Memo
Date:
To:
From:
Subject:
November 12, 2013
RPR Partners Governance Committee
Mehmet Ugur, Co-founder
James Eunsong Um, Co-founder
Philip Scott, Co-founder
Um, Ugur, Scott and Associates
Recommendation Report for Online Tax Research Library Renewal for RPR
Partners, LLP
Attached is the report for our study, “Establishing Baseline Requirements for Online Tax
Research Library Renewal for RPR Partners, LLP: A Recommendation Report.” We
completed the tasks described in our proposal of October 1, 2013. RPR Partners Governance
Committee approved our proposal to start the research.
To perform this research, we familiarized ourselves with the basic of the current online tax
research library which is used in RPR Partners. Then, we conducted a conference call with
RPR Partners, LLP Governance Committee to discuss the potential transition difficulties and
devised survey questionnaire to distribute to appropriate employees of RPR Partners.
We found that the Governance Committee was very receptive to this study. Finding out most
optimal solution in terms of which route to take when the contract expires, in terms of how it
will affect productivity and cost efficiency is very useful for the company. The majority that
replied to our questionnaire had no significant quarrel with the current online tax research
library. They were very pleased on the services it provided and the ease of transition from
one device to another.
On the basis of these findings, we recommend that RPR Partners proceed with its feasibility
study of the costs and benefits of upgrading the current Online Tax Research Library
provided by Thomson Reuters.
We appreciate the trust you have shown in inviting us to participate in the initial stage of the
feasibility study, and we look forwards to working with you on other portions of the study. If
you have any questions or comments, please contact James E. Um at umeunsong@gmail.com
or at (949) 394-8865.
Establishing Baseline Requirements for Online Tax Research Library
Renewal for RPR Partners, LLP: A Recommendation Report
Prepared for: RPR Partners, LLP Governance Committee
Prepared by: Mehmet Ugur, Co-founder
James Eunsong Um, Co-founder
Philip Scott, Co-founder
Um, Ugur, Scott and Associates
November 12, 2013
Abstract
“Establishing Baseline Requirements for Online Tax Research Library
Renewal for RPR Partners, LLP: A Recommendation Report”
Prepared by: Mehmet Ugur, Co-founder
James Eunsong Um, Co-founder
Philip Scott, Co-founder
Um, Ugur, Scott and Associates
RPR Partners contacted Um, Ugur, Scott and Associates to advise the company to choose an
online tax library subscription which can best fit the company’s growing needs. And, On October
1, 2013, RPR Partners Governance Committee authorized us to perform a review and
comparison study on the minimum requirements for new online tax research library for the
company. Currently, the company uses online tax research library provided by Thomson Reuters
called Checkpoint. As the contract ends it has the option to upgrade, or find a new provider. To
perform this research we familiarized ourselves with RPR Partners current tax research library
by getting hands on impression of the website. Then we performed this research through
investigating a conference call with RPR Partners, LLP Governance Committee to discuss the
potential transition difficulties, and created and distributed a survey to RPR Partners. We found
that the Governance Committee was very receptive to this study. Finding out most optimal
solution in terms of which route to take when the contract expires, in terms of how it will affect
productivity and cost efficiency is very useful for the company. The majority that replied to our
questionnaire had no significant quarrel with the current online tax research library. They were
very pleased on the services it provided and the ease of transition from one device to another.
When comparing it with Checkpoint’s biggest competitor IntelliConnect, the third party support
and help options place it above IntelliConnect as the premier online tax research library.
Keywords: online tax library, employee attitude
ii
Table of Contents
Executive Summary……………………………………………………………………………...1
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………2
Research Methods………………………………………………………………………..............4
Task 1: Acquire a basic understanding of the company’s current online tax
Research library…………………………………………………………………. ……4
Task 2: Research employees’ attitude towards the online tax research library………..............4
Task 3: Research the potential online tax research library providers and products………..….5
Task 4: Research Potential transition difficulties associated with the new online tax
research library……...………………………………………………….……………. .6
Task 5: Analyze our data and prepare the recommendation report……………………………6
Results…………………………………………………………………………………………….7
Task 1: Acquire a basic understanding of the company’s current online tax
research library…..……………………………………………….……………………7
Task 2: Research employees’ attitude…………………………………………………..............7
Task 3: Research the potential online tax research library providers and
products………………………………………………………………………………...8
Task 4: Research potential transition difficulties associated with the new online tax
research library ………………………...……………………………………………..11
Conclusions……………………………………………………………………………………...13
Basic understanding of the current online tax research library………………………………...13
Employees’ attitudes…………………………………………………………………………...13
Potential provider and products…………………………………………………………...……14
Potential transition difficulties………………………………………………………………....15
Recommendation………………………………………………………………………….........16
References……………………………………………………………………………………….17
Appendix A: List of current online tax library…………….…………………………………18
Appendix B: Survey Questionnaire……………………………………………………………19
Appendix C: Quotes from providers…………………………………………………………..21
iii
１
Executive Summary
RPR Partners contacted Um, Ugur, Scott and Associates to advise the company to choose an
online tax library subscription which can best fit the company’s growing needs.
Currently, RPR Partners is using the Checkpoint Online Tax Research library provided by
Thomson Reuters. However, the company’s current subscription is due to expire on November
30, 2013. The company’s overall total cost for the services purchased either through multi-year
contract or on an annual basis for fiscal 2012 starting December 2012 ending November 30,
2013 was $19,317.
To perform this research, we familiarized ourselves with the basic of the current online tax
research library which is used in RPR Partners. Then, we conducted a conference call with RPR
Partners, LLP Governance Committee to discuss the potential transition difficulties and devised
survey questionnaire to distribute to the appropriate employees of RPR Partners.
We found that the Governance Committee was very receptive to this study. Finding out most
optimal solution in terms of which route to take when the contract expires, in terms of how it will
affect productivity and cost efficiency is very useful for the company. The majority that replied
to our questionnaire had no significant quarrel with the current online tax research library. They
were very pleased on the services it provided and the ease of transition from one device to
another.
On the basis of these conclusions, we recommend that RPR Partners proceed with its feasibility
study of the costs and benefits of upgrading the current online tax research library provided by
Thomson Reuters.
２
Introduction
On October 1, 2013, The Governance Committee approved our proposal to perform research and
present our recommendation on whether the company should stay with its current provider or
switch to a different one and, if so, how the employees’ attitudes towards current online tax
research library and the company’s budgetary limitations would affect the direction of the
feasibility study. This report provides the finding of our project and the recommendations for
RPR Partners request.
Currently, the company uses online tax research library provided by Thomson Reuters with a
cost of $19,317. This online tax research library subscription includes multiple services such as
Checkpoint Premier Tax Library, WGL Tax Treatises/Journals, and other additional add-on
services. Our main focus is on the Checkpoint Premier Tax Library. Please refer to Appendix A
for the full list of services the company currently subscribes to as part of its online tax research
library. Moreover, the company’s current subscription is due to expire on November 30, 2013.
These services are available to the company’s employees to utilize as part of compliance and
consulting researches. They can be reached through various platforms. On the basis of change in
company’s needs and expectations, the governance committee believes exploring potential
alternatives could better serve the company’s goal to have an online tax research library which
can better meet the company’s expectations and goals. Furthermore, Mr. Chairman explained
that the compatibility of the new online tax research library with other programs such as MS
Office and Adobe and its user friendliness are major decision factors in addition to the library’s
comprehensiveness.
With the requirements from the company, we conducted our research to answer the following
three questions.
1. Would the new online tax research library lead to adaptation problems and what could the
service provider do to mitigate the problems associated with the transition?
2. Would the cost for the new online tax research library be in the budgeted parameters?
3. Would the new online tax research library provider meet the company’s expectation for
customer service quality?
To perform this research, we familiarized ourselves with the basic of the current online tax
research library which is used by RPR Partners. Then, we conducted a conference call with RPR
Partners, LLP Governance Committee to discuss the potential transition difficulties and devised
survey questionnaire to distribute to the company’s employees.
３
The majority that replied to our questionnaire had no significant quarrel with the current online
tax research library. They were very pleased on the services it provided and the ease of transition
from one device to another. We found many similarities with Thomson Reuters Checkpoint and
its rival CCH IntelliConnect. Transition difficulties meant we would need to hire a specialist to
teach the company the ins and outs of the new system. Furthermore, they include the time needed
to be spent to train the employees on how to use the new system. We took all our information
into consideration but in the end we leaned towards Thomson Reuters.
In the following sections, we provide additional details about our research methods, the results
we obtained, the conclusions we draw from those results, and our recommendation.
４
Research Methods
To acquire the information requested by RPR Partners Governance Committee, we broke the
project into five tasks:
1. Acquire a basic understanding of the company’s current online tax research library
2. Research employees’ attitude towards the online tax research library
3. Research the potential online tax research library providers and products
4. Potential transition difficulties associated with the new online tax research library
5. Analyze our data and prepare the recommendation report
In the following discussion of how we performed each task, we explain the reasoning that guided
our research.
Task 1: Acquire a basic understanding of the company’s current online tax research library
We first researched online for the information to guide us in the project. It started with a
general understanding of an online tax research library. We then took that further and
went to the Thomson Reuters website to find out what they were all about, in terms of
their mission and what they want to provide to customers. In our approach, we then
decided to get hands on experience with the website. Logging in through the user account
provided by RPR Partners we were able to understand how Checkpoint works and
operates. We also went further to research what others were saying about what
Checkpoint had to offer. We also took to search into the compatibility issues of the
current system.
Task 2: Research employees’ attitude towards the online tax research library
In performing task two, we sought to answer the following question, “Would the online
tax research library meet the company’s goals towards having a well-informed work
force?” Although, our review of the company’s current online tax research library scored
very high remarks on the system, we wanted to further extend our understanding of the
system by creating a questionnaire to distribute to RPR Partners’ employees to assess
their attitude towards the online tax research library. This way we could get hands on
impression from the workers who use it every day in their work lives. We created an
eight question survey for this purpose (Appendix B). We field tested the questionnaire
and obtained the information we needed from the survey and incorporated it into our
research and this report. Table 1 shows the questions we posted, as well as the rationale
for each question:
５
Table 1: Questions About the Employees’ Attitude Towards the Online Tax
Research Library
Question
1. The current online tax research
library user friendly?
2. Using natural language while
performing a research?
3. Using the online research library
through smart phone or tablet?
4. Accessing the online research library
simultaneously through multiple
devices?
5. Transitioning to an entirely new
database is good?
6. Favourite feature about the current
online tax research library?
7. Worst feature of the company’s
current online tax research library?
8. What features you would like to see
as part of the company’s online tax
research library?
Rationale
To understand the company’s employees’
thoughts toward the easiness of the current
online tax research library.
To understand the employees’ preference
to use natural language when performing
researches.
To understand the employees’ desire and
willingness to access to the library through
mobile devices.
To understand the employees’ necessity to
transfer their current research to other
devices and let them to continue their
research where they left off.
To understand the employees tendency and
willingness to switch to a new provider and
to a new system if needed.
To understand the features employees
would like to see in the new online tax
research library and to address and
incorporate it into our evaluation of the
potential systems.
To understand the features employees find
unnecessary in current online tax research
library and to address and incorporate it
into our evaluation of the potential
systems.
To understand the additional features
employees would like to see in the new
online tax research library and to address
and incorporate it into our evaluation of the
potential systems.
Task 3: Research the potential online tax research library providers and products
In performing task three, we sought to answer the following questions: “Would the cost
for the new online tax research library be in the budgeted parameters?” “Would the new
online tax research library provider be able to meet the company’s expectations including
but not limited to the required and additional desired features?” We researched a list of
other online providers. We had then expanded our research based on the input we
received from the eight question survey and our discussions with the governance
committee. Based on employees’ attitudes towards the company’s current online tax
６
research library and their expectations from the new library, we concentrated our research
on providers that can meet the company’s and its employees’ expectations within the
expected budget. We found there are two possible providers: Thomson Reuters (the
current provider) and CCH (potential new provider). We sought to inquire upon the
Client Service Managers for Thomson Reuters RIA Checkpoint and CCH IntellConnect
to find out what areas each system can outperform the other. We also requested quotes
from each provider (Appendix C) to further assess them against the company’s budget.
Task 4: Potential transition difficulties associated with the new online tax research library.
In performing task four, we sought to answer the following question: “Would the new
online tax research library lead to adaptation problems and what could the service
provider do to mitigate the problems associated with the transition?” To find the answer
to the question, we conducted a conference call on October 22 with RPR Partners’
Governance Committee to explain our project and to further discuss the potential
drawback the company could face as part of the transitioning.
Task 5: Analyze our data and prepare the recommendation report.
We gathered and analyzed the quotes from the providers, survey results, and the
conference call results to draft this recommendation report that explains the questions we
sought to answer: our research methods, our findings, and our recommendations.
７
Results
In this section, we present the results of our research. For each of the task we carried out, we
present the most important data we acquired.
Task 1: Acquire a basic understanding of the company’s current online tax research library
Thomson Reuters is an international, billion dollar-corporation based in New York City,
founded in 2008, is a tax information and accounting firm that provides its services to
companies housing over 100 countries. Thomson Reuters is the company’s current online
tax research library provider. The Checkpoint Online Tax Research library is their top
online research database.
Checkpoint’s online research library upon logging in features a top menu bar that
includes, Home, Search, Table of Contents, News, Tools, and Learning, all of which can
be accessed in the “Options” menu. In terms of the content, Thomson Reuters provides
access to business analysis of federal, state and international tax and accounting issues,
including tax tables, graphs, and charts, along with court cases, tax rates, and the latest
news. Users have the option to access all of this content via the mobile site. The mobile
version upon logging in on a mobile device, such as a tablet or a phone takes you
automatically to the mobile site, accessing the content as quickly as a computer would
without all the “fluff.” Users on a mobile site have the option to switch to the full site, as
indicated in the top right hand corner.
RPR Partners has housed the Checkpoint Online Tax Research library for three years and
is nearing the end of its subscription. Features that set this online tax research library
above its competitors include the following. The benefits of this system include userspecific customization, and a comprehensive search function. The search function can
receive content from third party research providers. Users also have access to their
session history as a benefit as well.
Checkpoint also allows users to export and e-mail documents in various formats
including PDF, Word, HTML, RSV, and RTF. Charts can be included in these formats as
well as in Excel.
Task 2: Research employees’ attitudes towards the online tax research library
We distributed survey questionnaire to the 50 employees who are working at RPR
Partners, LLP. Of that number, 40 responded. Figure 1 shows the responses to the first
five questions and Table 1 shows the responses to the last three questions (each bar of the
graph is the number of the responded person):
Q1. The current online tax research library is user friendly?
Q2. Using natural language is necessary while performing a research?
Q3. Using the online research library through smart phone or table is necessary?
８
Q4. Accessing the online research library simultaneously through multiple
devices is necessary?
Q5. Transitioning to an entirely new database is good?
25
20
Strongly Disagree
15
Disagree
Neutral
10
Agree
Strongly Agree
5
0
Question #1
Question #2
Question #3
Question #4
Question #5
Figure 1.Employees’ attitudes towards the online tax research library
Question
Q6. Favorite feature about the
current online tax research
library?
Q7. Worst feature of the current
online tax research library?
Q8. Features would be seen about the
company’s online tax research
library?
Answer




Being used in various device:24 responded
Being exported to PDF and MS Word
:23 responded
Fluctuation in the number of the hits with the
change in search wording: 29 responded
Having consistence in the number of the hits
regardless of the slight changes in search
wording: 29 responded
Table 1.Employee’s attitudes towards the online tax research library
Appendix B, page 19, presents the raw data that are summarized in Figure 1 and Table 1.
Task 3: Research the potential online tax research library providers and products
We have completed our research to determine the potential online tax research library
providers which can meet the company’s expectations within the company’s budgetary
limits. Based on our research, we think Thomson Reuters and CCH are the two providers
９
which can serve the company’s needs and expectations. Below is our analysis of these
providers. They both best fit to tax and accounting professionals looking for a consistent
tax and accounting research solution.

Provider 1: Thomson Reuters
Thomson Reuters is the company’s current online tax research library provider. The
Checkpoint Online Tax Research library is their top online research database. It
supports multiuser simultaneously and can be used in different platforms such as iPad
and android devices. This online tax research library features a complete research
center, complete with customization, comprehensive search capabilities and content
from third-party research providers. Recent enhancements and new features include
mobile versions of the Checkpoint website for tablets and smartphones, a new way to
search charts, an enhanced Notes feature and customizable print options. In addition,
it includes an auto complete feature which can expedite the time spent on typing the
question and also can help the person to realize the related issues. However, slight
divergence in the key word could significantly affect the research results which can
be burdensome to new or infrequent users as supported based on our survey. Please
refer to Appendix B for our survey report and for further discussions on our findings.
Moreover, the system enables the user to use the library through different devices.
The used does not have to terminate the current session in order to start a new session
in a different device. The system automatically logs out the user and logs in him/her
back and enables the user to continue its research from the point it was last reached.
Moreover, Thomson Reuters Checkpoint integrates with other products and several
export options. Documents can be exported or emailed in PDF, Word, HTML and
RTF formats, while charts may be exported in the same formats, as well as Excel and
CSV formats. This feature is frequently used and opted by the company’s employees.
The last but not the least important feature which is worth mentioning is the help and
support feature of the Thomson Reuters Checkpoint. The system offers links to online
support, a user guide and training from the solution’s Help menu. Email and phone
support are available as well. In addition, a blue and white question mark appears
beside many features, displaying descriptions and help topics relevant to the specific
feature. This feature is very detailed and is much more useful than a simple FAQ
section, and it helps set Checkpoint above and beyond its competitors. Updates of
primary source and editorial content occur nightly.
Please note we have contacted the Thomson Reuters Checkpoint sales department and
requested a proposed quote. Please refer to Appendix C for the provided by Thomson
Reuters.
１０

Provider 2: CCH(Commerce Clearing House)
CCH is Thomson Reuters’ top competitor and also one of the leading providers in the
industry. CCH IntelliConnect is their premier product available for CPA firms which
require extensive tax research. IntelliConnect supports multi-users and can be used in
various platforms including iPad and android devices.
When users first log on the site, they are able to browse on the left while tax
highlights are displayed on the right hand side. As users search, either through the
Browse option or the keyword search, the preview panel displays the information.
Users are then able to customize what is shown when they log in and adjust the sizes
of the windowpanes. At the top of the screen quick links are available for users to
quickly access documents in their document tray, their history, searches they save,
practice areas, help and preferences. On the screen’s left hand side, users can switch
easily between the Browse, Research Folders, Tracker News, Citations, Smart Charts,
Tools, Forms and IRS FAQs.
One area that features improvements on Checkpoint’s system is in its customization.
Users can customize IntelliConnect to their individual IDs, allowing them to choose
which practice areas are shown, the content shown when users login and how search
results are displayed. Content excerpts are shown in search results. In addition, users
can choose which news topics they prefer to receive and a program called Tracker
News will deliver the content directly to the users e-mail. E-mail format can be
specified by the users and additional customization options. Other preferences users
can set include whether graphics display in-line or in a new window, information
buttons, the way in which multiple documents are printed as well as whether the URL
appears on printed documents.
A wide variety of search options allow users to research topics that in whatever way
they find easier and most preferred by them. Users can even create research folders
allowing them to filter their content into documents based on their findings. These
research tools include the Internal Revenue Code, U.S. Master Tax Guide and the Tax
Prep Partner Series. IntelliConnect exports contents in text, Word and PDF formats,
as well as allowing for copy and paste functions to other programs. Users can also
email documents directly from the platform to others.
Any grey areas include the help and support options. IntelliConnect’s Help option
brings up a traditional help menu that covers a variety of topics for navigating
through the program, as well as a list of FAQs. It also lists contact information for
contacting CCH. The home page also lists links for phone, internet and email support,
as well as links to training classes. As mentioned earlier Checkpoint’s help and
support features are much more useful while CCH is more or less basic options.
Checkpoint features question marks that when clicked on display detailed information
１１
on the sections which is much more helpful than what CCH has to offer. Checkpoint
also offers support from third party search providers while in IntelliConnect this
feature is limited.
IntelliConnect is updated automatically and requires no installations or updates on the
user’s end. The home page also lists a link to download the CCH Mobile app.
We have included the quotes we have received from each provider for Governance
Committee’s further evaluation (Appendix C).
Task 4: Potential transition difficulties associated with the new online tax research library.
We conducted a conference call on October 22 with RPR Partners’ Governance
Committee to explain our project and to further discuss the potential drawback the
company can face as part of the transitioning.
In the conference call, we discussed the project, transition difficulties, and further
setbacks this would cause. Among the things we discovered during the conference were
that the company productivity would slow for the first few months during the adjustment
period. Everyone would need to learn and get a feel for how an entirely new system
would operate. Older workers would have a harder time adjusting than the newer
employees, as they have been comfortable with a system for three years now, and have
learned everything there is to know about the current system.
We also briefly discussed the idea of an expert on the system coming in during scheduled
sessions, lasting a two days long to train the company’s employees on how to operate the
new system. Assuming the company buys a subscription with an entirely new provider
such as CCH IntelliConnect, this would be the most efficient option. Sessions would last
four hours over a two day period explaining everything they need to learn and differences
found in this new website. Adaptation problems are virtually unavoidable in any shift
such as this in any company.
We further extended our analysis to a hypothetical situation where RPR Partners decides
to switch to a CCH IntelliConnect. Below are our findings regarding the difficulties
associated with transitioning to a new provider.
Assuming RPR Partners buys a subscription with an entirely new provider such as
IntelliConnect, it would face with potential transitioning difficulties. RPR Partners would
need to hire an expert to train its employees on CCH IntelliConnect. The expert can be
provided by CCH with an additional cost of $400 an hour. We also estimated that RPR
Partners should account for the employee cost associated with time spent on these
trainings. We estimated this cost to range from $270 to $330 an hour on average.
Furthermore, the company would experience reduction in productivity for a period of
time. This is a form of overhead cost translates into loss in revenue. We have estimated
１２
an additional cost of $5,000 in the form of reduction in revenue and increase in employee
cost.
Based on our above analysis on hypothetical situation, we suggest RPR Partners to
continue with its current provider, Thomson Reuters.
１３
Conclusions
In this section, we present our conclusions based on the questions that we sought to answer.
Basic understanding of the company’s current online tax research library
We were able to log in and discover an online tax research library for ourselves as an
efficient way of understanding how it works. We learned that Checkpoint is used by
thousands of professionals daily to assist them with audits and corporate finance to generate
complex information into an easy to read format. The search tools and menu bar are user
friendly and simple to pick up and understand. A browsing history is effective and useful to
remember your work. This is necessary because there can sometimes be a wide range of
results based on the words entered as the database houses a large amount of articles. Having
a search history to find a specific article is crucial we felt this was a positive feature. It’s easy
to find tax and accounting issues, along with the scholarly articles that will pop up, the user
can also find charts and graphs to display numerical values that are presented in a simple
format. Additional features we liked were how daily news about what the industries are
updated daily and presented to the users in an email format. Tax software is integrated with
links. We found that employees are very comfortable with the Checkpoint system they are
currently using. Its format is simple enough. It may not be the easiest system to get
accustomed to, but its features speak volumes for the content they provide.
Employees’ attitudes
When we constructed our questionnaire we sought to obtain a deep understanding of how
people in the company that use the database as a crucial element to do the work, and the
research they need really feel about what they are using.
To our surprise we found that people gave mostly positive feedback to Checkpoint and
expressed widespread interest in the product. The most positive responses, as documented in
Appendix B, came from the use of multiple devices and easily exporting the device. These
two areas held a nearly 80% approval rating. The accessibility with MS Word and PDF was
given high remarks in particular as these are common formats people generally use. To our
surprise the employees didn’t find the device as user friendly as some of the reviews we
found did. Some of the complaints addressed that the information has to be almost “too
specific” to find what it is you are looking for. Although many of the employees that said this
in turn gave positive remarks on how large the research in the database can be. This in turn
relates to how natural your language could be on the search engine. This part of the survey
held responses that were across the board. It could likely relate to your definition of “natural
language.” Personally we are pleased with the responses. There was no strong negative
feedback in any department.
１４
Potential online tax research library providers and products
Our research narrowed our results to the two best products who are in turn each other biggest
competitors; Checkpoint, and IntelliConnect. We researched IntelliConnect and from our
reviews it appears that Checkpoint generally scores better in a lot of crucial areas. The CCH
IntelliConnect uses third party support team whereas Checkpoint provides in house customer
service and support which can be accessed either through phone or email. Both providers
provide Help features which contain a lot of useful information for each page on what the
user may have a problem with. Based on our research and reviews we have reviewed
regarding the quality of these services, we have concluded the Thomson Reuters provide a
better customer support. It relays the message that they are here to help and support the
customers using their product and there is no better guarantee than that. IntelliConnect is
more advanced and unique in the customization of the homepage but it doesn’t succeed in
many other areas that have already covered in Checkpoint’s system.
With respect to budget, the company’s cost for the current subscription is $19,317 for the
fiscal year ending November 30, 2013. Per the quote from Thomson Reuter RIA Checkpoint,
the net price for new upgraded subscription of the online tax research library will be $20,574
for the next fiscal year starting December 1, 2013. The proposed price is 6.5 % more than
that of the previous subscription. We believe the additional cost can be compensated by the
new features included in the Thomson Reuters’ proposed upgraded subscription. Moreover,
the proposed subscription will be in the company’s budget for new online tax research library.
Therefore, the company’s budget will not affect the direction of the feasibility study.
We have also reviewed the quote we have received from CCH IntelliConnect. The CCH
proposed to provide similar services for the cost of $17,139 for the same period which is
$3,435 less than the quote received from Thomson Reuters. Please note this cost does not
include the foreseen transition costs in the case of switching to a new provider. Upon
inclusion of these costs, we expect the real cost of CCH IntelliConnect to be in the range of
$24,000 to $26,000. This is beyond the company’s budget limits. Therefore, we suggest
RPR Partners to continue with its current provider.
Options
Criterion
3rd party Customer Support
In-house Customer Support
Help feature
Customization of homepage
Subscription Cost
Expected Transition Costs
Total Cost
Checkpoint
N/A
Provided
Available
Available
$20,574
$0
$20,574
IntelliConnect
Provided
N/A
Available
Available
$17,139
$7,000 - $9,000
$24,139 - $26,139
１５
Potential transition difficulties
It’s a tough decision to transition. If RPR Partners remain with RIA Checkpoint and just
upgrade to a more inclusive subscription upon the expiration of the current contract, the
transition would be much easier than going to a brand new provider and to a brand new
system. The cost and effort associated with the transition difficulties are troublesome. Thus,
it is a better option for a RPR Partners to continue with its current provider than to switch to
a new one.
１６
Recommendation
In our research, we sought to find the most optimal and adaptable online tax research library.
Based on our research, reviews and recommendations we have received, and discussions with
you; it has come to our conclusion that upgrading RPR Partners’ current Thomson Reuters
Checkpoint Premier Tax library to Thomson Reuters Checkpoint Premier Plus Tax library is the
company’s best option. This system scored the highest, it is already being used by the company,
and it is the most accessible. Every feature down to its in-house customer support, to how user
friendly the system is makes it the premier choice affecting our decision.
１７
References
Tax & accounting product awards. Retrieved September 23, 2013 from
http://store.tax.thomsonreuters.com/trta/Brand/RIA/c/3600?gclid=CMPm
_POk4LkCFQnhQgodQVAAQQ
Jenkins, T. (2012, November 26). 2012 review of tax research software. Retrieved September
22, 2012 from http://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/article/10824731/ever-changing-taxlaws-require-professional-research-solutions
Law Professor Blogs LLC. (2009, October 26). The witches brew that is wolters kluwer's
intelliconnect. Retrieved September 22, 2013 from http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/
law_librarian_blog/2009/10/the-witches-brew-that-is-intelliconnect.html
Phelan, S. (2011, November 03). 2011 review of bna, inc. — bna tax and accounting center.
Retrieved September 22, 2013 from http://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/article/
10446757/bna-inc-bna-tax-and-accounting-center
１８
Appendix A: List of Current Services Received as Part of RIA Checkpoint
Online Tax Research Library
Product Name
Services Purchased as part of Multi-Year Contract
Small & Medium CPA Firm Premier Tax Library
Additional Services (Add-Ons) (Puchased Annually)
PPC's Estate & Trust Library
RIA Citator 2nd
RIA Estate Planning Library with 20+ WG&L Treatises
WG&L Federal Income Tax of Real Estate, 6th Edition
RIA State & Local Complete Lite
RIA U.S. International Taxation for Individuals and Small Businesses Library
WG&L IRS Practice & Procedure, 2nd Edition
WG&L Real Estate Taxation
WG&L State Taxation of Pass-Through Entities and their Owners
PPC's Guide to Compilation & Review
PPC's Guide to Quality Control - Compilation and Review
PPC's Practice Aids-- Compilation & Review Engagements
PPC's Practice Aids-- Quality Control
１９
Appendix B: Questionnaire
This is the questionnaire we distributed to the 50 employees who are working at RPR
Partners, LLP. Of the 50, 40 responded. The number in the responses represents the
number of employees who selected each response.
Questionnaire on the Current and Potential Online Tax Research Library
Directions: As you may know, company’s online tax research library subscription is due
to expire at the end of this month, November 30th. Company intends to choose an online
tax library subscription which can best fit the company’s growing needs. We are asking
you to participate in this study because you are an experienced workforce of RPR Partners,
LLP. We greatly appreciate your answering the following eight questions.
1.
The current online tax research library user friendly?
Strongly disagree 9 15 12 3 1 Strongly agree
2.
Using natural language while performing a research?
Strongly disagree 9 8 9 10 4 Strongly agree
3.
Using the online research library through smart phone or tablet?
Strongly disagree 1 2 5 11 21 Strongly agree
4.
Accessing the online research library simultaneously through multiple devices?
Strongly disagree 1 2 7 12 18 Strongly agree
5.
Transitioning to an entirely new database is good?
Strongly disagree 7 8 13 7 5 Strongly agree
Please note the senior employees have stronger tendency to stay with the current
provider whereas less experienced employees presented more neutral position
towards transitioning to a new provider.
6.
Favorite feature about the current online tax research library?
Being able to use in various devices the top response with 24 responded. The
second most common response was the being able to export to PDF and MS Word
with 23 responses.
Please note some employees placed both features in their as their most favorite
features.
7.
Worst feature of the company’s current online tax research library?
The fluctuation in the number of the hits with the change in wording used to
perform the research is the top response with 29 responded.
２０
8.
What features you would like to see as part of the company’s online tax research
library?
Having consistence in the number of the hits regardless of the slight changes in
the ways to word the research is the top response with 29 responded.
２１
Appendix C: Thomson Reuters RIA Checkpoint & CCH IntelliConnect
Quotes
Quote #1: Thomson Reuters RIA Checkpoint Quote
２２
２３
Quote #2: CCH IntelliConnect Quote
IntelliConnect™ PRICE: $17,138.70 (You will save $3,435 by using CCH) See below…
Explanatory Material
US Master Tax Guide: provides accurate, legally sound guidance to help you understand, apply and
comply with today’s complex federal tax laws. (Current year plus archive of prior years)
Tax Research Consultant: provides answers with a practical, real-world focus on tax laws and the
important issues you face every day. This comprehensive resource is written by experienced CCH
editorial staff and over 250 leading tax practitioners to streamline your workflow and quickly guide you
to the answers to those tax research questions you need. Numerous examples, sample documents &
checklists are included to help you apply the tax law to each specific situation. Individual and business
planning is also included.
Standard Federal Tax Reporter: is the most comprehensive and current federal income tax law
authority in the industry, providing you with a complete and up-to-date picture of federal income tax
rules, organized in the way most logical to many practitioners — by Internal Revenue Code section.
Primary Sources & Archives
CCH's Primary Source Library with Code, Regs, Cases & Rulings
IRS Documents & IRS Publications
Archived Cases and Rulings
News and Current Awareness
Tax Legislation coverage with Law & Explanation Books, Summary & Client Letters
Tax Tracker News
Federal and State Newsletter
Federal and State Tax Daily News
Taxes - The TAX Magazine
Journal of Pass-through Entities
Corporate Business Monthly Taxation
Tools
Interactive Research Aids
Election and Compliance Statements
Toolkits (Client Letter, Depreciation, Tax Deduction, Calculators)
State Library:
All 50 State Tax Reporters for State & Local Taxes
State Smart Charts - customized charts for all states
Additional State Content and Tools
Zip Sales Lookup
State Tax Guide
Business Incentives Guide
State Tax Commentaries
MultiState Property Tax Guide
Multistate Sales Tax Guide
Multistate Corporate Income Tax Guide
Healy & Schadewals MultiState Corporate Tax Guide
MultiState Guide to Passthrough Entities
Journal of State Taxation
MultiState Guide to Pass-through Entities
２４
Additional Specialty Content
Accounting for Income Taxes
Partnership Tax Planning and Procedure
Forms
Federal and All-State IntelliForms™
CCH® Tax Prep Partner Series™: includes explanatory content pulled from our comprehensive tax
compliance library, unique practice materials and tools that provide step-by-step analysis of the tax
preparation process, for federal tax returns. These materials are designed to follow your tax preparation
workflow so that you save time and increase your productivity. Includes Excel* spreadsheets and
practices aids with various calculations plus Checklists. This includes the following tax entities: 1040,
1120, 1120S, 1065, 1041, 990, 5500, 706/709, Prac and Proc, Info Returns, International & Payroll
(Integrated with ProSystem…You can LINK directly from a Line-Item to the Deskbooks and then
with the Related Button…go DEEPER into your research…)
The CCH Expert Treatise Library: International Taxation: Corporate and Individual covers material
relating to outbound investments, inbound investments and tax treaties. Authored by Phillip Postlewaite,
this concise treatise discusses in detail the international tax consequences, from a United States
perspective, of transactions carried out by individuals, partnerships, and corporations, as well as those
occurring between partnerships and corporations and their owners.
International Taxation: Corporate and Individual…Deskbook for Quick Answers.
This tool not only gives you Quick answers…it also has Worksheets in Excel, Checklists in Word as
well as Election Statements in Word.
The Estate Planning Expert Library on IntelliConnect® is an exclusive estate planning research
resource written by experts, for experts. It’s a powerful trust and estate administration tool, a
combination of leading estate planning treatises, integrated with CCH’s expert analysis and primary
source material — plus useful practice tools, daily tax news, and coverage of current issues and trends.
Designed with your particular workflow in mind, the Estate Planning Expert Library will assist you in all
areas of your trust and estate administration practice — from client counseling, estate planning
research and planning, to drafting and compliance.
The library is organized into “modules,” including Estate Planning and Drafting, Charitable Planning,
Elder Law Planning and Trust and Estate Administration, which allow you to customize a sophisticated
library best suited to your individual practice needs.
Proposal: This library covers your main needs. However, the PPC guides which deal with auditing
will be best for you with your Auditing needs. I would suggest keeping them and the cost is only
$1,198.51