[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 82 (Monday, April 28, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22948-22949]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-9183]


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GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

[ME-2008-NO1; Docket GSA 2008-0005; Sequence 1]


Financial Systems Integration Office (FSIO); Federal Acquisition 
System Requirements

AGENCY: Office of Governmentwide Policy, GSA.

ACTION: Notice with request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Governmentwide Policy invites comments on the 
proposed ``Federal Acquisition System Requirements.'' This document 
gives functional, process technical and data standards requirements for 
software developers of Government acquisition and contract writing 
systems, and is regarded as a draft document that will be revised to 
consider input from comments solicited from industry and other 
government agencies during this open comment period. This document will 
be a baseline (as-is) document with the understanding that it will be 
revised as processes and data standards are harmonized within the 
acquisition domain and later as it harmonized with other domains--
primarily the Financial Management Line of Business (FMLoB). This 
document does not supersede or obsolete documents, standards or 
requirements issued by the Joint Financial Management Improvement 
Program (JFMIP), Financial Systems Integration Office (FSIO) or the 
Financial Management Line of Business (FMLoB). Over time, efforts will 
be made to harmonize across these domains.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Earl Warrington, Director, 
Integrated Acquisition Environment, by telephone at (703) 872-8609 or 
via e-mail to [email protected].

DATES: Interested parties should submit written comments to the FAR 
Secretariat on or before June 27, 2008.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments identified by ME-2008-N01, by any of the 
following methods:
     Regulations.gov: http://www.regulations.gov. Submit 
comments via the Federal eRulemaking portal by inputting ``ME-2008-
N01'' under the heading ``Comment or Submission''. Select the link 
``Send a Comment or Submission'' that corresponds with ME-2008-N01. 
Follow the instructions provided to complete the ``Public Comment and 
Submission Form''. Please include your name, company name (if any), and 
``ME-2008-N01'' on your attached document.
     Fax: 202-501-4067.
     Mail: General Services Administration, Regulatory 
Secretariat (VPR), 1800 F Street, NW., Room 4035, ATTN: Diedra Wingate, 
Washington, DC 20405.
    Instructions: Please submit comments only and cite ME-2008-N01, in 
all correspondence related to this case. All comments received will be 
posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov, including any 
personal and/or business confidential information provided.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FSIO Federal Financial Management 
Systems Requirements is a series of publications entitled Federal 
Financial Management System Requirements (FFMSR). The FFMSR documents 
specify the functional and technical requirements that all financial 
management-related systems must meet in order to be considered 
compliant with Federal standards as mandated by the Federal Financial 
Management Improvement Act (FFMIA). In the future Federal Acquisition 
System Requirements will evolve to create harmonization between the 
Federal Financial and Acquisition Communities.
    This notice requests comments on the Acquisition System 
Requirements document, located at http://www.acquisition.gov. This 
document specifies the functional and technical requirements that 
acquisition systems must satisfy for Federal agency use. The document 
was developed at the request of the Chief Acquisition Officers Council 
(CAOC) and Chief Financial Officers Council (CFOC), demonstrating a 
commitment to starting the process of integrating the acquisition and 
finance functions more effectively. These requirements were drafted by 
the Acquisition Requirements Team (ART), consisting of representatives 
from both communities. The ART members recognize that agencies face 
major challenges in streamlining and automating procurement processes. 
Having access to better acquisition software is a first step toward 
this end. A key prerequisite to developing better software is to 
clearly define the requirements that the software product must meet.
    The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-130, 
Management of Federal Information Resources, requires agencies to use 
commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) software to reduce costs, 
improve the efficiency and effectiveness of system improvement 
projects, and reduce the risks inherent in developing and implementing 
a new system. To support this OMB mandate, vendors will be required to 
offer acquisition system products utilizing COTS software to the 
greatest extent practicable.
    This document is part of a long-term plan to have integration. The 
first document, Joint Financial Management Improvement Program (JFMIP)-
Federal Financial Management System Requirements (FFMSP), [Document No. 
JFMIP-SR-01-03, dated December 7, 2001], gave the list of touch points 
between the financial and acquisition domains and still stands. The 
current document goes more in depth to

[[Page 22949]]

articulate the way the processes and data are defined. It is understood 
that significant definitions and harmonization needs to occur in the 
future.
    The requirements in this document are intended to address the needs 
of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)-based contracts. They are not 
intended to replace or modify the FAR, FAR supplements, or internal 
agency acquisition policy. Further, agencies have considerable leeway 
in how they use any system-delivered capability. In practice, the 
applicability of an individual requirement depends on business 
circumstances. Agencies may apply sound business judgment to the use of 
a compliant acquisition system, provided it:
     Is consistent with the FAR, FAR supplements, or other 
regulations that apply to agencies and organizations not covered by the 
FAR;
     Does not violate laws, executive orders, or other 
regulations; and
     Is in the best interests of the government.
    The document provides a framework for connecting program planning, 
ccr financial, and a zet management processes with agencies' 
acquisition systems in order to deliver fully integrated acquisition 
support. Detailed acquisition system requirements are presented within 
the functional and technical requirements sections. They incorporate 
the latest changes in laws and regulations governing acquisition 
systems as well as required system interfaces such as the Federal 
Procurement Data System and Central Contractor Registration. When 
finalized, these requirements are expected to become the standard for 
qualifying COTS acquisition systems for Federal agency acquisition.
    The requirements listed in this document address common 
Governmentwide functionality. This document was not designed to deal 
with classified information. The following are examples of common 
system capabilities needed by all Federal agencies:
     Deliver a template for an SF 1449; Solicitation/Contract/
Order for Commercial Items;
     Verify funds availability;
     Capture receiving report data; and
     Generate a checklist of contract closeout items.
    The requirements in this document do not constitute a complete 
system specification. Requirements are deliberately stated in 
functional terms to give software developers maximum flexibility in 
engineering technical solutions. Individual agencies will also have, in 
many cases, additional mandatory requirements necessary to support 
their specific business processes.

    Dated: April 11, 2008.
Keith Thurston,
Acting Deputy Associate Administrator, Office of Technology Strategy.
 [FR Doc. E8-9183 Filed 4-25-08; 8:45 am]
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