GSA digs into shared payroll system issues

The General Services Administration and its Unified Shared Services Management (USSM) office want to know how they can improve the execution and cost efficiencies of governmentwide payroll operations through shared services.

USSM, established by the Office of Management and Budget in October 2015 and housed at GSA, is the key driver of shared-services adoption across the federal government.

The request for information, posted July 29, "is a critical step in developing a common strategy for federal payroll service delivery, which must balance the costs and benefits of consolidation, competition, agility, flexibility, variation, etc.," USSM officials said in announcing the RFI.

USSM released the RFI on behalf of a steering committee led by the shared services policy officer, with representatives from human capital category management, the Office of Personnel Management, five federal payroll shared-services providers and customer agencies.

USSM officials want input on the solutions, products, features and functions that can help it hone how the government calculates individuals' gross and net pay. Specifically, the RFI asks about solutions in eight areas:

1. Gross to net payroll calculation
2. Payroll identity and access management federation
3. Self-service for employees, managers and HR/payroll specialists
4. Upfront data validation
5. Cloud technologies for payroll
6. Payroll data management
7. Standardized traceability of functional requirements to technical requirements
8. Comprehensive workflow management capability

Industry responses are due by Aug. 29.