FRTIB’s Stiffler to step down

After 35 years in government, Larry Stiffler, the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board’s director of automated systems, is retiring July 1. He took over the troubled retirement system in 2001 after the board fired American Management Systems Inc. of Fairfax, Va., for failing to complete the system after four years and at a cost of more than $90 million. He led the team that hired the new contractor, Materials, Communications and Computers Inc. of Alexandria, Va., to take over the project, which was completed in June 2003.

GAO: Times call for risk-based budgeting

Demographic trends, rising health care costs, decreasing federal revenues and a growing federal deficit all require the government to do more with less in years to come, Comptroller General David Walker told members of the House Homeland Security Committee’s Management, Integration and Oversight Subcommittee.

Accenture to overhaul Army's financial-management system

Accenture has won a $537 million contract from the Army to develop a consolidated financial-management system for active, Reserve and National Guard units. The Army’s Program Executive Office for Enterprise Information Systems awarded the 10-year, General Fund Enterprise Business System (GFEBS) contract to the Reston, Va.-based company yesterday.

Senate confirms Combs as OMB controller, Springer as head of OPM

The Senate has confirmed a new controller for the Office of Management and Budget, while the former controller was approved as head of the Office of Personnel Management. Linda Combs became the new head of the OMB’s Office of Federal Financial Management, while Linda Springer, who held the controller’s job for about 18 months, will direct the government’s personnel agency for a term of four years.

DHS’ Emerge2 program temporarily suspended

Homeland Security Department’s Emerge2 program, a $229 million project, still is alive but has been paused until the agency figures out the program’s future. While it remains an active program within the department, according to chief financial officer Andy Maner, most work under the program has been halted temporarily. BearingPoint Inc. of McLean, Va., completed the second of two task orders under its Emerge2 contract June 10, but is not currently carrying out any work under the BPA.

Lawmaker opens debate on financial management

Outside financial management experts told the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Management, Finance and Accountability that federal executives must be held more accountable for their behavior Wednesday. Todd Russell Platts, R-Pa., subcommittee chairman, held the first of what he said would be a series of hearings on how to consolidate federal financial management laws.

SRA will serve Justice with IT systems

SRA International Inc. won a six-year, $80 million task order from the Justice Department to provide information technology systems and services to the Office of Justice Programs for the on the Grants Management System, which along with Grants.gov Web site , automates the application and approval process for the $8 billion in federal funds that the office issues to state, local and private organizations.

Acting ICE CIO melts away

Al Hudson, acting CIO of the Homeland Security Department’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and his deputy, Tom Tomai, have left the agency. ICE technology officials have been subjected to severe management pressures because of the department’s structural funding deficit. ICE’s financial problems at times have led officials to impose hiring freezes to conserve cash.

Panel breaks down the fundamentals, and the payoff, of Lines of Business

The Association for Federal Information Resources Management and GCN last month hosted a roundtable discussion of the Office of Management and Budget’s Lines of Business initiatives. The 10 participants in the roundtable generally agreed that Lines of Business can work, while acknowledging that a lot of challenges lie ahead.

Moving beyond the numbers, Today’s CFO must inform, advise and strategize

Accountants see life from a year behind. Budgeteers see life from a year ahead. Program managers live life day to day. My job as a chief financial officer is to deliver meaningful financial management information for decision-making that makes this time warp transparent. And my job is growing more challenging — and exciting — every day. - Susan Grant, CFO, DOE

Transportation financial-systems change manager to retire

Transportation deputy CFO Tom Park will retire effective July 31. He has been key to the department’s moving to a modernized financial management system and becoming a Center of Excellence for the Office of Management and Budget’s financial management line of business.

Balancing Act - As their jobs expand, CFOs, CIOs must sort out overlapping roles

The CIOs own the infrastructure for all the systems, while CFOs drive the functionality for financial and many other systems. The CIO plays the role, making sure the system is compatible with the enterprise architecture. They provide guidance and advice, but they don’t dictate what product is used. That is a functionality decision that should be made by the CFO.

Oracle Announces Oracle(R) Financial Consolidation Hub

Customers Gain Complete Enterprise View of Financial Information Across Disparate Applications. Oracle Financial Consolidation Hub integrates data from disparate sources to create a single, global view of financial information that can be used to facilitate compliance with accelerated reporting, expanded disclosures and certified internal controls now required by Sarbanes-Oxley, the United Kingdom's Combined Code and other global governance mandates.

AFGE Applauds Congressional Support for Federal HUD Employees

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) today praised lawmakers in the Senate and House for their efforts to ensure that the essential work performed by employees in the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Financial Reporting Division (FRD) remained in-house. Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.) and Rep. Jim Moran (D- Va.) led the effort.