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IT-AAC Releases Its Second Report on 20 Year Continuing Financial Management Systems Modernization Failures at the Department of Homeland Security

IT-AAC Releases Its Second Report on 20 Year Continuing Financial Management Systems Modernization Failures at the Department of Homeland Security

ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — The Data Engineering Acquisition Advisory Council (IT-AAC), a non-revenue investigation institute, these days introduced its next in-depth, critical assessment of the United States Department of Homeland Security’s 20 year pursuit of an business Monetary Administration Devices Modernization initiatives and the hundreds of hundreds of thousands in taxpayer cash that have been squandered and squandered thanks to substantial disconnect from true entire world most effective practices and classes learned. This challenging hitting report can be uncovered listed here at IT-AAC.org or within the Publications Tab on our web site www.IT-AAC.org/stories/.

IT Acquisition Advisory Council (IT-AAC.org)

IT Acquisition Advisory Council (IT-AAC.org)

IT-AAC is urging Congress and the Biden Administration to freeze the FMSM program and right away halt the allocation of funding. We urge GAO to carry out of a far more in depth evaluate of these matters, including the results and conclusions along with the suggestion supplied in the IT-AAC Report to Congress: A Situation Research in Strategic, Operational & Business enterprise Failure- 20 Several years & Counting- DHS Economic Management Techniques Modernization Work.

The intent of this Report is to elevate consciousness in Congress and the Govt Department and to generate a extensive evaluate and rapid corrective action connected to the continuing waste of taxpayer bucks getting allotted to the ongoing flawed method remaining pursued by the Department of Homeland Protection to accomplish an organization view of money management, asset management, and procurement administration throughout the Department.

In addition IT-AAC urges Congress to desire a extensive possibility evaluation to decide the root leads to of these ongoing failures that have expense millions of dollars in squandered taxpayer delivered methods, including a current technique transition failure at the United States Coast Guard that is noted to have price an supplemental $1 billion dollars to preserve a guide method even though attempting to reconcile that transition failure.

A new GAO Report just introduced on February 28, 2023 (DHS Money Management: Steps Required to Enhance Techniques Modernization and Deal with Coastline Guard Audit Challenges | U.S. GAO ) took a deeper search at the USCG failure. On the deal with web page of the Report it states:

“Despite the fact that DHS determined, documented, and tracked metrics to assess Coast
Guard’s program deployment, DHS uncovered that the system was not acquiring
expected abilities. This is simply because DHS did not handle and remediate
identified issues discovered in operational tests. DHS’s subsequent operational
testing and analysis of the method uncovered that it was not effective, responsive,
or reliable. Therefore, DHS could not continue to whole operational functionality of the
technique. It is now in the course of action of acquiring a remediation prepare to address
exceptional difficulties.

It is time to stop these repeated failure patterns, reassess and apply verified finest tactics supported by facts-pushed assessment and boost the chance to get this correct once and for all. IT-AAC for that reason phone calls on Congress to intervene right absent and desire an impartial investigation and overview that would end result in the generation of a technique and implementation strategy that is sustainable and will satisfy the wants and mission prerequisites of the several parts and the Section at large. These types of motion is bold, but important.

The Info Technology Acquisition Advisory Council (IT-AAC) is a non-earnings, community-private partnership that was organized in 2007 at the urging of Users of Congress and leadership of the United States Division of Protection. IT-AAC is a trustworthy “Do Tank” that does not manufacture or sell any products, but instead, operates as an straightforward broker in the community fascination performing to enhance government – marketplace collaboration on crucial issues this sort of as IT modernization electronic transformation procurement reform and agile acquisition cloud computing migration and implementation cybersecurity and critical infrastructure defense supply chain possibility administration DevSecOps and the application of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Discovering among others to attain improved performance, productiveness, and value-efficiency, all in help of mission objectives and mission outcomes.

www.IT-AAC.org

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Source IT Acquisition Advisory Council (IT-AAC)

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CFPB and Justice Department Caution Auto Finance Companies about Servicemember Protections

CFPB and Justice Department Caution Auto Finance Companies about Servicemember Protections

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Office of Justice and the Customer Financial Safety Bureau (CFPB) issued a joint letter these days reminding vehicle finance firms of their duties to understand important authorized protections for military services people under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA). Though servicemembers have the exact same rights as non-armed forces borrowers, the SCRA supplies more rights to defend servicemembers and their people towards distinctive financial issues.

“Auto finance companies that perform by the policies ought to not be deprived by rivals that violate the legal legal rights of navy families,” explained CFPB Director Rohit Chopra. “The CFPB is intently monitoring the auto finance field to guarantee that servicemembers and their families are staying dealt with reasonably.”

“The Civil Rights Division is entrusted with the accountability of making sure that the rights of the brave guys and ladies of our Nation’s armed forces are safeguarded from discrimination and unfair therapy,” explained Assistant Legal professional Standard Kristen Clarke. “We function each individual working day to guarantee that these legal rights, such as all those relevant to auto financing, are shielded via litigation, outreach, and policy development.”

Recent CFPB study has demonstrated that servicemembers are inclined to carry more vehicle loan personal debt at more youthful ages than their civilian counterparts, largely thanks to the need for transportation though living on a military base. They are also generally the focus on of unfair or predatory procedures which includes costly financial loans and high priced contracts for the reason that of the fiscal inexperience of lots of getting into the services as youthful adults, put together with their continual paychecks and potential to construction payments by means of the navy allotment system. CFPB’s Spring 2022 Supervisory Highlights also uncovered unfair functions or methods, prohibited by the Purchaser Economical Defense Act, in the automobile servicing business.

The letter is created to guarantee that car finance providers are mindful of important provisions within the SCRA, which include:

  • Wrongful car repossessions: The SCRA prohibits an automobile finance business from repossessing a car throughout the borrower’s military services assistance without having a court docket order, even if the borrower financed or leased the car or truck prior to entering military company.
  • Failure to terminate motor vehicle leases without the need of penalty: The SCRA lets servicemembers to terminate motor automobile leases early and without the need of penalty after entering armed forces services or getting qualifying navy orders for a long lasting improve of station or deployment.
  • Violations of vehicle bank loan fascination rate positive aspects: The SCRA also boundaries curiosity rates on financial loans incurred prior to military services services to no far more than 6{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} for every year, which include most service fees. If servicemembers make a good ask for, a creditor ought to forgive and not defer any fascination higher than 6{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996}.

Read through the joint letter to auto finance businesses pertaining to armed service borrower protections .

Customers encountering troubles with auto servicing can submit a criticism with the CFPB online or by contacting (855) 411-CFPB (2372).

Personnel who think their companies have violated federal client money safety rules are encouraged to send out data about what they know to whistleblower@cfpb.gov.

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The Customer Money Protection Bureau is a 21st century company that implements and enforces Federal client monetary regulation and makes sure that marketplaces for shopper economic solutions are truthful, transparent, and aggressive. For more details, check out consumerfinance.gov.

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Grassley Pushes for Financial Management Oversight at Department of Defense

Grassley Pushes for Financial Management Oversight at Department of Defense
WASHINGTON – Currently, Sens. Chuck Grassley
(R-Iowa) and Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) urged the Commission on Planning,
Programming, Budgeting and Execution Reform to help convey substantially-desired economic
accountability to the Section of Protection (DOD). The letter,
which comes immediately after Grassley passed a new coverage directing the commission to
assess and suggest enhancements to financial administration units, highlights
the need for this oversight and describes anticipations for the commission as
they begin conducting their evaluate.

 

“The Govt Accountability Office environment&#13
(GAO) has continuously put DOD Financial Management on its Superior-Chance Checklist&#13
for 26 decades. The most latest High Possibility List report of 2021 notes that whilst&#13
the Department’ s expending will make up far more than 50 p.c of the federal&#13
government’s discretionary expending and its actual physical assets symbolize far more than&#13
70 percent of the federal government’s actual physical assets, it stays the only&#13
big company that has under no circumstances been able to&#13
precisely account for and report on its paying out or actual physical property,” the lawmakers wrote.

 

The senators elevate concerns that the&#13
DOD’s financial administration failings adversely impact the overall effectiveness and&#13
effectiveness of their operations. To correct these shortcomings, the senators urge&#13
the fee to acquire a team of exterior professionals and consultants – a&#13
“Financial Administration Tiger Team” – to support conduct a comprehensive, deep-dive&#13
overview of DOD’s insurance policies, procedures and planned investments.

 

Even more, the senators suggest that&#13
commission associates work carefully with the Authorities Accountability Office environment (GAO)&#13
and the DOD Business office of Inspector Common (DOD OIG), which have each executed&#13
their have opinions and identified a number of alarming deficiencies.

 

“It is crucial that the Department’s&#13
financial administration devices comply with applicable needs and assistance,&#13
deal with economical assertion findings by auditors, and supply the dependable,&#13
helpful, and timely information essential to guidance DOD’s financial administration&#13
operational desires. Except if the underlying money management programs are&#13
addressed, any initiatives to reform the Scheduling, Programming, Funds, and&#13
Execution procedures at the DOD would be a squander of time and money,” the lawmakers concluded.

 

Read through the full letter by clicking Below.

 

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CGI completes implementation of agency-wide financial management system at Department of Justice

CGI’s Momentum standardizes procedures to maximize economical resource administration systems throughout agency

FAIRFAX, Va., Feb. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — CGI (NYSE: GIB) (TSX: GIB.A) introduced the thriving implementation of CGI’s Momentum® as part of the U.S. Office of Justice’s (DOJ’s) Unified Fiscal Management Program (UFMS) application. Working as a shared company, this modernization streamlines units to produce a solitary resource of fiscal and acquisition info for DOJ to enhance its monetary administration performance, strengthen its company processes, and help shipping and delivery of its mission, objectives, and strategic objectives.

CGI’s Momentum® performs a pivotal role as the computer software resolution underpinning UFMS, which merged and changed the Department’s six main economical administration and many procurement programs. By means of this implementation, DOJ gains a one business resource planning (ERP) system to take care of details across all DOJ factors. Particularly, UFMS streamlines and standardizes company procedures and procedures throughout all DOJ factors, furnishing secure, accurate, well timed, and actionable financial information to administration personnel. It also supplies DOJ with consolidated administration information, as effectively as the functionality to meet up with all mandatory needs of the Federal Acquisition Regulation and the Justice Acquisition Regulation.

“For practically two a long time, CGI has made use of its deep expertise of DOJ’s business procedures, accounting, and technologies to serve as the Department’s dependable advisor,” mentioned Clay Goldwein, Senior Vice-President at CGI Federal. “Successful completion of the implementation enables DOJ to think about new ways to enhance enterprise systems as shown by the latest introduction of a unified asset administration resolution supported by CGI’s Sunflower, which will drive successful and economical stewardship of assets for the Section.”

About CGI Federal
CGI Federal Inc., a wholly-owned U.S. running subsidiary of CGI Inc., is dedicated to partnering with federal organizations to deliver remedies for protection, civilian, health care and intelligence missions. Founded in 1976, CGI is amongst the greatest IT and company consulting products and services firms in the world. With 82,000 consultants and other specialists across the globe, CGI provides an conclude-to-finish portfolio of capabilities, from strategic IT and business consulting to methods integration, managed IT and company procedure services and intellectual property alternatives. CGI works with shoppers as a result of a regional marriage design complemented by a global shipping network that will help clients digitally renovate their businesses and speed up effects. With Fiscal 2021 documented earnings of C$12.13 billion, CGI shares are outlined on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB). Learn extra at cgi.com.

Ahead-hunting info and statements
This press release has “forward-wanting data” in just the which means of Canadian securities rules and “ahead-on the lookout statements” in just the indicating of the United States Personal Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other applicable United States risk-free harbors. All these types of ahead-wanting info and statements are designed and disclosed in reliance upon the risk-free harbor provisions of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation. Ahead-looking facts and statements include all facts and statements concerning CGI’s intentions, ideas, anticipations, beliefs, goals, future overall performance, and system, as very well as any other information or statements that relate to potential situations or instances and which do not instantly and completely relate to historical specifics. Ahead-on the lookout information and statements normally but not often use text this sort of as “feel”, “estimate”, “expect”, “intend”, “foresee”, “foresee”, “system”, “forecast”, “task”, “goal”, “seek out”, “strive”, “prospective”, “continue”, “goal”, “could”, “might”, “could”, “should”, and very similar expressions and versions thereof. These information and statements are based on our notion of historic developments, existing ailments and predicted potential developments, as well as other assumptions, both of those standard and precise, that we believe that are acceptable in the circumstances. Such info and statements are, even so, by their very nature, matter to inherent challenges and uncertainties, of which lots of are past the regulate of CGI, and which give increase to the possibility that true success could vary materially from our anticipations expressed in, or implied by, such ahead-seeking data or ahead-on the lookout statements. These hazards and uncertainties include things like but are not limited to: dangers similar to the market such as the level of business activity of our clients, which is influenced by financial problems, and our capability to negotiate new contracts threats linked to our marketplace these kinds of as competitors and our capacity to appeal to and keep competent staff, to develop and expand our companies, to penetrate new markets, and to protect our mental property legal rights pitfalls relevant to our organization these as hazards connected with our growth tactic, like the integration of new operations, financial and operational challenges inherent in all over the world operations, overseas trade hazards, earnings tax legal guidelines, our capacity to negotiate favorable contractual phrases, to produce our products and services and to gather receivables, and the reputational and economical challenges attendant to cybersecurity breaches and other incidents as well as other challenges discovered or included by reference in this push release, in CGI’s annual and quarterly MD&A and in other paperwork that we make public, such as our filings with the Canadian Securities Administrators (on SEDAR at www.sedar.com) and the U.S. Securities and Trade Commission (on EDGAR at www.sec.gov). Until usually said, the forward-on the lookout information and statements contained in this push launch are created as of the day hereof and CGI disclaims any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any ahead-hunting information or ahead-wanting statements, whether as a final result of new information and facts, potential occasions or otherwise, other than as expected by relevant legislation. While we imagine that our assumptions on which these ahead-hunting data and ahead-looking statements are centered were sensible as at the day of this press launch, visitors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward-wanting information or statements. Furthermore, audience are reminded that ahead-seeking data and statements are presented for the sole purpose of assisting traders and other people in knowing our aims, strategic priorities and enterprise outlook as very well as our anticipated working natural environment. Readers are cautioned that these info may not be appropriate for other needs. Even further information on the dangers that could result in our true success to vary noticeably from our latest anticipations may possibly be observed in the portion titled “Chance Setting” of CGI’s yearly and quarterly MD&A, which is included by reference in this cautionary assertion. We also warning readers that the above-stated hazards and the threats disclosed in CGI’s yearly and quarterly MD&A and other documents and filings are not the only kinds that could have an affect on us. Further hazards and uncertainties not currently acknowledged to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial could also have a substance adverse influence on our monetary posture, monetary performance, funds flows, business or name.

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Source CGI Federal, Inc.

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Justice Department Obtains Over $1.5 Million from American Honda Finance Corporation to Compensate Servicemembers Whose Federal Rights Were Violated | OPA

The Department of Justice declared today that American Honda Finance Corporation (AHFC) has agreed to settle a federal lawsuit alleging that it violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by failing to refund a type of up-front lease payment to servicemembers who lawfully terminated their motor car or truck leases early. Below the settlement agreement, AHFC need to shell out up to $1,585,803.89 in payment to 714 servicemembers who ended up harmed by the alleged violations.

“This case illustrates the Justice Department’s steadfast determination to guarding the legal rights of servicemembers,” claimed Assistant Lawyer Normal Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “We will keep on to vigorously enforce federal regulation to ensure that no servicemember faces unlawful procedure by automobile leasing organizations or other entities.”

“Servicemembers selflessly heed the call to duty, and their sacrifice should not matter them to illegal economic damage,” claimed Acting U.S. Lawyer Tracy L. Wilkison of the Central District of California. “This settlement is the latest resulting from investigations my office environment has carried out in conjunction with Justice Division attorneys to guarantee our courageous guys and ladies in uniform can execute without the need of having to be concerned about unjust actions at dwelling.”

The SCRA permits servicemembers to terminate motor automobile leases early devoid of penalty right after getting into military services or acquiring qualifying military orders for a everlasting adjust of station or to deploy. When servicemembers lawfully terminate motor auto leases, the SCRA calls for that they be refunded all lease quantities paid in progress.

AHFC is a California-based mostly car-funding corporation that offers automobile-leasing for consumers of Honda and Acura. People today who lease autos from AHFC, together with servicemembers, often add an up-front financial amount at lease signing, in the type of a hard cash payment, credit score for a trade-in car or truck, or rebates or other credits. A part of this up-front volume can be utilized to the initially month of the lease and particular up-front fees these kinds of as licensing and registration service fees. The remainder, which is termed the capitalized cost reduction total, operates to decrease the regular payment the lessee have to make in excess of the phrase of the lease.

Today’s settlement, which must be authorised by the U.S. District Courtroom for the Central District of California, resolves a lawsuit filed nowadays by the Division of Justice. The lawsuit alleges that, while AHFC routinely offered refunds of funds payments toward capitalized cost reduction manufactured by servicemembers, AHFC unsuccessful to present refunds of vehicle trade-in credit score that was used toward capitalized cost reduction, in violation of the SCRA.

In addition to compensating 714 servicemembers, the settlement necessitates AHFC to spend $64,715 to the U.S. Treasury to undertake new procedures and employ new instruction necessities.

Servicemembers and their dependents who believe their SCRA rights have been violated really should get hold of the closest Armed Forces Authorized Assistance Program Business. Business office destinations can be identified at http://legalassistance.legislation.af.mil/.

The Justice Department’s enforcement of the SCRA is done by the Civil Legal rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Part and U.S. Attorney’s Offices throughout the state. Considering the fact that 2011, the office has acquired more than $476 million in financial reduction for more than 121,000 servicemembers through its enforcement of the SCRA. Supplemental information on the department’s enforcement of the SCRA and other rules shielding servicemembers is available at www.servicemembers.gov.

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Bridging the gap between data analysts and the finance department

New alternatives for automated details consolidation prolong the arrive at of financial reviews and analytics. But will it be more than enough for CFOs?

financial-data.jpg

Graphic: Song_about_summertime/Shutterstock

When I was a CIO, no section demanded far more facts than finance. Finance experienced a workforce of financial analysts who manipulated facts into myriad spreadsheets and reports—and a demanding CFO who would constantly want additional details.

Financial analysts and CFOs had been hard to make sure you. They needed daily, weekly, month to month and quarterly studies, as effectively as details for chance assessments and what-if circumstance analyses. Finance applied troves of reviews to extract the facts that it wished to see—but it never appeared to be adequate.

SEE: Electronic Information Disposal Plan (TechRepublic Quality)

“The principal problem CFOs confront is not a person of absence of obtain to experiences,” stated Didi Gurfinkel, CEO and co-founder of DataRails, an automator of economical procedures and studies. “CFOs can (eventually) get the details and reports they want to make economic choices, build styles, make management reviews, and many others. The even larger issue is the cumbersome procedure in making these studies.”

That cumbersome manual approach requires a entire team of financial analysts who cull economic facts from methods that variety from ERP and the standard ledger to CRM and income. Knowledge from each individual method is reviewed on a each day foundation, and at some issue, the information from these units need to be hand-aggregated and crafted into a spreadsheet that is able of answering typical and non-typical issues.

SEE: 5 problems to implementing QA technique in knowledge and analytics assignments (TechRepublic)

“When they use that procedure, what CFOs, money analysts and company leaders deficiency is full, unimpeded access to consolidated reviews and obtaining all the accessible insights from the info at their fingertips,” Gurfinkel reported.

This is in which analytics tools like dashboards and drill-downs start off to make sense. They make the details a great deal much easier to navigate and, extra importantly, to find out from in a well timed manner.

Nonetheless, to arrive at this point, facts from a number of units must initially be consolidated into a central database—and this get the job done ought to not be finished manually by a financial analyst manipulating a spreadsheet. In its place, the facts consolidation can be performed with system automation. This will save economical analysts time, minimizes the potential for human error and creates a lot quicker situations to industry for experiences. The end consequence is a dashboard that summarizes data and that presents you drill-down capability into the aspects. This permits finance to produce numerous reviews and scenarios with knowledge that will assist it meet up with its insatiable need to have for data.

Gurfinkel talked about a use circumstance in which a firm’s finance section expended several hours of labor consolidating economic info from several information sources manually. Data from QuickBooks was exported into Excel spreadsheets and then reconciled, which demanded cumbersome get the job done. Afterward, finance would go via several hours of editing to make certain precision and get ready the info for firm and government use. By switching to automated data consolidation, the team was ready to see instant variation comparisons and crank out reviews by a single interactive and consolidated system. “They now help you save around 15 several hours a week, time that was when invested on time-consuming, manual processes,” Gurfinkel stated.

SEE: Facts privacy legislation are constantly changing: Make confident your company is up to date (TechRepublic) 

This will not resolve all of finance’s reporting needs. But facts consolidation and automation that assist analytics can deliver alongside one another additional knowledge from diverse sources speedier and conserve staff time though accomplishing it. The procedure also will make finance more self-ample from an IT viewpoint.

Even so, “A principal problem when you propose automated data consolidation is the willingness of firms to acquire the leap of religion. This is comprehensible due to the fact money executives who have been crunching numbers and making experiences manually through spreadsheets for many years understandably do not want the total process to change considerably in a shorter time period of time,” Gurfinkel mentioned.

Which is a reason IT and other know-how leaders need to be cognizant of organization method transform (and resistance) when they test to put into action automation for analytics.

As with most analytics and automation efforts, finance will have to be integrally involved in the task, and be the determiner of how it desires its small business procedures to transform in purchase to consider edge of automation.

“With the help of automation, data consolidation is a signifies of revolutionizing the way finance does company, with significantly-achieving implications for the company on the other hand, the implementation is vital to a profitable electronic changeover,” Gurfinkel explained.

I would second that, incorporating that a successful implementation relies upon on IT and finance shepherding the new method into full acceptance in the business enterprise, beginning with the CFO.

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