralized administrative services to
the courts on the Phoenix System and promotes best practices and
operational consistency statewide. The SSC provides a diverse range of
financial and payroll operational services daily.
1.3.1.1
SSC Overview
The Shared Services Center is the central point of contact for courts
using the Phoenix System. It provides the production of a
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RFP Title: Phoenix SAP System Integration Support
RFP Number: RFP-TCAS-2026-202-RB
standardized set of monthly, quarterly, and annual financial
statements that comply with existing statutes, rules, and regulations.
1.3.1.2
SSC Services and Responsibilities
Financial Services provided include:
General Ledger management, reconciliation, and reporting.
A centralized treasury, including bank account management and
investments.
Trust Accounting, which consists of money collected and held in
trust on individual cases by the trial courts.
Procurement and Contract services, including supporting all the
courts in using the system, and smaller courts in the entire
procurement process.
Accounts Payable which includes vendor, employee, and jury
payments.
Financial management, reconciliation, and reporting of payroll data
for trial courts using a third-party payroll provider.
HR Payroll Services provided include:
Personnel Administration, which includes data entry required to
record employee hiring and separation activities, classification and
pay, and organization management.
Benefits, which include the proper deduction and payments, such as
health, dental, vision, etc.
Time Management, which includes the proper recording of time and
leave based on an individual’s work schedule, representation status,
etc.
Payroll, which includes the processing of time records against pay
and benefit records to produce employee payments, vendor
payments, and updating accounting records.
Payroll reconciliation, which includes validating the accounting
records against the payroll records to ensure payments have been
properly collected, disbursed, and accounted.
Employee Services and Manager Services, which include access to
self-service options, such as timesheets for entry and verification,
benefit information, contact information, etc.
1.3.1.3
SSC Goals
Ensure uniformity of financial records.
Provide consistency of accounting and financial data.
Produce trial court monthly, quarterly, and annual financial
statements.
Ensure compliance with existing statutes, rules, and regulations.
Monitor process compliance with service level agreements.
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RFP Title: Phoenix SAP System Integration Support
RFP Number: RFP-TCAS-2026-202-RB
Provide timely and efficient service to all courts utilizing all Phoenix
System services.
1.3.1.4
SSC Organization
The Shared Services Center is comprised of seven Phoenix Financial and
HR Payroll Services units:
• Treasury
• Trust Accounting
• Phoenix Purchasing Support
• General Ledger and Reports
• Accounts Payable
• Payroll Financial Services
• Payroll Services
The Phoenix Shared Services Center is housed in the Sacramento and San
Francisco offices of the Judicial Council. Staff participate in both flexible
work schedules and hybrid telecommute programs.
1.3.2 CENTER OF EXCELLENCE
The Center of Excellence (COE) is responsible for the systematic deployment,
maintenance, and operation of the Phoenix System to the trial courts. Phoenix
Financial Services are provided to all California trial courts. Phoenix HR Payroll
Services are provided to twenty (20) California trial courts – further deployment
efforts are contingent upon additional COE and SSC resources.
1.3.2.1
COE Overview
The COE performs complex studies of accounting and human
resources/payroll processes, business procedures, and court administrative
operations. It also assists in formulation of new or revised policies and/or
procedures to meet court administrative and business operation’s needs and
implements automated processes where possible. The COE also provides
more technical services to the Phoenix Program in partnership with a
dedicated unit of the Judicial Council Information Technology office, with
the support of other third-party managed services and Microsoft Azure
cloud services.
1.3.2.2
COE Services and Responsibilities
Continually direct project teams of Judicial Council and court
representatives in the development of new and revised Financial Services
and HR Payroll Services processes and configuration for continuous
improvement.
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RFP Title: Phoenix SAP System Integration Support
RFP Number: RFP-TCAS-2026-202-RB
Provide the required Project Management services for all efforts,
whether they are formal projects or normal maintenance or
enhancement requests, to ensure the most efficient use of resources
and compliance with industry, program, and judicial branch
enterprise and security standards.
Develop and modify reports for Financial Services and HR Payroll
Services activities specific to court operations and budgeting.
Prepare reports with recommendations based on studies and surveys
to improve or change accounting and HR Payroll Services policies,
processes, and procedures.
Continually manage the work of contracted system support
consultants involved in support of the Phoenix System on behalf of
the courts.
Design and build reports to satisfy requests from third parties
including California Legislature, California State Auditor, the
Judicial Council, and other branch entities.
Provide day-to-day user support and break-fix services.
Develop requested enhancements; implement system patches and
upgrades for hardware as well as software.
Develop and provide daily monitoring of system tools and interfaces
to support court administration. This includes implementation of
program administered tools, as well as interfaces with court systems
and their third-party service providers for financial, payroll, and
benefit administration, etc.
Provide ongoing Maintenance and Operations services (M&O
Support) to the Phoenix Program, ensuring that systems are
operating on the most current vendor-required system and
maintenance support levels.
Provide continuous improvement related to system change requests
that support ever-evolving priorities of the trial courts and
technological advances in the SAP solutions and beyond.
1.3.2.3
COE Goals
Design, develop, enhance, and maintain a quality integrated system
of financial and payroll processes within the Phoenix System.
Continually improve Judicial Council staff knowledge, skills, and
abilities, as well as review processes and configuration, to reduce
the cost of delivering integrated finance and payroll services for the
trial courts.
Ensure project artifacts and skills of functional resources are
maintained to properly assist in supporting Phoenix for all projects
and development workstreams utilizing the integrator’s resources.
Provide timely responses to all system incidents, and enhancement
requests.
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This is the opportunity summary page. It provides an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation.
