[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 126 (Thursday, July 1, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35701-35702]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-16763]


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OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET

[OMB Circular A-127, ``Financial Management Systems.'']


Interim Final Revision of OMB Circular A-127, ``Financial 
Management Systems''

AGENCY: Office of Management and Budget, Executive Office of the 
President.

SUMMARY: OMB Circular No. A-127 ``Financial Management Systems,'' dated 
July 23, 1993, prescribes policies and standards for executive 
departments and agencies to follow in developing, operating, 
evaluating, and reporting on financial management systems. The Office 
of Management and Budget is issuing an interim final revision to 
Circular A-127 to incorporate recommendations from the Chief Financial 
Officers (CFO) Council. These recommendations change the process for 
acquiring software to meet core financial system requirements by 
eliminating the restriction to only acquire the software and related 
services from the FMSS Schedule, and to provide for software testing 
that is independent of the procurement process. These recommendations 
will result in the revision of Sections 8d and 9b, as well as adding a 
new Section 9a(3) and 9c. These changes are shown below.

DATES: The interim final revision is effective July 1, 1999. Comments 
on the interim final revision must be received on or before August 2, 
1999.

ADDRESSES: Comments on this interim final revision should be addressed 
to Jean Holcombe, Federal Financial Systems Branch, Office of Federal 
Financial Management, Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th Street, 
N.W., Room 6025, Washington, DC 20503. Comments up to three pages in 
length may be submitted via facsimile to 202-395-3952. Electronic mail 
comments may be submitted via Internet to [email protected]. Please 
include the full body of electronic mail comments in the text and not 
as an attachment. Please include the name, title, organization, postal 
address, and E-mail address in the text of the message.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jean Holcombe, Federal Financial 
Systems Branch, Office of Federal Financial Management, Office of 
Management and Budget, (202) 395-3993.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In January, 1997, at the request of Federal 
agencies, the Financial Systems Committee (FSC) of the Chief Financial 
Officers (CFO) Council formed the Joint Systems Solution Team (JSST) to 
assess the core financial management system acquisition process that 
was based upon using the FMSS Schedule. At that time, the mandatory GSA 
FMSS Schedule acquisition award process was linked directly with the 
software certification (testing) process. The team recommended to the 
CFO Council an approach that included separation of the testing of 
products from the acquisition process in order to: (1) Provide more 
information to agencies; (2) provide assistance to vendors to stimulate 
product development, and (3) establish a procurement vehicle with 
streamlined procedures. Through research and analysis, including on-
site visits and groupware sessions with public and private sector 
representatives, the JSST recommended a three-phase program to achieve 
the goals of effective certification of the off-the-shelf financial 
systems and simplified procurement. The three phases recommended were: 
(1) Determinations of requirements, (2) test and qualification of 
software, and (3) establishment of a procurement vehicle with 
streamlined procedures. The JSST also recommended that a Program 
Management Office (PMO) within the Joint Financial Management 
Improvement Program (JFMIP) be responsible for the requirements 
determination and the testing and qualification phases and that GSA 
manage the establishment and administration of the procurement vehicle. 
These recommendations were approved by the CFO Council. Circular A-127 
is being revised to reflect changes in testing and acquiring that 
resulted from these recommendations. In addition, OMB intends to seek 
public comment on additional revision to A-127 later this year. These 
revisions will include: (1) FFMIA review and reporting requirements; 
(2) guidance on procuring financial management systems and services; 
and (3) clarifications of current financial management system 
requirements.
Jacob J. Lew,
Director.

    The changes to Circular A-127 are as follows.
    1. Section 8d of the current Circular should be deleted in its 
entirety and replaced with the following:
     8d(1). Use of ``Off-the-Shelf'' Software. Agencies replacing 
software to meet core financial system requirements are required to use 
the GSA FMSS Multiple Award Schedule until its expiration on September 
30, 1999. As of October 1, 1999 agencies replacing software to meet 
core financial system

[[Page 35702]]

requirements are no longer required to use the GSA FMSS Multiple Award 
Schedule; they must use ``off-the-shelf'' software that has been tested 
and certified through the JFMIP software certification process as 
meeting JFMIP Core Financial Management System Requirements. Agencies 
may purchase this software using the strategy and procurement vehicle 
they believe will best enable them to meet their needs in a timely and 
effective manner following the competition requirements associated with 
the procurement vehicle being used to conduct the acquisition.
    In addition, agencies will notify JFMIP that a core financial 
management software procurement is planned-preferably prior to, or in 
the early phases of, acquisition planning. JFMIP will electronically 
post a public message to permit interested certified system vendors to 
market agencies. The sole purpose of this message is to facilitate 
agency market research. This message is not intended to, and shall not, 
serve as an invitation for offerors to submit bids, proposals, or 
quotes.
    OMB policy pertaining to using ``off-the-shelf'' software is 
contained in OMB Circular A-130 and must be followed when replacing 
financial management systems.
    8d(2). Software Certification Testing. ``Off-the-shelf'' software 
will be tested to ensure that it meets core financial system 
requirements as defined in the Core Financial System Requirements 
document published by JFMIP. JFMIP will coordinate the testing process 
and issue software certifications. Information on the details of the 
certification testing process and its results will be available to any 
interested Federal agency for any certified software package.
    2. A new section 9a(3) is being added to the current Circular as 
follows:
    9a.(3). Notify JFMIP on Plans to Acquire Core Financial System 
Software. Agencies shall notify JFMIP on plans to acquire software 
supporting core financial system functions.
    3. Section 9b of the current Circular is revised to read as 
follows:
    9b. GSA Responsibilities. GSA is responsible for continuing to 
support existing contracts under the FMSS Schedule until their 
completion. GSA also will make procurement vehicles available to 
agencies for acquiring software which has been certified according to 
the processes in Section8d(2).
    4. A new Section 9c is being added and will read as follows:
    9c. JFMIP Responsibilities. JFMIP will establish processes for 
testing ``off-the-shelf'' software supporting core financial system 
requirements which include:

--Developing and administering the certification test.
--Notifying GSA when a software package successfully completes the 
certification test.
--Providing interested parties with information on the core financial 
system requirements and their related testing scenarios.
--Providing interested parties with details on the results of the 
certification tests for certified software packages.
--Posting a public notice on planned core financial system 
procurements.

[FR Doc. 99-16763 Filed 6-30-99; 8:45 am]
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