Audit, Finance and Administration Committee splits 8-1 on Standardization of eLearning Authoring Software

The report set out to establish Articulate 360 software as the City of Hamilton’s standard eLearning authoring tool to improve efficiency, reduce cost, and ensure accessibility and consistency across the organization. Staff conducted extensive research into eLearning authoring tools, their use case, features, pricing models, and user experience, including a municipal scan of 17 municipalities, which found that 16 develop eLearning courses in house and 12 use Articulate 360 software.

The report noted that the City has a significant investment in internally developed learning, with nearly all of the 70+ eLearning courses built in Articulate 360 software, and that changing tools would require widespread redevelopment with significant cost, delays, and internal and external effort such as content re authoring, testing, and accessibility validation. Maintaining Articulate 360 software was presented as a way to leverage current staff skills and avoid enterprise wide upskilling on a new authoring suite, while alternatives such as SkyPrep and Absorb were described as Learning Management Systems that include an eLearning authoring tool but are not designed as dedicated eLearning authoring tools and do not fill a required need at the City of Hamilton.

The motion, as recorded in the minutes:

Standardization of eLearning Authoring Software (City Wide) (Kroetsch/Hwang) That Report HUR26010, dated September 3, 2026, respecting Standardization of eLearning Authoring Software (City Wide), be received and the following recommendations, be approved: (a) That Council approve the standardization and single sourced procurement, pursuant to Procurement Policy #14 – Standardization and Procurement Policy #11 – Non- competitive Procurement, for Articulate 360 software, until September 30, 2031 and that the Executive Director, Human Resources Division, or approved delegate, be authorized to negotiate, enter into and execute any required Contract and any ancillary documents required to give effect thereto with Articulate Global Inc., in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor and with content in a form satisfactory to the Director of Human Resources Systems and Operations; and (b) That staff be directed to report back prior to the end of the five- year term with an evaluation of outcomes and recommendations for renewal or modification of the standard, including market scan findings and any accessibility or legislative changes affecting eLearning delivery.

This item comes up about 1:00:45 into the meeting recording. The meeting stayed on it for about 33 minutes. The recording is the city’s own. Local Wire does not transcribe it or attribute remarks from it.

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