In 1997, the USPTO instituted the Activity Based Information program to comply with prevailing federal Managerial Cost Accounting standards, and to provide timely, accurate and useful cost information to make informed management decisions across the organization. Today, USPTO’s ABI program is widely recognized to be one of the best in the Federal government. Since the inception of the program, ABI methodologies have continuously improved and are consistently used in fee setting, budgeting, performance reporting, financial statement (Statement of Net Costs) preparation, and ad-hoc cost analyses and studies.
The ABI program is managed by the Activity Based Information Division within the Office of Finance. The primary responsibilities of the ABI Division are to:
- Provide leadership in the area of cost management
- Ensure compliance with relevant Managerial Cost Accounting standards
- Determine and report the costs of achieving internal and external performance goals
- Manage the ABI program and maintain the Activity Based Information System (ABIS) infrastructure
- Prepare quarterly reports and briefings on cost of operations for executives and program managers
- Prepare quarterly Statement of Net Cost and supporting notes
- Provide cost input and analysis for the Annual Performance and Accountability Report
- Perform fee studies on a regular basis to inform the fee-setting process
- Perform ad hoc cost studies on:
- proposed fee legislation
- OMB and Congressional inquiries
- internal management requests
[Activity Based Information Div.] [] [] [] []
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