Of any departments in local government, the public works and street departments are unique. They provide a myriad of services, ranging from picking up the garbage to maintaining streets. They also have the largest concentration of equipment and capital assets, as well as the largest inventories of consumable inventories and repair parts.

Despite their diverse roles and significant need for management tools, these departments have typically been the last departments to automate operations and, according to this and other studies, usually lack essential computer resources to improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness.