In an effort to sort through alternatives for the development of a data processing system, a committee composed of representatives of the Sumter Police and Sheriff's departments and records was formed. Financial restrictions prevented hiring an in-house programmer or a private consultant, and little help was available from the county data processing facility, since the agencies were just pulling out of an unsatisfactory arrangement with this facility. An in-house person was selected to evaluate possible alternatives and guide development of the software. This person collected and evaluated information relevant to choosing the hardware and software that would meet agency needs. The University of South Carolina Department of Governmental Services and Research worked with the committee to perform a needs assessment for records flow, management, and retention. Guidelines were established for determining priorities for files to be included in the software. Help was also supplied in developing the request for proposal and in reviewing the subsequent proposals. Throughout the process, the university group supplied information on research on hardware and systems being installed by other agencies. The in-house representative identified and contacted outside sources that included private industry and governmental agencies. The sources provided information and guidance that enabled in-house personnel to perform some of the functions of a system analyst. Vendors were invited to supply information on software available for their hardware. The final outcome was composite software tailored to user needs and secured within the limited budget of the agencies.