Accenture completes first phase of new Army financial system

Accenture has announced the completion of the first phase of the Army’s new financial management system, known as the General Fund Enterprise Business System (GFEBS), at Fort Jackson, S.C.

GFEBS is designed to help the Army standardize and streamline its financial business processes and provide continuous access to accurate, reliable and timely information across the service.

Accenture last year beat out four companies for a $537 million contract to build the Army's new financial system.

The new system is based on off-the-shelf software from SAP, Accenture said.

A technology demonstration at Fort Jackson in July proved GFEBS’ ability to meet the information requirements needed to operate and support the management of Real Property Inventory, part of the Army’s general fund. It also indicated that the system could perform real property inventory effectively as a single solution, although that is just one of the functions the system is designed to do when fully implemented.

GFEBS will manage the Army’s general fund, providing information to more than 79,000 users in more than 200 locations worldwide and giving Army decision-makers real-time data on the full range of financial and budgetary matters.

“For the first time, in one system, we will be able to capture financial execution data in standardized ways like we’ve never had before in the Army,” John Miller, deputy assistant secretary of the Army for financial information management, said in a statement. “Regarding costs, we’ll know how we are spending funds and how they are tied to specific leadership initiatives, how the work breakdown structure is related to costs and how costs are linked to performance objectives.”

“This initial implementation of GFEBS Release 1.1 proves that [DOD] can clear the technological requirements, the support needs and the infrastructural capacity necessary to standardize its business processes,” said Eric Stange, managing director of Accenture’s Defense practice. “GFEBS is now well-positioned to embark on the next phase of the implementation.”

Accenture said the next phase, GFEBS Release 1.2, involves the analysis, planning and design activities that will be applied to all of the Army’s financial management installations.

GFEBS’ capabilities will be fully applied at Fort Jackson during Release 1.2, expanding the system to include the base’s installation management agency.

“Ultimately the new system will provide the financial information tools to help the Army operate more efficiently, reduce operating costs, and provide leaders with the financial information they need to make informed business decisions in support of our troops.” said Rand Blazer, president of SAP Public Services, in the statement.

The GFEBS project, which began in July 2005, is slated for a 10-year global deployment and operations schedule. When completed, it will replace several Army systems, including the Standard Army Finance System and the Standard Operation and Maintenance Army Research and Development System.