United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Office of the Comptroller General author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1999-01-01 monographic deposited born digital 26 p. GA 1.13:OCG-99-16 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-16 P0b002ee180371940 f:cg99016 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-16 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-16 OCG-99-16 Financial management Y2K Federal agency accounting systems Accountability Management information systems Systems conversions Computer software verification and validation Information resources management Risk management Foreign aid programs Performance and Accountability Series 1999 AID New Management System Letter Report OCG As part of its Performance and Accountability Series, GAO provided information on the major management challenges and program risks facing the Agency for International Development (AID).<p/>GAO noted that: (1) AID's effort to develop and implement its New Management System (NMS), which is meant to consolidate primary information systems into a single integrated network, has not been fully successful; (2) the NMS is only partially functional and has created problems in agency operations; (3) in 1996, AID deployed the system without sufficient testing, and subsequent difficulties forced AID to suspend its use for most administrative functions in overseas missions in April 1997; (4) despite an expenditure of at least $92 million to date, the NMS is not likely to be fully operational and compliant with federal accounting standards for several more years; (5) until then, AID will not have accurate information to ensure that its operations and programs are being managed in a cost-effective and efficient manner; (6) AID's computer systems in headquarters and in its field offices are not yet equipped to handle the year 2000 problem; (7) AID has not taken adequate steps to address this problem and has not developed contingency plans to ensure continuity of all of its mission-critical business operations; (8) although AID has requested supplemental funds to accelerate the year 2000 compliance process, it continues to face a serious risk that its systems and operations could fail or be significantly degraded; (9) AID continues to face financial management challenges; (10) the lack of an integrated financial management system and the existence of material control weaknesses hinder the agency's ability to produce auditable financial statements; (11) as in the previous year, AID's Office of Inspector General (OIG) was unable to express an opinion on the agency's financial statements for fiscal year 1997; (12) the process of preparing financial statements and subjecting them to independent audit is the first step in generating complete, reliable, and timely financial information for decisionmakers at all levels; (13) without financial integration and strong controls, AID's systems are out of compliance with federal accounting and management requirements; and (14) AID has designated a Chief Information Officer and NMS program manager and made the year 2000 problem its highest information technology priority, and is submitting a plan to address some of its financial management deficiencies over the next 5 years. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-16/html/GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-16.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-16/pdf/GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-16.pdf GAO/OCG-99-16 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-16 Letter Report GAO/OCG-99-16; Major Management Challenges and Program Risks: Agency for International Development; Financial management Y2K Federal agency accounting systems Accountability Management information systems Systems conversions Computer software verification and validation Information resources management Risk management Foreign aid programs Performance and Accountability Series 1999 AID New Management System