Secure Payment System

Federal government agencies use the Secure Payment System (SPS) to schedule payments securely, certify those payments, and send the schedules to the Fiscal Service electronically.

SPS requires two users with different responsibilities:

• The Data Entry Operator (DEO) creates or imports a payment schedule and submits the schedule for certification.
• The Certifying Officer (CO) examines the payment schedule for content and accuracy. After verifying it, the CO certifies the payment schedule, which then goes electronically to the Fiscal Service. Fiscal Service pays according to the certified schedule.

In summary, SPS allows Federal Program Agencies (FPAs) the ability to create and certify payment schedules while maintaining strictly enforced separation of duties and utilizing Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) technology for authentication and integrity.