Client: Port of Houston Authority of Harris County, TX
Industry: Maritime
Location: Houston, Texas
Number of Locations: 3
Number of Employees: 600
System Implemented: Caseware
Government Reporting, Customization and Implementation by Gail Gray, CPA, and her Technology Team

The Port of Houston Authority (The Port) lies along the 52-mile-long Houston Ship Channel. It is the busiest port in the United States in terms of foreign tonnage, and houses the world’s second largest petro-chemical complex. The Port is an economic engine that produces jobs and economic prosperity for the local and state economy. The Port employs nearly 600 people and is responsible for an operating budget of over $200 million.

For years, The Port produced its Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) in a painstaking fashion, accumulating spreadsheets and text documents and incorporating the input of many individuals. This manual approach presented a number of difficulties. Maxine Buckles, Corporate Controller explains…

“With so many of us accessing and inputting the information, it was often difficult to know which version was the latest, where on the server it was stored, or what the file was named. Plus, all the supporting documents were not available to us in one place. The whole process was very time consuming and at times frustrating for all involved.”
Another obstacle to the final production of the ACFR were post-audit adjustments. “We would make a change to our spreadsheet and then had to endure that all the interrelated schedules and footnotes were updated as well. It was an onerous process. Simple adjustments could take many hours to complete and verify.”

The Port researched available software solutions, and ultimately selected Caseware. Knowing that it wanted professional support and guidance during the implementation, The Port engaged Gail Gray and her Technology Team, Caseware Certified Trainers and Consultants.
Gray’s team includes programmers, accountants, and financial reporting experts. Gail Gray, our firm’s principal, was a government auditor for years, and participated in the design of the Caseware GASB Template. That level of experience and expertise appealed to The Port.
“Gail and her team made all the difference,” says Buckles. “We could not have done this without them. Not only do they have significant and relevant knowledge about governmental accounting, but they are product experts with a professional and methodical approach to project management.”

Our Implementation methodology is unique in the industry. The company charges a fixed-fee that covers all of their services, including the replication of the last published CAFR report into a template and assistance in rolling it forward to the subsequent year’s reports.

Even the inevitable changes and adjustments that occur during a software implementation are included as part of the contract. This no-risk approach ensures clients like The Port are able to accurately budget their implementation costs.

“They have perfected their methodology,” says Buckles. “Ours is a large and complex installation, yet Gray & Associates handled it efficiently. They built all of the tables and the notes were prebuilt. Going forward we just need to update them. They even set up the table of contents for us, properly formatted and automatically updated.”

Gail Gray and her Technology Teams’ experience with a wide variety of governmental accounting systems gives them an edge during this process. “They continually made best-practice recommendations and suggestions that sped the process of bringing our data over,” says Buckles. “They really felt like part of our team, working with and for us.”

While most of the implementation was accomplished remotely, Gail’s team came on-site at The Port’s offices for two full days of training. “They worked with us until our ACFR was complete and published and are working with us to ensure that next year’s reporting structure is in place and ready for use,” Buckles says.
As part of the implementation contract, Gray;s team offers unlimited technical support with a rapid response time. “Their staff was always available to us – by phone or through a GoToMeeting Session,” Buckles says. “Our questions and concerns were addressed quickly and professionally every time. Even when unexpected technical glitches occurred, Gail and her team worked with Caseware and us to satisfactorily resolve the issue.”

The Port of Houston is pleased with its new financial reporting solution and with its partnership with Gail and the Technology Team. “Caseware takes away many of the clerical and administrative chores involved in producing our ACFR, which leaves us all more time to focus on the accuracy, completeness, and impact of the numbers,” concludes Buckles. “Our partnership with them was a smart decision. Their service was a major factor in the success of this project.”