AI ERP for state-owned companies and the public sector: how Portos Rio will integrate its management in 12 modules

What Portos Rio will implement

Portos Rio is the Port Authority for the organized ports of the state of Rio de Janeiro. As in many public organizations, its administrative management was spread across different systems, each one handling a single area. The project with Central IT replaces that set with one ERP: CITSmart ERP, with 12 modules working on the same database.

The kickoff took place on October 14, 2026, with teams from both companies. From there, the modules go live in waves until all the current systems have been replaced.

The 12 CITSmart ERP modules at Portos Rio

The scope covers the areas that support the operation of a state-owned company, from supplier records to payroll, plus the integration, BI, and Low Code layers that connect and adjust all of it.

Why replace several systems with one integrated ERP

When each area has its own system, the same data is typed in more than once, one area's numbers don't match another's, and closing the month or answering an audit turns into reconciliation work. In an integrated ERP, data is entered once and flows through the whole process: a purchase recorded in Procurement reaches inventory, finance, and accounting without being retyped.

• One source of truth. Contracts, resources, and finances read from the same database, with no mismatch between areas.
• Traceability. Any entry can be traced back to the transaction that created it, with a log of who did what.
• Less rework. The time spent reconciling spreadsheets and systems goes back to management.
• One accountable vendor. Support, evolution, and integration with a single point of contact.

If your organization is still deciding whether it needs an ERP, it is worth reading what ERP is and when it is worth implementing one first.

The role of AI: CITSmart Hyper Agents orchestrating the ERP

What sets this project apart from an ordinary system replacement is the AI layer. At Portos Rio, all CITSmart ERP modules are orchestrated by CITSmart Hyper Agents. Integrated with the ERP, Hyper Agents will be the engine for transforming Portos Rio's management and operational processes.

In practice, the AI works inside the ERP, in the context of what the user is doing, and not in a separate chat window:

• Tasks in natural language. The user asks in plain text, and the system runs the routine.
• Answers based on current data. Questions about balances, contracts, or budget commitments answered on the spot.
• Automated routines. Finance and procurement entries, lookups, and workflows with no manual intervention.
• It acts, not just chats. The AI takes action in the ERP, instead of returning text for someone to type in again.

How the implementation works: waves of six stages

Replacing every system at once is the quickest way to bring operations to a halt. That is why the implementation runs in waves: one group of modules at a time, and each wave goes through the same six stages.

Two choices in the project weigh on the outcome. Discovery and testing are done on site, side by side with the user areas and key users, because that is where the rules no document records come to light. And after the cutover, the Central IT team supports the operation for 90 days until acceptance, so the first payroll, the first month-end close, and the first purchase in the new system are not left to the Portos Rio team alone.

What to evaluate in an ERP for state-owned companies and the public sector

A public sector ERP is not chosen by its list of modules alone. These are the points that usually separate a system that fits from one that turns into an endless customization project:

• Compliance out of the box. Lei 14.133/2021 (the Brazilian public procurement law), Lei 13.303/2016 (the Brazilian state-owned companies law), PCASP (the public sector chart of accounts), eSocial, and EFD-Reinf (the federal tax withholding report) handled by the system itself, not by a spreadsheet on the side.
• Audit trail. A log of user activity and the path of any transaction back to its source, for internal control and the Court of Accounts.
• Integration with what already exists. APIs and Web Services to connect with systems that stay in place, with transparency portals, and with federal registries.
• 100% web-based, with data in Brazil. Access through the browser, with nothing to install, and hosting in a data center in the country.
• Adjustments without a long project. Low Code to change rules, screens, and workflows when legislation or operations change.
• An implementation that doesn't stop operations. Waves, testing with the people who use the system, and support after the cutover.

Frequently asked questions

Thank you, Portos Rio, for your trust. Technology in Business at the service of the Ports of Rio.