FBMS will help DOI manage a variety of administrative functions, including budget formulation and execution, personnel, real and fleet property, core financials, acquisitions, travel, financial assistance (grants processing) and enterprise management information.

Key objectives of FBMS are to create the most effective organization, including economies of scale, to enhance mission delivery; to improve customer service (both internal and external); and to achieve the most functionality for the cost.

The deployment of FBMS is using a phased approach. The first phase of the project was the implementation of the financial assistance module (FBMS-FA) on April 5, 2005. FBMS-FA was implemented at three Bureaus and is designed to make it easier for users of the system to manage all aspects of the federal financial assistance process. The NBC is hosting the financial assistance module and also operates a help desk for system users.

Future FBMS deployments are organized by Bureau with the Office of the Secretary (including NBC) currently scheduled for October 2007. This deployment will include core financials, property, acquisitions and travel. The budget formulation module will be implemented separately.

A series of requirements documents has been distributed covering each of the functional areas. These documents have been disseminated to the Directorates within the NBC for review and comment on whether the NBC's unique needs are being met by the system design.

As the NBC gets more deeply involved in implementation activities we will need to participate in role mapping exercises to correlate our current duties/functions with new functionality contained in FBMS. A crosswalk of current terms to FBMS terms will be provided to assist in this effort.

Each of the Bureaus has a Bureau Lead and a Change Management Lead who works with the Project Management Office (PMO) to promote as smooth transition. Vickie Borden, Budget and Finance Directorate, is serving as the Bureau and Change Management Lead for the NBC. A team with NBC employees from each of the Directorates has been formed to raise FBMS awareness within the NBC. The team members are: Lynn Melena, Nancy Ann (KT) Tinnell, and Sandra Tomsan from Administrative Operations; Maggie Torres-Wilking from Appraisal Services; Erin Horsburgh and Rick Mills from Aviation Management; Barb Eaton, Chris Richey, Connie Sanborn, and Lonalee Picardo from Budget and Finance; Jeanne Davis from Federal Personnel Payroll Systems and Services; Kevin McWhinney from Information Technology; Lynn McPheeters from Strategic Management of Human Capital; Becky Moore and Rich Stegall of Gov Works. The Union and Human Resources also participate on the team.

Currently the biggest FBMS news is that DOI severed its relationship with the systems integrator, Bearing Point, Inc. on September 29, 2005. Despite this change, the FBMS project is continuing to move forward with the following tasks:

• Developing a project plan for the transition.
• Procuring a new contractor for system integration.
• Seeking DOI staff to participate on the team to evaluate bids for the new system integrator.
• Functional Leads and subject matter experts working on remaining issues and reviewing requirements.

For more information about FBMS please contact Vickie Borden, NBC Bureau Lead at (303) 969-7180.

For More Information:
Vickie Borden
Vickie_L_Borden@nbc.gov
303-969-7180