[Federal Register: April 28, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 82)]
[Notices]
[Page 22948-22949]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr28ap08-54]
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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 earl.warrington@gsa.gov.
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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