How Sacramento Utilities Gained Speed, Accuracy, and Visibility With Synario

The City of Sacramento Department of Utilities was managing long-range financial planning across multiple funds using a fragmented, traditional modeling approach. With 27 separate models, limited collaboration, and persistent version control issues, the team faced mounting inefficiencies that slowed analysis and increased risk.

By implementing Synario, Sacramento Utilities replaced its disconnected models with a centralized, scenario-driven platform, enabling real-time insights, faster decisions, and more confident long-term planning.

The Challenge: Too Many Files, Too Little Clarity

Before Synario, Sacramento Utilities’ financial planning process was highly fragmented.

The team managed approximately 27 separate models across three utility funds — water, wastewater, and storm drainage — using a legacy modeling system built in 2013. That system required manual data input and produced separate model versions for each fund, limiting collaboration and making consistency difficult to maintain.

Version control was a constant challenge. At any given time, the team might be working across six to nine versions of the same model with no clear way to identify the most current or reliable data. Meetings required printed copies, and when leadership raised questions, the team often couldn’t respond in the moment.

New scenarios had to be rebuilt from scratch, and follow-up sessions became the norm rather than the exception. Moving from question to confident answer could take days or sometimes weeks.

Heavy reliance on manual data entry made the process time-consuming and increased the risk of errors. Over time, confidence in the accuracy of outputs began to erode, introducing uncertainty into long-range capital planning and increasing risk at every level of decision-making.

As a public agency, Sacramento Utilities also faced a strict procurement process before adopting any new system. The team was required to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to formally select a new rate modeling platform. After completing that process, they received approval to begin implementing Synario in October 2020.

 

The Solution: A Single Source of Truth

To overcome these challenges, the City of Sacramento Department of Utilities implemented Synario to modernize its approach to financial modeling and long-range planning.

Centralized Platform

By consolidating all models into a centralized platform, the team eliminated version control issues and established a single source of truth. Users can now seamlessly navigate across all three utility funds without managing separate files, improving both efficiency and confidence in the data.

Streamlined Data Management

Synario also streamlined cash flow analysis by making it easier to upload, organize, and manage financial data. This enhanced visibility into revenues, expenses, and budgets while reducing reliance on manual processes.

The platform’s ability to match uploaded data with set object codes enabled the team to view a 10-year financial summary that could be adjusted dynamically to reflect real-time events.

Real-Time Scenario Modeling

With built-in scenario modeling, the team can evaluate initiatives and test financial assumptions in real time. During meetings, they can make updates on the fly and immediately see the impact on projections, removing the need for follow-up analysis.

Synario further improved the process by providing greater visibility into active projects, including projected costs, contributions, and one-time or ongoing financial impacts.

Additional capabilities, including the “Explain” feature for deeper data visualization, budget cap analysis, and long-term forecasting, enable more effective evaluation of capital projects and funding strategies.

Rapid Implementation

Implementation was completed in approximately six weeks, from retiring the 2013 legacy system to fully engaging with Synario. The transition was managed with the support of Synario’s onboarding and training team, who worked with Sacramento Utilities every step of the way and archived key training videos for future reference.

“In my 28 years working in government and implementing software systems, this was the smoothest implementation in my entire career.” – Dean Fujimoto, Long-Range Planning Manager, City of Sacramento Department of Utilities

 

The Results: Faster Answers, Better Decisions

Synario enhanced Sacramento Utilities’ ability to manage long-term financial strategy by improving visibility into key financial data across all utility funds. The platform enables the team to:

• Analyze revenues, expenses, and budget trends over time
• Model capital investments across water, wastewater, and storm drainage funds
• Adjust projections dynamically based on real-time inputs
• Leverage toggle-ready visualizations and rate increase scenarios to support rate management decisions
• Support long-term water utility financial planning with 10-year summaries and initiative tracking

This improved visibility enables more informed decision-making and strengthens overall financial strategy, helping the team demonstrate clear needs and project solid forecasts in a clear, concise way to decision-makers.

Sacramento Utilities also experienced the following measurable improvements after implementing Synario:

• Elimination of Version-Control Issues: Consolidating 27 separate models into one platform created a single source of truth, ensuring all stakeholders work from accurate, up-to-date information.
• Streamlined Cash Flow Analysis: With 10-year financial summaries and real-time updates, the team gained clear visibility into revenues, expenses, and long-term projections across all three funds.
• Capital Planning Efficiencies: Improved visibility enabled better evaluation of capital projects, cost drivers, and funding strategies across utility funds.
• Scenario Building and Management: Live adjustments during meetings replaced the need to rebuild models or schedule follow-ups. Decisions happen in real time.
• Faster Decision-Making: By eliminating manual processes, the team can now update models in real time during meetings, enabling decision-makers to respond immediately.

For utility organizations, outdated and manual processes can slow down decision-making and increase the risk of errors. Sacramento Utilities demonstrates how modern utility financial modeling software can improve efficiency, accuracy, and collaboration.

By adopting a centralized platform, organizations can streamline financial workflows, gain better visibility into their data, and make faster, more confident decisions, even in the structured procurement environment that public agencies must navigate.

A Note on Accuracy

During the QA/QC review of their legacy models, the Sacramento Utilities team found a 99.6% accuracy rate in their old system. The remaining 0.4% turned out to be an inadvertently overridden formula buried in one of the model’s many worksheets, a small error that had gone unnoticed for years.

Synario, by contrast, was 100% accurate. This discovery highlighted how easily errors can occur and remain hidden in complex manual modeling environments, and the real risk they pose to long-range financial planning.

“Synario was 100% accurate.” – Dean Fujimoto, Long-Range Planning Manager, City of Sacramento Department of Utilities

 

Your Financial Modeling Breakthrough Starts Here

Sacramento Utilities’ transition from 27 disconnected legacy models to a centralized financial modeling platform demonstrates the impact of modernizing financial planning processes.

By replacing manual workflows with Synario, the organization improved accuracy, streamlined cash flow analysis, and enabled real-time scenario planning, all within six weeks of implementation.

With better visibility into financial data and the ability to model multiple scenarios instantly, the team can now make faster, more confident decisions and support long-term utility financial forecasting and capital planning.

If your organization still relies on fragmented models and manual forecasting processes, there is a more efficient and reliable way forward. Synario empowers teams to model any scenario, adjust forecasts in real time, and make data-driven decisions with confidence.

• Create accurate forecasts faster.
• Evaluate multiple scenarios instantly.
• Unify capital and operational planning in one platform.

Request a demo to see Synario in action.