FreeBalance Job Openings

ICGFM sustaining member, FreeBalance, has numerous job opening. FreeBalance is a leading global provider of public sector financial management solutions helping government leaders improve accountability, transparency and good governance to promote development and growth. FreeBalance solutions are being used to achieve good governance in over 100 government organizations spanning five continents.

Ottawa, Canada

• Public Relations Specialist
• Financial Systems Implementation Specialist
• Project Manager
• Regional Sales Account Manager
• Product Trainer
• Senior IT Business Analyst

Lisbon, Portugal

• Project Cost Accountant

Antigua and Barbuda

• Support Specialist - Technical
  Support Specialist - Functional

India

• Project Manager - Financial Systems Implementation

West Bank

• International Professional Service Consultant

Sierra Leone

• Support Specialist - Technical
• Support Specialist - Functional

Timor-Leste

• Project Manager - Financial Systems Implementation
• Support Specialist - Technical
• Support Specialist - Functional

Kyrgyztan

• Systems Implementation Specialist
• Functional Support Specialist
• Technical Support Specialist

Government Budgeting in Times of Crisis

Three videos from the 23rd ICGFM Conference in Miami from Kevin Page are now available. Mr. Page, the Parliamentary Budget Officer in Canada, described the challenges in legislative oversight during the current international financial crisis.

Good Practices in Implementing Government Financial Management Systems

Wayne Job, Senior Director, Office of the Comptroller General of Canada, described the methods of implementing and managing financial systems in the Government of Canada.

Mr. Job described that the Government of Canada spends billions of dollars in IT. Some of these projects do not have positive results. He pointed out that clients are accountability for the effectiveness of their systems. Processes come first, technology second. Software costs can often be a small factor of the entire IT costs. He described key principles for success:

• Government and departmental strategic IT plans.
• Investment plans for IT with an oversight committee.
• The total cost of ownership (TCO) needs to be analyzed.
• Large projects can generate cost overruns that embarrass the government.
  

Finance and Technology for More Effective Systems

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Mr. Job says that there are so many delays in procurement that systems get implemented quickly. Often the system does not integrate across multiple needs such as supporting financial and non-financial reporting requirements.

Good practices in strategic planning was described including a 3 to 5 year plan with clear performance measurement. Finance managers have a value for money perspective, so the strategic plan must demonstrate what will be needed to achieve success.

Mr. Job says that government financial systems must be owned by the functional users, not Information Technology personnel. He described some of the factors in government budgeting in Canada. Most budget funds cannot be carried over to the following year in Canada, so many often acquire IT equipment near year end. IT staff has ballooned over the past few years in government departments.

Mr. Job recommends that software should be thought of as an asset where there will be a limited life span. Upgrades will be needed. He also described many of the hidden costs that increase the total cost. Software effectiveness is 5 to 10 years. Computers are obsolete by the time they are put into place.

Cost overruns have been very embarrassing to the government. The practice in Canada for large projects is to hire a large systems integrator and a different integrator to provide oversight. Government departments are encouraged to buy standard systems. The cost for custom systems is very high and difficult to maintain. Mr. Job encourages government departments to use standard processes in the Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) software.

The Government of Canada has reduced the number of financial systems in use from over 50 to 7. Mr. Job expects that this will be reduced to 2 or 3 in the future.

Mr. Job described how the Auditor General of Canada was consulted about risk, controls and reporting for the stimulus package in Canada. There is a bill in Parliament that will mandate quarterly financial reports. Accountability will become more targeted in Canada. He expects much more oversight by the press in June. This includes non-financial measurements like the number of job created by a stimulus program.

The current systems in place in the Government of Canada do not generate the quarterly financial and non-financial reporting needed. Many IT systems have failed in the Government of Canada, as they have in many other countries. "Don't treat IT as a black box solution." Mr. Job says that "just like stimulus money, IT spending must be clearly managed, understood and explained to all."

Finance and Technology for More Effective Systems

Christine Walker, the CFO of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) discussed the impact of the government stimulus package and the use of technology during a keynote at the 23rd Annual ICGFM Conference.

The stimulus package requires identifying risks. Based on these risk, internal controls need to be established. Effective reporting is essential. This need effective IT systems. Systems in use by the Canadian government were not designed to handle quarterly reporting, according to Ms. Walker.

Finance and Technology for More Effective Systems

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The budget bill that passed in January. Each department to receive the money needed to design systems and programs to achieve parliamentary approval. All submissions were accumulated to a single bill that was passed in Parliament, which has never been done in Canada before.

The challenge for government departments is the complex procurement process for all purchases over $25,000. This process is designed to protect the government. Ms. Walker suggested that it was very difficult to quickly manage stimulus procurement. Hiring people to help was very difficult and the government found that they had capacity problems. Vendors are able to appeal to the Canadian International Trade Tribunal should there be any mistake in the procurement process. This can delay procurements by over a year.

Ms. Walker identified numerous risks of delay such as complex environmental assessments and just-in-time project reporting. She indicated that the monitoring and reporting burden became significant. Timely and accurate information is required. The government needed to asses a certain level of risk. CIDA has created a vendor assessment and audit process to help pre-select a short list of vendors.

Parliament wants to know non-financial information. They want to know progress to date against the project plan. Governments are not used to reporting on financial and non-financial at the same time. It is imperative to use IT systems to compare projects according to Ms. Walker. Parliamentarians will demand why projects have not been completed in their ridings. She believes that the political environment will be very challenging. No one wants to be a CFO in the Government of Canada, according to Ms. Walker. IT systems are critical to support effective financial management for the stimulus package.

PFM Reform in a Crisis

Kevin Page, Parliamentary Budget Officer of the Parliament of Canada believes that the financial crisis can motivate public financial management reform.

Kevin Page answers ICGFM Delegate Questions

Kevin Page, Parliamentary Budget Officer of Parliament of Canada, answered ICGFM conference delegate questions about data quality in budget analysis and good practices in legislative budget offices.

Government Budgeting in Uncertain Times

Kevin Page, Parliamentary Budget Officer, Parliament of Canada discussed budgeting in highly uncertain times at the 23rd Annual ICGFM Conference. Kevin Page, Parliamentary Budget Officer, Parliament of Canada discussed budgeting in highly uncertain times at the 23rd Annual ICGFM Conference. Parliamentarians in Canada are somewhat upset because of the unanticipated large surpluses. Canada has also had some high profile cost overruns.

Mr. Page described some of the challenges in the Parliamentary Budget Office. They do not have access to the same information as the executive. And, in the case of a minority government, there tends to be more political partisanship.

Icgfm Budgeting In Times Of Crisis A Canadian Perspective

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El Proceso Presupuestario en Tiempos de Gran Incertidumbre La Perspectiva del Oficial del Presupuesto

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The Canadian economy has weakened quickly according to Mr. Page. This includes job losses and reductions in consumer and business confidence. He described his office's analysis of stimulus. There was significant debate about whether Canada needed stimulus or whether any stimulus would be affected. Canada selected a stimulus of 2.5% of GDP. Mr. Page pointed out that many believe that Canada can do more because of a good debt to GDP ratio compared to Canadian trading partners.

The analysis by the Budget Office found that stimulus program will increase deficits significantly. The office believes that the Department of Finance estimates for revenue are overly optimistic. The Office also found that the net effect of the stimulus could be much lower because of reductions in taxes and the expectation that provinces and municipalities will match certain program. The opposition parties in Canada have been using these figures.

Is the Canadian stimulus package targeted and temporary? Mr. Page found that the stimulus package was very much targeted. However, not a lot of the package was oriented to low income people. The Office analyzed the Infrastructure Canada department where 1/3 of planned grants have not been disbursed.

The Office found that the stimulus package is temporary and meets the Government objectives. Mr. Page warned that these measures could become more permanent. Revenue can become constrained through structural deficits. The budget did not address how objectives for the reduction of debt to GDP ratios will be affected.

Mr. Page complimented the government in providing an excellent quarterly report on the stimulus. The Budget Office is tracking Canadian GDP. The government expectation for an increase in GDP has proven incorrect for the first quarter of 2009.

The crisis can enable governments to have more effective planning and targets. The Canadian government has not identified the medium term targets.

Lessons learned in Canada because of the crisis includes:

• Need for improved transparency and financial reporting. This includes culture change.


• Opportunity for increased scrutiny and accessibility to economic analysis


• Manage for long-term results and effects like the aging population and the affects of climate change

Main Conference Ends Today - Workshops Begin Tomorrow

Participants to the 23rd Annual ICGFM Conference woke up with the sun this morning. The main headline in USA Today delivered to hotel rooms of the Marriott Biscayne bay,demonstrated the need for good goverance and knowledge sharing.

The press is often quick to point out allegations of corruption and mismanagement in emerging countries. The sensational headline "Corrupt Afghan officials hurt aid" implies that governance procedures such as parliamentary budget oversight is robust in developed countries. Yet, ICGFM members heard a different story from David M. Walker, the former Comptroller General of the United States on Monday. And, the openning keynote this morning by Kevin Page, the Parliamentary Budget Officer of the Parliament of Canada promises to be as enlightening