Office of the Assistant Attorney General

The Honorable Darrell E. Issa

Chairman
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Mr. Chairman:
U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Legislative Affairs
Washington, D. C. 20530
April 25, 2011
This responds to your request of March 8, 2011 for information relating to automated
systems in use at the Department of Justice to support business and accounting functions. The
enclosed document provides answers to the questions you have posed.
We hope this information is helpful. Please do not hesitate to contact this office if we
may provide additional assistance regarding this or any other matter.
Enclosure
cc: The Honorable Elijah E. Cummings
Ranking Minority Member
The Honorable Todd R. Platts
Chairman
Sincerely,
4 V l ~
Ronald Weich
Assistant Attorney General
Subcommittee on Government Organizations, Efficiency
and Financial Management Reform
The Honorable Edolphus Towns
Ranking Minority Member
Subcommittee on Government Organizations, Efficiency
and Financial Management Reform
The Honorable Darrell E. Issa
Page Two
cc: The Honorable Jim Jordan
Chairman
Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus Oversight
and Government Spending
The Honorable Dennis J. Kucinich
Ranking Minority Member
Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus Oversight
and Government Spending
The Honorable James Lankford
Chairman
Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy,
Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement Reform
The Honorable Gerald E. Connolly
Ranking Minority Member
Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy,
Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement Reform
Enclosure
Department of Justice Response to Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
1. Identify and briefly describe each of your agency's business and accounting systems. If
separate divisions, bureaus, or offices of your agency use separate systems, identify
which divisions, bureaus or offices use each system.
The Department of Justice (Department) currently has following five separate core financial
management systems:
Unified Financial Management System (UFMS) - UFMS delivers integrated
financial and acquisitions management functionality through a commercial software
product, CGI Federal's Momentum. Components currently using the integrated
UFMS include: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and Asset Forfeiture Management Staff
(AFMS).
Financial Management Information System (FMIS2) - FMIS2 delivers financial
management functionality through internally develop financial system software.
Components currently using FMIS2 include: Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP),
Office of Justice Programs (OJP), and the Offices, Boards, and Divisions (OBDs).
Financial Management Systems (FMS) - FMS delivers financial management
functionality through a legacy COBOL-based mainframe system for the Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Standardized Tracking and Accounting Reporting System (STARS) - STARS
delivers financial management functionality for the United States Marshals Service
(USMS).
Systems, Applications, and Products (SAP) - SAP delivers integrated financial and
acquisitions management functionality through a commercial software product for the
Federal Prison Industries (FPI).
Each of the core financial management systems has both internal and external feeder
systems.
2. Explain how the business and accounting systems identified in response to Request No.
1 interact with one another.
The Department's core financial management systems do not currently interact directly with
one another.
3. For each system identified in response to Request No.1, state whether information
found in that system is regularly or periodically submitted to any of the government-
wide accounting systems maintained by the Department of the Treasury, e.g., GFRS,
Page 1 of7
Enclosure
Department of Justice Response to Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
FMS - The FBI is currently preparing for migration to the UFMS.
STARS - The USMS is currently preparing for migration to the UFMS.
SAP - At this time SAP is not planned to migrate to the UFMS.
6. In addition to your agency's submissions to the government-wide accounting systems
maintained by the Department of the Treasury and OMB, as described in response to
Request Nos. 3 and 4, does your agency publish any of the same information for public
viewing? If so, describe how and in what format that information is published.
Information from Department's core financial management systems is published on the
Department's website. Examples include Department's Performance and Accountability
Report, the Budget and Summary Reports, and American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of
2009 (Recovery Act) weekly activity reports.
7. Identify and briefly describe each system that your agency uses to manage grants,
direct loans, and/or loan guarantees. If separate divisions, bureaus, or offices of your
agency use separate systems, identify which divisions, bureaus or offices use each
system.
The Department does not have direct loan or loan guarantee activity.
The Department has two grant management systems:
Community Partnership Grants Management System (CPGMS) - CPGMS is an
end-to-end web based grant system. The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) and the
Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), components within the OBDs, currently
uses CPGMS.
COPS Management System (CMS) - CMS is an end-to-end web based grant
system. The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), a component
within the OBDs, currently uses CMS.
8. For each system identified in response to Request No.7, explain how it interacts with
any business or accounting system identified in response to Request No.1.
CPGMS and CMS both interface with theFMIS2 for processing financial management
transactions (e.g. obligations and expenditures).
9. For each system identified in response to Request No.7, state whether information
found in that system is regularly or periodically submitted to the Catalogue of Federal
Domestic Assistance (CFDA), and describe how and at what intervals those submissions
occur, including descriptions of both automated an manual processes.
Page 3 of7
Enclosure
Department of Justice Response to Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Interior Department Electronic Acquisition System (IDEAS) - IDEAS is
currently used by the OJP.
SAP - SAP is used by the FPI
FMS - FMS is used by the FBI to process acquisition actions which are manually
generated
14. For each system identified in response to Request No. 13, explain how it interacts with
any business or accounting system identified in response to Request No.1.
UFMS and SAP are integrated financial and acquisition management systems.
Information from other acquisition systems is manually input into systems identified in
response to Request No.1.
15. For each system identified in response to Request No. 13, state whether information
found in that system is regularly or periodically submitted to any of the government-
wide contract management and reporting systems, e.g., FPDS, FPDS-NG,FAPIIS, etc.,
and describe how and at what intervals those submissions occur, including descriptions
of both automated and manual processes.
Information from each of the systems listed is submitted to FPDS-NG. Timeliness of data
entry in FPDS-NG varies within each component. Contract actions are required to be
submitted to FPDS-NG within three business days after contract award. In practice, however,
the submission to FPDS-NG can be significantly longer due to staffing limitations and the
large volume of delivery orders generated by some components. Submission to FPDS-NG is
through a combination of automated and manual processes.
16. For each system identified in response to Request No. 13, describe recent, current, and
planned migration or modernization projects.
Except for components migrating to UFMS, there are no planned migration or modernization
projects above normal operations and maintenance.
17. In addition to your agency's submissions to government-wide contract management
and reporting systems, described in response to Request No. 15, does your agency
publish any oftbesame information online for public viewing? If so, describe how and
in what format that information is published.
The Department has a webpage specifically related to various "Business Opportunities" with
the Department and it many components. The website is:
http://www.justice.gov/l0grants/business-opportunities.htm
Page 5 of7
Enclosure
Department of Justice Response to Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
contracts, and loans that are not accurately reflected, using both the number of
transactions and dollar figures.
In the FY 2010 FPDS Data Quality Review, the Department estimated that 98 percent of
contract actions were entered into FPDS. The estimated number of transactions and value of
transaction not entered was 19,693 and $145.3 million. For contracting actions entered into
FPDS and tested, the accuracy rate of the sample population was 96%.
OJP reviews the accuracy of grant data posting by USASpending.Gov for grants data on a
monthly basis coincident to the submission ofbi-monthly FAADS-Plus reports. OJP
frequently encounters significant delays between the date of reporting and the date of
posting. OJP frequently identifies errors in posted data not matching submitted data. OJP
manually posts corrective submissions using the F AADS-Plus format as needed and
performs an annual total validation which has led to re-baselining the Department of Justice
USASpending data set 3 out of the last 4 fiscal years. OJP is presently participating in a
Grants Data Quality Working Group (chaired by OMB) to identify opportunities to improve
the quality and accuracy of reporting methods and reported data.
22. State whether your agency incurs any reporting burdens or costs as a result of its
obligations under the Federal Financial Assistance Transparency Act ("FFATA") that
it does not incur as a result of other reporting obligations, and estimate those burdens
and costs in worker-hours and dollars.
The Department is challenged to meet all of the current reporting requirements due to
resource considerations. To date a specific analysis of the additional burdens and c9sts
required to meet the FF AT A has not been performed.
23. Identify the individual(s) who serve(s) as Senior Accountable Official(s) ("SAO") over
federal spending data quality for your agency, as defined by OMB.
Michael H. Allen
Deputy Assistant Attorney General for
Policy, Management and Planning
Justice Management Division
Department of Justice
Page 7 of7
Office of the Assistant Attorney General
The Honorable Darrell E. Issa
Chairman
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Mr. Chairman:
U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Legislative Affairs
Washington, D. C. 20530
April 25, 2011
This responds to your request of March 8, 2011 for information relating to automated
systems in use at the Department of Justice to support business and accounting functions. The
enclosed document provides answers to the questions you have posed.
We hope this information is helpful. Please do not hesitate to contact this office if we
may provide additional assistance regarding this or any other matter.
Enclosure
cc: The Honorable Elijah E. Cummings
Ranking Minority Member
The Honorable Todd R. Platts
Chairman
Sincerely,
; M ~
Ronald Weich
Assistant Attorney General
Subcomlnittee on Government Organizations, Efficiency
and Financial Management Reform
The Honorable Edolphus Towns
Ranking Minority Member
Subcommittee on Government Organizations, Efficiency
and Financial Management Reform
The Honorable Darrell E. Issa
Page Two
cc: The Honorable Jim Jordan
Chairman
Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus Oversight
and Government Spending
The Honorable Dennis J. Kucinich
Ranking Minority Member
Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus Oversight
and Government Spending
The Honorable James Lankford
Chairman
Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy,
Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement Reform
The Honorable Gerald E. Connolly
Ranking Minority Member
Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy,
Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement Reform
Enclosure
Department of Justice Response to Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
1. Identify and briefly describe each of your agency's business and accounting systems. If
separate divisions, bureaus, or offices of your agency use separate systems, identify
which divisions, bureaus or offices use each system.
The Department of Justice (Department) currently has following five separate core financial
management systems:
Unified Financial Management System (UFMS) - UFMS delivers integrated
financial and acquisitions management functionality through a commercial software
product, CGI Federal's Momentum. Components currently using the integrated
UFMS include: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and Asset Forfeiture Management Staff
(AFMS).
Financial Management Information System (FMIS2) - FMIS2 delivers financial
management functionality through internally develop financial system software.
Components currently using FMIS2 include: Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP),
Office of Justice Programs (OJP), and the Offices, Boards, and Divisions (OBDs).
Financial Management Systems (FMS) - FMS delivers financial management
functionality through a legacy COBOL-based mainframe system for the Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Standardized Tracking and Accounting Reporting System (STARS) - STARS
delivers financial management functionality for the United States Marshals Service
(USMS).
Systems, Applications, and Products (SAP) - SAP delivers integrated financial and
acquisitions management functionality through a commercial software product for the
Federal Prison Industries (FPI).
Each of the core financial management systems has both internal and external feeder
systems.
2. Explain how the business and accounting systems identified in response to Request No.
1 interact with one another.
The Department's core financial management systems do not currently interact directly with
one another.
3. For each system identified in response to Request No.1, state whether information
found in that system is regularly or periodically submitted to any of the government-
wide accounting systems maintained by the Department of the Treasury, e.g., GFRS,
Page 1 of7
Enclosure
Department of Justice Response to Comnlittee on Oversight and Government Refonn
F ACTS I, FACTS II, IFCS, etc., explain how and at what intervals those submissions
occur, including descriptions of both manual and automated processes.
Infonnation froin each of the Department's core financialtnanagement systems is regularly
sublnitted to the Department of the Treasury (Treasury). The frequency and type of data
translnission is dependent on the type of information and guidance issued by the Treasury.
For example, the Treasury Secure PaYlnent System (SPS) is an application that provides a
mechanisln by which government agencies can create paylnent schedules in a secure fashion
and is primarily an automated process for our core financial management systems. Other
Treasury reporting requirements, such as FACTS I and FACTS II are accolnplished based on
a combination of manual an automated processes.
4. For each system identified in response to Request No.1, state whether information
found in that system is regularly or periodically submitted to the Office of Management
and Budget ("OMB") MAX Information System, and explain how and at what intervals
those submissions occur, including descriptions of both automated and manual
processes.
The Departments core financial management systelns do not directly interface with the MAX
A-II infonnation systeln. Components submit accounting data into the FACTS II systeln,
which then feeds that infonnation into the MAX system, populating the infonnation in the
prior year actuals colulnn. The Departlnent's cOlnponents verify the prior year FACTS II
infonnation in MAX but no information is directly entered into MAX via the component
users or the Department's financial systems. The only exception to this is when an error is
identified during the two week FACTS II revision window, in which case a component could
over write FACTS II data in MAX as long as that particular piece of infonnation is not
subject to a MAX A-II edit check. The cOlnponent's finance office would tnake the
correction in FACTS II.
5. For each system identified in response to Request No.1, describe recent, current, and
planned migration or modernization projects.
The Departlnent is planning to Inigrate several of the current financial systems to UFMS.
The core financial managelnent systenls status is as follows:
UFMS -The AFMS and DEA migrated to UFMS in Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 and FY
2 0 0 9 ~ followed by the A TF in FY 2011. The USMS is planning to migrate to UFMS
ill FY 2012. The FBI is planning to tlligrate their Criluillal Justice Infonnation
Service (CnS) organization in FY 2013 and the rest of FBI by FY 201 5.
FMIS2 - Based on guidance frOln the OMB Office of Managelnent and Budget
(OMB) issued Memorandum 1 0 - 2 6 ~ Imlnediate Review of Financial Systems IT
Projects FMIS2 will not Inigrate to the UFMS in the near future. In anticipation, the
FMIS2 is analyzing the adoption certain standard process ilnplelnented as part of the
UFMS.
Page 2 of7
Enclosure
Department of Justice Response to Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
FMS - The FBI is currently preparing for migration to the UFMS.
STARS - The USMS is currently preparing for migration to the UFMS.
SAP - At this time SAP is not planned to migrate to the UFMS.
6. In addition to your agency's submissions to the government-wide accounting systems
maintained by the Department of the Treasury and OMB, as described in response to
Request Nos. 3 and 4, does your agency publish any of the same information for public
viewing? If so, describe how and in what format that information is published.
Information from Department's core financial management systems is published on the
Department's website. Examples include Department's Performance and Accountability
Report, the Budget and Summary Reports, and American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of
2009 (Recovery Act) weekly activity reports.
7. Identify and briefly describe each system that your agency uses to manage grants,
direct loans, and/or loan guarantees. If separate divisions, bureaus, or offices of your
agency use separate systems, identify which divisions, bureaus or offices use each
system.
The Department does not have direct loan or loan guarantee activity.
The Department has two grant management systems:
Community Partnership Grants Management System (CPGMS) - CPGMS is an
end-to-end web based grant system. The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) and the
Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), components within the OBDs, currently
uses CPGMS.
COPS Management System (CMS) - CMS is an end-to-end web based grant
system. The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), a component
within the OBDs, currently uses CMS.
8. For each system identified in response to Request No.7, explain how it interacts with
any business or accounting system identified in response to Request No.1.
CPGMS and CMS both interface with the FMIS2 for processing financial management
trCl;nsactions (e.g. obligations and expenditures).
9. For each system identified in response to Request No.7, state whether information
found in that system is regularly or periodically submitted to the Catalogue of Federal
Domestic Assistance (CFDA), and describe how and at what intervals those submissions
occur, including descriptions of both automated an manual processes.
Page 3 of7
Enclosure
Department of Justice Response to Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Yes. The CFDA contains financial and nonfinancial assistance progratTIs administered by the
Department which are also contained in CPGMS and CMS.
10. For each system identified in response to Request No.7, state whether information
found in that system is regularly or periodically submitted to any of the government-
wide grants management and reporting systems, e.g., F AADS, FAADS PLUS, etc., and
describe how and at what intervals those submissions occur, including descriptions of
both automated and manual processes.
The Department grant information is submitted to USASpending.gov twice per month using
the F AADS/Plus format. OJP assembles and reports grant information for OJP, OVW, and
the COPS.
11. For each system identified in response to Request No.7, describe recent, current, and
planned migration or modernization projects.
The hardware infrastructure for the CPGMS was upgraded in FY2009-2010 to respond to the
tripling of demand on the system to support the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act
(ARRA) requirements. The FY 2012 President's Budget is requesting funding for a software
enhancement of the CPGMS, as the system has been in use for over a decade with no
significant changes.
No lnigration or modernization projects above normal operations and maintenance are
planned for CMS.
12. In addition to your agency's submissions to government-wide grants management and
reporting systems, described in response to Request Nos. 9 and 10, does your agency
publish any of the same information online for public viewing? If so how and in what
format this information is published.
The Department does publish similar information online for public viewing. Other related
information is included on Department and component websites. Examples of what can be
found online are program descriptions, funding opportunities, application assistance, and
other useful infonnation.
13. Identify and briefly describe each system that your agency uses to manage contracts. If
separate divisions, bureaus, or offices of you agency use separate systems, identify
which divisions, bUl'eaus, 01' offices use each system.
The Department current acquisition systems include:
UFMS - UFMS acquisitions is used by the DEA, ATF, USMS (headquarters) and
BOP.
PRISM - PRISM is primarily used by the OBDs.
Page 4 of7
Enclosure
Department of Justice Response to Committee on Oversight a n ~ Government Reform
Interior Department Electronic Acquisition System (IDEAS) - IDEAS is
currently used by the OlP.
SAP - SAP is used by the FPI
FMS - FMS is used by the FBI to process acquisition actions which are manually
generated
14. For each system identified in response to Request No. 13, explain how it interacts with
any business or accounting system identified in response to Request No. 1.
UFMS and SAP are integrated financial and acquisition management systems.
Information from other acquisition systems is manually input into systems identified in
response to Request No.1."
15. For each system identified in response to Request No. 13, state whether information
found in that system is regularly or periodically submitted to any of the government-
wide contract management and reporting systems, e.g., FPDS, FPDS-NG, F APIIS, etc.,
and describe how and at what intervals those submissions occur, including descriptions
of both automated and manual processes.
Information from each of the systems listed is submitted to FPDS-NG. Timeliness of data
entry in FPDS-NG varies within each component. Contract actions are required to be
submitted to FPDS-NG within three business days after contract award. In practice, however,
the submission to FPDS-NG can be significantly longer due to staffing limitations and the
large volume of delivery orders generated by some components. Submission to FPDS-NG is
through a combination of automated and manual processes.
16. For each system identified in response to Request No. 13, describe recent, current, and
planned migration or modernization projects.
Except for components migrating to UFMS, there are no planned migration or modernization
projects above normal operations and maintenance.
17. In addition to your agency's submissions to government-wide contract management
and reporting systems, described in response to Request No. 15, does your agency
publish any of the same information online for public viewing? If so, describe how and
in what format that information is published.
The Department has a webpage specifically related to various "Business Opportunities" with
the Department and it many components. The website is:
http://www.justice.gov/10grants/business-opportunities.htm
Page 5 of7
Enclosure
Department of Justice Response to Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
18. Briefly describe your agency's efforts to comply with OMB's memorandum on the
Open Government Directive - Federal Spending Transparency, dated April 6, 2010. In
particular, describe whether and how your agency has begun to collect and report sub-
award data, as required by the memorandum, and describe how your agency's reports
on OMB's data quality metrics, as required by the memorandum, are generated.
The Department has developed a Federal Spending Information Quality Plan that discusses
open government goals specifically related to the transparency and quality of Federal
spending information. The plan describes the significant types of Federal spending
information that are disseminated by the Department, along with related data quality internal
control initiatives. It addresses the coordinated efforts that are occurring within the
Department to ensure successful implementation of the data quality requirements. The plan
also sets forth a framework for monitoring progress and performance, to include actions
taken to identify areas of risk and complete corrective actions.
In addition to developing this plan, the Department is in the process of developing methods
for the components to report on sub-award data as well as methods to report on specific data
quality metrics.
19. If your agency interacts directly with USASpending.gov, in addition to submitting
information to the systems that feed USASpending.gov, describe the nature, frequency,
and purposes of that interaction.
The Department primarily transmits data to USASpending.gov through FPDS-NG for
acquisition information and F ADDS Plus for grant information. Beyond these prilnary
interactions, components of the Department may interact on an infrequent basis for research
or quality control procedures with USASpending.gov.
20. Describe the data quality controls and procedures that your agency has implemented
for the information that is submitted to USASpending.gov, including information
submitted directly and information submitted to one of the systems that feeds
USASpending.gov.
The Department's program and implementation plan for Appendix A of Circular A-123,
Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting, help to ensure proper internal controls exist over
spending associated with contracts and grants. In addition, the annual assessment of the
acquisition function (the Acquisition Assessment) and the FPDS Data Quality Review
proviue 1he Depur1rnell1 with oppor1ulli1it'tJ 10 iut'u1ify cOll110lt) 1ilulllddd illlVlUVelllellt ill
areas affecting Federal spending. Through the Acquisition Assessment, the Department
performs an entity-level review of the procurement area. The FPDS Data Quality Review
requires testing of key FPDS attributes identified in OMB guidance over a sample of
individual contract files. These attributes are included in USA Spending.
21. State whether all of your agency's current grants, contracts, and loans are accurately
reflected on USASpending.gov, and, if not, estimate the percentage of current grants,
Page 6 of7
Enclosure
Department of Justice Response to Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
contracts, and loans that are not accurately reflected, using both the number of
transactions and dollar figures.
In the FY 2010 FPDS Data Quality Review, the Department estimated that 98 percent of
contract actions were entered into FPDS. The estimated number of transactions and value of
transaction not entered was 19,693 and $145.3 million. For contracting actions entered into
FPDS and tested, the accuracy rate of the sample population was 96%.
OJP reviews the accuracy of grant data posting by USASpending.Gov for grants data on a
monthly basis coincident to the submission ofbi-monthly FAADS-Plus reports. OJP
frequently encounters significant delays between the date of reporting and the date of
posting. OJP frequently identifies errors in posted data not matching submitted data. OJP
manually posts corrective submissions using the F AADS-Plus format as needed and
performs an annual total validation which has led to re-baselining the Department of Justice
USASpending data'set 3 out of the last 4 ,fiscal years. OJP is presently participating in a
Grants Data Quality Working Group (chaired by OMB) to identify opportunities to improve
the quality and accuracy of reporting methods and reported data.
22. State whether your agency incurs any reporting burdens or costs as a result of its
obligations under the Federal Financial Assistance Transparency Act ("FF AT A") that
it does not incur as a result of other reporting obligations, and estimate those burdens
and costs in worker-hours and dollars.
The Department is challenged to meet all of the current reporting requirements due to
resource considerations. To date a specific analysis of the additional burdens and costs
required to meet the FFATA has not been performed.
23. Identify the individual(s) who serve(s) as Senior Accountable Official(s) ("SAO") over
federal spending data quality for your agency, as ~ e f i n e d by OMB.
Michael H. Allen
Deputy Assistant Attorney General for
Policy, Management and Planning
Justice Management Division
Department of Justice
Page 7 of7
Office of the Assistant Attorney General
The Honorable Darrell E. Issa
Chairman
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Mr. Chairman:
u.s. Department of Justice
Office of Legislative Affairs
Washingtoll, D. C. 20530
April 25, 2011
This responds to your request of March 8, 2011 for information relating to automated
systems in use at the Department of Justice to support business and accounting functions. The
enclosed. document provides answers to the questions you have posed.
We hope this information is helpful. Please do not hesitate to contact this office if we
may provide additional assistance regarding this or any other matter.
Enclosure
cc: The Honorable Elijah E. Cummings
Ranking Minority Member
The Honorable Todd R. Platts
Chairman
Sincerely,
4 1 A ~
Ronald Weich
Assistant Attorney General
Subcomluittee on Government Organizations, Efficiency
and Financial Management Reform
The Honorable Edolphus Towns
Ranking Minority Member
Subcommittee on Government Organizations, Efficiency
and Financial Management Reform
The Honorable Darrell E. Issa
Page Two
cc: The Honorable Jim Jordan
Chairman
Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus Oversight
and Government Spending
The Honorable Dennis J. Kucinich
Ranking Minority Member
Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus Oversight
and Government Spending
The Honorable James Lankford
Chairman
Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy,
Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement Reform
The Honorable Gerald E. COIU1011y
Ranking Minority Member
Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy,
Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement Reform
Enclosure
Department of Justice Response to Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
1. Identify and briefly describe each of your agency's business and accounting systems. If
separate divisions, bureaus, or offices of your agency use separate systems, identify
which divisions, bureaus or offices use each system.
The Department of Justice (Department) currently has following five separate core financial
management systems:
Unified Financial Management System (UFMS) - UFMS delivers integrated
financial and acquisitions management functionality through a commercial software
product, CGI Federal's Momentum. Components currently using the integrated
UFMS include: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and Asset Forfeiture Management Staff
(AFMS).
Financial Management Information System (FMIS2) - FMIS2 delivers financial
tnanagement functionality through internally develop financial system software.
Components currently using FMIS2 include: Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP),
Office of Justice Programs (OJP), and the Offices, Boards, and Divisions (OBDs).
, Financial Management Systems (FMS) - FMS delivers financial management
'functionality through a legacy COBOL-based mainframe system for the Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Standardized Tracking and Accounting Reporting System (STARS) - STARS
delivers financial management functionality for the United States Marshals Service
(USMS).
Systems, Applications, and Products (SAP) - SAP delivers integrated financial and
acquisitions management functionality through a commercial software product for the
Federal Prison Industries (FPI).
Each of the core financial management systems has both internal and external feeder
systems.
2. Explain how the business and accounting systems identified in response to Request No.
1 interact with one another.
The Department's core financial management systems do not currently interact directly with
one another.
3. For each system identified in response to Request No.1, state whether information
found in that system is regularly or periodically submitted to any of the government-
wide accounting systems maintained by the Department of the Treasury, e.g., GFRS,
Page 1 of7
Enclosure
Department of Justice Response to Committee on Oversight and Government Refonn
FACTS I, FACTS II, IFCS, etc., explain how and at what intervals those submissions
occur, including descriptions of both manual and automated processes.
Information froin each of the Department's core financialtnanagement systetns is regularly
subinitted to the Department of the Treasury (Treasury). The frequency and type of data
translnission is dependent on the type of information and guidance issued by the Treasury.
For example, the Treasury Secure PaYlnent System (SPS) is an application that provides a
mechanisln by which goverrunent agencies can create paylnent schedules in a secure fashion
and is primarily an automated process for our core financial managelnent systems. Other
Treasury repo11ing requirements, such as FACTS [ and FACTS II are accolnplished based on
a cOlnbination of manual an automated processes.
4. For each system identified in response to Request No.1, state whether information
found in that system is regularly or periodically submitted to the Office of Management
and Budget ("OMB") MAX Information System, and explain how and at what intervals
those submissions occur, including descriptions of both automated and manual
processes.
The Departlnents core financial management systelns do not directly interface with the MAX
A-II infonnation systeln. Components submit accounting data into the FACTS II system,
which then feeds that infonnation into the MAX system, popUlating the information in the
prior year actuals colulnn. The Departlnent's components verify the prior year FACTS n
infonnation in MAX but no infonnation is directly entered into MAX via the component
users or the Department's financial systems. The only exception to this is when an error is
identified during the two week FACTS [[ revision window, in which case a component could
over write FACTS II data in MAX as long as that particular piece of information is not
subject to a MAX A-II edit check. The component's finance office would tnake the
correction in FACTS [l.
5. For each system identified in response to Request No.1, describe recent, current, and
planned migration or modernization projects.
The Departnlent is planning to migrate several of the current financial systems to UFMS.
The core financialtuanagement systenls status is as follows:
UFMS -The AFMS and DEAmigrated to UFMS in Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 and FY
2009, followed by the A TF in FY 2011. The USMS is planning to migrate to UFMS
ill FY 2012. The FBI is planning to luigrate their Criluiual J ustil:e Infonnation
Service (CnS) organization in FY 2013 and the rest of FBI by FY 2015.
FMIS2 - Based on guidance from the OMB Office of Managelnent and Budget
(OMB) issued Memorandum 10-26, lmtnediate Review of Financial Systelns IT
Projects FMIS2 will not migrate to the UFMS in the near future. In anticipation, the
FMIS2 is analyzing the adoption certain standard process iluplemented as part of the
UFMS.
Page 2 of7
Enclosure
Department of Justice Response to Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
FMS - The FBI is currently preparing for migration to the UFMS.
STARS - The USMS is currently preparing for migration to the UFMS.
SAP - At this time SAP is not planned to migrate to the UFMS.
6. In addition to your agency's submissions to the government-wide accounting systems
maintained by the Department of the Treasury and OMB, as described in response to
Request Nos. 3 and 4, d.oes your agency publish any of the same information for public
viewing? If so, describe how and in what format that information is published.
Information from Department's core financial management systems is published on the
Department's website. Examples include Department's Performance and Accountability
Report, the Budget and Summary Reports, and American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of
2009 (Recovery Act) weekly activity reports.
7. Identify and briefly describe each system that your agency uses to manage grants,
direct loans, and/or loan guarantees. If separate divisions, bureaus, or offices of your
agency use separate systems, identify which divisions, bureaus or offices use each
system.
The Department does not have direct loan or loan guarantee activity.
The Department has two grant management systems:
Community Partnership Grants Management System (CPGMS) - CPGMS is an
end-to-end web based grant system. The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) and the
Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), components within the OBDs, currently
uses CPGMS.
COPS Management System (CMS) - CMS is an end-to-end web based grant
system. The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), a component
within the OBDs, currently uses CMS.
8. For each system identified in response to Request No.7, explain how it interacts with
any business or accounting system identified in response to Request No.1.
CPGMS and CMS both interface with the FMIS2 for processing financial management
transactions (e.g. obligations and expenditures).
9. For each system identified in response to Request No.7, state whether information
found in that system is regularly or periodically submitted to the Catalogue of Federal
Domestic Assistance (CFDA), and describe how and at what intervals those submissions
occur, including descriptions of both automated an manual processes.
Page 3 of7
Enclosure
Department of Justice Response to Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Yes. The CFOA contains financial and nonfinancial assistance programs administered by the
Department which are also contained in CPGMS and CMS.
10. For each system identified in response to Request No.7, state whether information
found in that system is regularly or periodically submitted to any of the government-
wide grants management and reporting systems, e.g., FAADS, FAADS PLUS, etc., and
describe how and at what intervals those submissions occur, including descriptions of
both automated and manual processes.
The Department grant information is submitted to USASpending.gov twice per month using
the FAADS/Plus format. OJP assembles and reports grant information for OJP, OVW, and
the COPS.
11. For each system identified in response to Request No.7, describe recent, current, and
planned migration or modernization projects.
The hardware infrastructure for the CPGMS was upgraded in FY2009-20 1 0 to respond to the
tripling of demand on the system to support the Alnerican Reinvestment and Recovery Act
(ARRA) requirements. The FY 2012 President's B"udget is requesting funding for a software
enhancement of the CPGMS, as the system has been in use for, over a decade with no
significant changes.
No migration or modernization proj ects above normal operations and maintenance are
planned for CMS.
12. In addition to your agency's submissions to government-wide grants management and
reporting systems, described in response to Request Nos. 9 and 10, does your agency
publish any of the same information online for public viewing? If so how and in what
format this information is published.
The Department does publish silnilar infonnation online for public viewing. Other related
information is included on Department and component websites. Examples of what can be
found online are program descriptions, funding opportunities, application assistance, and
other useful infonnation.
13. Identify and briefly describe each system that your agency uses to manage contracts. If
separate divisions, bureaus, or offices of you agency use separate systems, identify
which divisions, burcaus, 01' officcs use each system.
The Department current acquisition systems include:
UFMS - UFMS acquisitions is used by the OEA, A TF, USMS (headquarters) and
BOP.
PRISM - PRISM is primarily used by the OBDs.
Page 4 of7
Enclosure
Department of Justice Response to Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Interior Department Electronic Acquisition System (IDEAS) - IDEAS is
. currently used by the OJP.
SAP - SAP is used by the FPI
FMS - FMS is used by the FBI to process acquisition actions which are manually
generated
14. For each system identified in response to Request No. 13, explain how it interacts with
any business or accounting system identified in response to R ~ q u e s t No. 1.
UFMS and SAP are integrated financial and acquisition management systems.
Information from other acquisition systems is manually input into systems identified in
response to Request No. 1.
15. For each system identified in response to Request No. 13, state whether information
found in that system is regularly or periodically submitted to any of the government-
wide contract management and reporting systems, e.g., FPDS, FPDS-NG, FAPIIS, etc.,
and describe how and at what intervals those submissions occur, including descriptions
of both automated and manual processes.
Information from each of the systems listed is submitted to FPDS-NG. Timeliness of data
entry in FPDS-NG varies within each component. Contract actions are required to be
submitted to FPDS-NG within three business days after contract award. In practice, however,
the submission to FPDS-NG can be significantly longer due to staffing limitations and the
large volume of delivery orders generated by some components. Submission to FPDS-NG is
through a combination of automated and manual processes.
16. For each system identified in response to Request No. 13, describe recent, current, and
planned migration or modernization projects.
Except for components migrating to UFMS, there are no planned migration or modernization
projects above normal operations and maintenance.
17. In addition to your agency's submissions to government-wide contract management
and reporting systems, described in response to Request No. 15, does your agency
publish any of the same information online for public viewing? If so, describe how and
in what format that information is published.
The Department has a webpage specifically related to various "Business Opportunities" with
the Department and it many components. The website is:
http://www.justice.gov/l0grants/business-opportunities.htm
Page 5 of7
Enclosure
Department of Justice Response to Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
18. Briefly describe your agency's efforts to comply with OMB's memorandum on the
Open Government Directive - Federal Spending Transparency, dated April 6, 2010. In
particular, describe whether and how your agency has begun to collect and report sub-
award data, as required by the memorandum, and describe how your agency's reports
on OMB's data quality metrics, as required by the memorandum, are generated.
The Department has developed a Federal Spending Information Quality Plan that discusses
open government goals specifically related to the transparency and quality of Federal
spending information. The plan describes the significant types of Federal spending
information that are disseminated by the Department, along with related data quality internal
control initiatives. It addresses the coordinated efforts that are occurring within the
Department to ensure successful implementation of the data quality requirelnents. The plan
also sets forth a framework for monitoring progress and performance, to include actions
taken to identify areas of risk and complete corrective actions.
In addition to developing this plan, the Department is in the process of developing methods
for the components to report on sub-award data as well as Inethods to report on specific data
quality metrics.
19. If your agency interacts directly with USASpending.gov, in addition to submitting
information to the systems that feed USASpending.gov, describe the nature, frequency,
and purposes of that interaction.
The Department primarily translnits data to USASpending.gov through FPDS-NG for
acquisition information and F ADDS Plus for grant information. Beyond these primary
interactions, components of the Department may interact on an infrequent basis for research
or quality control procedures with USASpending.gov.
20. Describe the data quality controls and procedures that your agency has implemented
for the information that is submitted to USASpending.gov, including information
submitted directly and information submitted to one of the systems that feeds
USASpending.gov.
The Department's program and implementation plan for Appendix A of Circular A-123,
Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting, help to ensure proper internal controls exist over
spending associated with contracts and grants. In addition, the annual assessment of the
acquisition function (the Acquisition Assessment) and the FPDS Data Quality Review
wilh lo ill
areas affecting Federal spending. Through the Acquisition Assessment, the Department
performs an entity-level review of the procurement area. The FPDS Data Quality Review
requires testing of key FPDS attributes identified in OMB guidance over a sample of
individual contract files. These attributes are included in USA Spending.
21. State whether all of your agency's current grants, contracts, and loans are accurately
reflected on USASpending.gov, and, if not, estimate the percentage of current grants,
Page 60f7
Enclosure
Department of Justice Response to Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
contracts, and loans that are not accurately reflected, using both the number of
transactions and dollar figures.
In the FY 2010 FPDS Data Quality Review, the Department estimated that 98 percent of
contract actions were entered into FPDS. The estimated number of transactions and value of
transaction not entered was 19,693 and $145.3 million. For contracting actions entered into
FPDS and tested, the accuracy rate of the sample population was 96%.
OJP reviews the accuracy of grant data posting by USASpending.Gov for grants data on a
monthly basis coincident to the submission ofbi-monthly F AADS-Plus reports. OJP
frequently encounters significant delays between the date of reporting and the date of
posting. OJP frequently identifies errors in posted data not matching submitted data. OJP
manually posts corrective submissions using the F AADS-Plus format as needed and
performs an annual total validation which has led to re-baselining the Department of Justice
USASpending data set 3 out of the last 4 fiscal years. OJP is presently participating in a
Grants Data Quality Working Group (chaired by OMB) to identify opportunities to improve
the quality and accuracy of reporting methods and reported data.
22. State whether your agency incurs any reporting burdens or costs as a result of its
obligations under the Federal Financial Assistance Transparency Act ("FFATA") that
it does not incur as a result of other reporting obligations, and estimate those burdens
and costs in worker-hours and dollars.
The Department is challenged to meet all of the current reporting requirements due to
resource considerations. To date a specific analysis of the additional burdens and costs
required to meet the FF AT A has not been performed.
23. Identify the individual(s) who serve(s) as Senior Accountable Official(s) ("SAO") over
federal spending data quality for your agency, as defined by OMB.
Michael H. Allen
Deputy Assistant Attorney General for
Policy, Management and Planning
Justice Management Division
Department of Justice
Page 7 of7
Office of the Assistant Attorney General
The Honorable Darrell E. Issa
Chairman
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Mr. Chairman:
U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Legislative Affairs
W({shingtolZ, D. C. 20530
April 25, 2011
This responds to your request of March 8, 2011 for information relating to automated
systems in use at the Department of Justice to support business and accounting functions. The
enclosed document provides answers to the questions you have posed.
We hope this information is helpful. Please do not hesitate to contact this office if we
may provide additional assistance regarding this or any other matter.
Enclosure
cc: The Honorable Elijah E. Cummings
Ranking Minority Member
The Honorable Todd R. Platts
Chairman
Sincerely,
ffi/lv.A
Ronald Weich
Assistant Attorney General
Subcommittee on Government Organizations, Efficiency
and Financial Management Reform
The Honorable Edolphus Towns
Ranking Minority Member
Subcommittee on Government Organizations, Efficiency
and Financial Management Reform
The Honorable Darrell E. Issa
Page Two
cc: The Honorable Jim Jordan
Chairman
Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus Oversight
and Government Spending
The Honorable Dennis J. Kucinich
Ranking Minority Member
Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus Oversight
and Government Spending
The Honorable James Lankford
Chairman
Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy,
Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement Reform
The Honorable Gerald E. COIIDOlly
Ranking Minority Member
Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy,
Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement Reform
Enclosure
Department of Justice Response to Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
1. Identify and briefly describe each of your agency's business and accounting systems. If
separate divisions, bureaus, or offices of your agency use separate systems, identify
which divisions, bureaus or offices use each system.
The Department of Justice (Department) currently has following five separate core financial
management systems:
Unified Financial Management System (UFMS) - UFMS delivers integrated
financial and acquisitions management functionality through a commercial software
product, CGI Federal's Momentum. Components currently using the integrated
UFMS include: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and Asset Forfeiture Management Staff
(AFMS).
Financial Management Information System (FMIS2) - FMIS2 delivers financial
management functionality through internally develop financial system software.
Components currently using FMIS2 include: Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP),
Office of Justice Programs (OJP), and the Offices, Boards, and Divisions (OBDs).
Financial Management Systems (FMS) - FMS delivers financial management
functionality through a legacy COBOL-based mainframe system for the Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Standardized Tracking and Accounting Reporting System (STARS) - STARS
delivers financial management functionality for the United States Marshals Service
(USMS).
Systems, Applications, and Products (SAP) - SAP delivers integrated financial and
acquisitions management functionality through a commercial software product for the
Federal Prison Industries (FPI).
Each of the core financial management systems has both internal and external feeder
systems.
2. Explain how the business and accounting systems identified in response to Request No.
1 interact with one another.
The Department's core financial management systems do not currently interact directly with
one another.
3. For each system identified in response to Request No.1, state whether information
found in that system is regularly or periodically submitted to any of the government-
wide accounting systems maintained by the Department of the Treasury, e.g., GFRS,
Page 1 of7
Enclosure
Department of Justice Response to Comnlittee on Oversight and Governrnent Refonn
FACTS I, FACTS II, IFCS, etc., explain how and at what intervals those submissions
occur, including descriptions of both manual and automated processes.
Infonnation froin each of the Department's core financiallnanagement systelns is regularly
sublnitted to the Departlnent of the Treasury (Treasury). The frequency and type of data
translnission is dependent on the type of information and guidance issued by the Treasury.
For example, the Treasury Secure PaYlnent System (SPS) is an application that provides a
mechanisln by which govermnent agencies can create payment schedules in a secure fashion
and is primarily an automated process for our core financiallnanagelnent systems. Other
Treasury reporting requirements, such as FACTS I and FACTS II are accolnplished based on
a combination of manual an automated processes.
4. For each system identified in response to Request No.1, state whether information
found in that system is regularly or periodically submitted to the Office of Management
and Budget ("OMB") MAX Information System, and explain how and at what intervals
those submissions occur, including descriptions of both automated and manual
processes.
The Departlnents core financial management systelns do not directly interface with the MAX
A-II infonnation systeln. Components submit accounting data into the FACTS II system,
which then feeds that infonnation into the MAX system, populating the information in the
prior year actuals colulnn. The Departlnent's components verify the prior year FACTS II
infonnation in MAX but no infonnation is directly entered into MAX via the component
users or the Department's financial systems. The only exception to this is when an error is
identified during the two week FACTS II revision window, in which case a component could
over write FACTS II data in MAX as long as that particular piece of information is not
subject to a MAX A-II edit check. The component's finance office would tnake the
correction in FACTS n.
5. For each system identified in response to Request No.1, describe recent, current, and
planned migration or modernization projects.
The Departlnent is planning to migrate several of the current financial systems to UFMS.
The core financiallnanagelnent systelns status is as follows:
UFMS -The AFMS and DEA migrated to UFMS in Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 and FY
2009, followed by the ATF in FY 2011. The USMS is planning to migrate to UFMS
ill FY 2012. The FBI is planning to luigrate their Crillliual Justice Infonnation
Service (CnS) organization in FY 2013 and the rest of FBI by FY 2015.
FMIS2 - Based on guidance from the OMB Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) issued Memorandum 10-26, Imlnediate Review of Financial Systelns IT
Projects FMIS2 will not migrate to the UFMS in the near future. In anticipation, the
FMIS2 is analyzing the adoption certain standard process itnplemented as part of the
UFMS.
Page 2 of7
Enclosure
Department of Justice Response to Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
FMS - The FBI is currently preparing for migration to the UFMS.
STARS - The USMS is currently preparing for migration to the UFMS.
SAP - At this time SAP is not planned to migrate to the UFMS.
6. In addition to your agency's submissions to the government-wide accounting systems
maintained by the Department of the Treasury and OMB, as described in response to
Request Nos. 3 and 4, does your agency publish any of the same information for public
viewing? If so, describe how and in what format that information is published.
Information from Department's core financial management systems is published on the
Department's website. Examples include Department's Performance and Accountability
Report, the Budget and Summary Reports, and American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of
2009 (Recovery Act) weekly activity reports.
7. Identify and briefly describe each system that your agency uses to manage grants,
direct loans; and/or loan guarantees. If separate divisions, bureaus, or offices of your
agency use separate systems, identify which divisions, bureaus or offices use each
system.
The Department does not have direct loan or loan guarantee activity.
The Department has two grant management systems:
Community Partnership Grants Management System (CPGMS) - CPGMS is an
end-to-end web based grant system. The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) and the
Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), components within the OBDs, currently
uses CPGMS.
COPS Management System (CMS) - CMS is an end-to-end web based grant
system. The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), a component
within the OBDs, currently uses CMS.
8. For each system identified in response to Request No.7, explain how it interacts with
any business or accounting system identified in response to Request No. 1.
CPGMS and CMS both interface with the FMIS2 for processing financial management
transactions (e.g. obligations and expenditures).
9. For each system identified in response to Request No.7, state whether information
found in that system is regularly or periodically submitted to the Catalogue of Federal
Domestic Assistance (CFDA), and describe how and at what intervals those submissions
occur, including descriptions of both automated an manual processes.
Page 3 of7
Enclosure
Department of Justice Response to Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Yes. The CFDA contains financial and nonfinancial assistance progratns administered by the
Department which are also contained in CPGMS and CMS.
10. For each system identified in response to Request No.7, state whether information
found in that system is regularly or periodically submitted to any of the government-
wide grants management and reporting systems, e.g., FAADS, FAADS PLUS, etc., and
describe how and at what intervals those submissions occur, including descriptions of
both automated and manual processes.
The Department grant information is submitted to USASpending.gov twice per month using
the F AADS/Plus format. OJP assembles and reports grant information for OJP, OVW, and
the COPS.
11. For each system identified in response to Request No.7, describe recent, current, and
planned migration or modernization projects.
The hardware infrastructure for the CPGMS was upgraded in FY2009-2010 to respond to the
tripling of delnand on the system to support the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act
(ARRA) requirements. The FY 2012 President's Budget is requesting funding for a software
enhancement of the CPGMS, as the system has been in use for over a decade with no
significant changes.
No Inigration or modernization proj ects above normal operations and maintenance are
planned for CMS.
12. In addition to your agency's submissions to government-wide grants management and
reporting systems, described in response to Request Nos. 9 and 10, does your agency .
publish any of the same information online for public viewing? If so how and in what
format this information is published.
The Department does publish similar information online for public viewing. Other related
information is included on Department and component websites. Examples of what can be
found online are program descriptions, funding opportunities, application assistance, and
other useful infonnation.
13. Identify and briefly describe each system that your agency uses to manage contracts. If
separate divisions, bureaus, or offices of you agency use separate systems, identify
which divisiolls, bUI'caus, ol'officcs usc each systClll.
The Department current acquisition systems include:
UFMS - UFMS acquisitions is used by the DEA, ATF, USMS (headquarters) and
BOP.
PRISM - PRISM is primarily used by the OBDs.
Page 4 of7
Enclosure
Department of Justice Response to Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Interior Department Electronic Acquisition System (IDEAS) - IDEAS is
currently used by the OJP.
SAP - SAP is used by the FPI
FMS - FMS is used by the FBI to process acquisition actions which are manually
generated
14. For each system identified in response to Request No. 13, explain how it interacts with
any business or accounting system identified in response to Request No.1.
UFMS and SAP are integrated financial and acquisition management systems.
Information from other acquisition systems is manually input into systems identified in
response to Request No.1.
15. For each system identified in response to Request No. 13, state whether information
found in that system is regularly or periodically submitted to any of the government-
wide contract management and reporting systems, e ~ g . ; FPDS, FPDS-NG, FAPIIS, etc.;
and describe how and at what intervals those submissions occur, including descriptions
of both automated and manual processes.
Information from each of the systelTIS listed is submitted to FPDS-NG. Timeliness of data
entry in FPDS-NG varies within each component. Contract actions are required to be
submitted to FPDS-NG within three business days after contract award. In practice, however,
the submission to FPDS-NG can be significantly longer due to staffing limitations and the
large volume of delivery orders generated by some components. Submission to FPDS-NG is
through a combination of automated and manual processes.
16. For each system identified in response to Request No. 13, describe recent, current, and
planned migration or modernization projects.
Except for components migrating to UFMS, there are no planned migration or modernization
projects above normal operations and maintenance.
17. In addition to your agency's submissions to government-wide contract management
and reporting systems, described in response to Request No. 15, does your agency
publish any of the same information online for public viewing? If so, describe how and
in what format that information is published.
The Department has a webpage specifically related to various "Business Opportunities" with
the Department and it many components. The website is:
http://www.justice.gov/l0grants/business-opportunities.htm
Page 5 of7
Enclosure
Department of Justice Response to Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
18. Briefly describe your agency's efforts to comply with OMB's memorandum on the
Open Government Directive - Federal Spending Transparency, dated April 6, 2010. In
particular, describe whether and how your agency has begun to collect and report sub-
award data, as required by the memorandum, and describe how your agency's reports
on OMB's data quality metrics, as required by the memorandum, are generated.
The Department has developed a Federal Spending Information Quality Plan that discusses
open government goals specifically related to the transparency and quality of Federal
spending information. The plan describes the significant types of Federal spending
information that are disseminated by the Department, along with related data quality internal
control initiatives. It addresses the coordinated efforts that are occurring within the
Department to ensure successful implementation of the data quality requirelnents. The plan
also sets forth a framework for monitoring progress and performance, to include actions
taken to identify areas of risk and complete corrective actions.
In addition to developing this plan, the Department is in the process of developing methods
for the components to report on sub-award data as well as Inethods to report on specific data
quality metrics.
19. If your agency interacts directly with USASpending.gov, in addition to submitting
information to the systems that feed USASpending.gov, describe the nature, frequency,
and purposes of that interaction.
The Departlnent primarily transmits data to USASpending.gov through FPDS-NG for
acquisition information and F ADDS Plus for grant information. Beyond these prilnary
interactions, components of the Department may interact on an infrequent basis for research
or quality control procedures with USASpending.gov.
20. Describe the data quality controls and procedures that your agency has implemented
for the information that is submitted to USASpending.gov, including information
submitted directly and information submitted to one of the systems that feeds
USASpending.gov.
The Department's program and implementation plan for Appendix A of Circular A-123,
Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting, help to ensure proper internal controls exist over
spending associated with contracts and grants. In addition, the annual assessment of the
acquisition function (the Acquisition Assessment) and the FPDS Data Quality Review
proviJ\! llw D\!purlnwnl wilh opporlunilidu lo iJdlllify cOllllUlt.l lhuluddd illlVl 0 v eluent ill
areas affecting Federal spending. Through the Acquisition Assessment, the Department
performs an entity-level review of the procurement area. The FPDS Data Quality Review
requires testing of key FPDS attributes identified in OMB guidance over a sample of
individual contract files. These attributes are included in USA Spending.
21. State whether all of your agency's current grants, contracts, and loans are accurately
reflected on USASpending.gov, and, if not, estimate the percentage of current grants,
Page 6 of7
Enclosure
Department of Justice Response to Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
contracts, and loans that are not accurately reflected, using both the number of
transactions and dollar figures.
In the FY 2010 FPDS Data Quality Review, the Department estimated that 98 percent of
contract actions were entered into FPDS. The estimated number of transactions and value of
transaction not entered was 19,693 and $145.3 million. For contracting actions entered into
FPDS and tested, the accuracy rate of the sample population was 96%.
aJP reviews the accuracy of grant data posting by USASpending.Gov for grants data on a
monthly basis coincident to the submission of bi -monthly F AADS-Plus reports. aJP
frequently encounters significant delays between the date of reporting and the date of
posting. aJP frequently identifies errors in posted data not matching submitted data. OJP
manually posts corrective submissions using the F AADS-Plus format as needed and
performs an annual total validation which has led to re-baselining the Department of Justice
USASpending data set 3 out of the last 4 fiscal years. OJP is presently participating in a
Grants Data Quality Working Group (chaired by OMB) to identify opportunities to improve
the quality and accuracy of reporting methods and reported data.
22. State whether your agency incurs any reporting burdens or costs as a result of its
obligations under the Federal Financial Assistance Transparency Act ("FF AT A") that
it does not incur as a result of other reporting obligations, and estimate those burdens
and costs in worker-hours and dollars.
The Department is challenged to meet all of the current reporting requirements due to
resource considerations. To date a specific analysis of the additional burdens and costs
required to meet the FF A T A has not been performed.
23. Identify the individual(s) who serve(s) as Senior Accountable Official(s) ("SAO") over
federal spending data quality for your agency, as defined by OMB.
Michael H. Allen
Deputy Assistant Attorney General for
Policy, Management and Planning
Justice Management Division
Department of Justice
Page 70f7