DHS gets serious about a new financial system

The Department of Homeland Security is taking a big step on the road to consolidating its multiple, disparate components with a plan to replace internal legacy financial management systems with a single unified solution.

The push is one of the results of the DHS Agency Reform Plan created to comply with a Trump administration executive order on reorganizing the workforce. With a unified financial management system, DHS hopes to reduce IT procurement costs by leveraging the size and buying power of the entire agency, streamline procurement and lower the cost of financial transaction costs -- all while improving the quality of data generated by accounting systems.

DHS is advancing two procurements to meet the case.

The Enterprise Financial Management Systems (EFiMS) looks to acquire software – including cloud-based solutions – to support a standardized business processes. That procurement was extensively revised on July 2.

To put the pieces of the puzzle together, the DHS Enterprise Financial System Integrator procurement will handle the transition of legacy systems to the new integrated solution. EFSI is envisioned as a multiple-award blanket purchase agreement via General Service Administration's Schedule 70. Services sought under the BPA include program management, training, software lifecycle management and expert technical support.

The first phase of the planned DHS modernization is already in progress, with efforts underway at the Coast Guard, the Transportation Safety Administration and the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate. The scope of the EFSI BPA includes a target solution for these three in-progress modernization efforts as well as transition on the existing legacy systems of DHS headquarters and its many components, including Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Secret Service and Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The effort is led by a program office in the DHS chief financial officer's shop, in collaboration with GSA and the Office of Management and Budget.

DHS will host a joint industry day to answer questions about the two procurements, which is tentatively planned for late July, according to contracting documents.