Improving The Federal Governments Financial Management Systems

Since the enactment of key financial mgmt. (FM) reforms, the fed. gov¿t. has devoted significant resources to improving FM activities and practices. Yet continuing attention is needed to address persistent, long-standing accountability problems and to redefine success for fed. FM. Many gov¿t. agency FM systems do not produce the accurate, timely, and meaningful info. needed for mgmt. decision making. This forum brought together FM leaders from the fed. gov¿t., incl. the CFO, CIO, and IG communities, and other officials with extensive experience in FM from both the public and private sectors. The forum addressed: the future of fed. FM; applying lessons learned from fed. FM system implementations; and strategies for transforming fed. FM culture.

Improving the federal government's financial management systems

GAO reviewed efforts by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Department of the Treasury to improve the federal government's financial management operations. GAO found that: (1) due to the lack of a governmentwide financial management plan to help guide and control their efforts, agencies struggled in developing financial systems; (2) in April 1989, OMB began developing a governmentwide financial management improvement plan; (3) the Financial Management Service's (FMS) Federal Agency Financial Systems Program helped in furthering governmentwide improvements in financial management systems, but the program still needed improvements; (4) program officials believed that insufficient resources hindered their efforts to accomplish their objectives; (5) 2 years after the program's establishment, there were only eight program staff regulating the entire federal government; (6) FMS did not develop a comprehensive strategy defining program objectives; (7) Treasury's plans did not rank program objectives or identify milestones for accomplishing them; and (8) a comprehensive strategy would provide agencies with direction and focus and would be an integral part of an OMB long-range financial management plan.

Policymakers and program managers are continually seeking ways to improve accountability in achieving an entity's mission. A key factor in improving accountability in achieving an entity's mission is to implement an effective internal control system. An effective internal control system helps an entity adapt to shifting environments, evolving demands, changing risks, and new priorities. As programs change and entities strive to improve operational processes and implement new technology, management continually evaluates its internal control system so that it is effective and updated when necessary. Section 3512 (c) and (d) of Title 31 of the United States Code (commonly known as the Federal Managers? Financial Integrity Act (FMFIA)) requires the Comptroller General to issue standards for internal control in the federal government.

The 3rd update to the Core Financial System Require. document, first issued Jan. 1988 by the Joint Financial Mgmt. Improve. Program, a joint & cooperative undertaking of several Federal government agencies to improve financial management practices in government. This update reflects changes in laws & reg's., such as the Debt Collection Improvement Act, & also adds requirements for two functions, Budget Execution & Working Capital/Revolving Fund. Also, some of the existing requirements have been clarified. These requirements remain the basis for the Fed. gov't. to test compliance of commercially based, core financial software. Charts & tables.