gsa response

8/4/2019 GSA Response

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March 22, 2011The Honorable Darrell IssaChairmanCommittee on Oversightand Government ReformHouse of RepresentativesWashington, DC 20515Dear Mr. Chairman:

GSA Administrator

This letter responds to your inquiry dated March 8, 2011, requesting informationregarding the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) electronic systems to supportbusiness and accounting functions; grants and loans management; contractsmanagement; and reporting to government-wide systems such as USASpending.govand Recovery.gov.The enclosure provides detailed responses to each of your requests on GSA business,accounting, and contracting systems.If you have any additional questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.Staff inquiries may be directed to Mr. Rodney Emery, Associate Administrator, Office ofCongressional and Intergovernmental Affairs. He can be reached at (202) 501-0563.Sincerely,

; U c ~ ~ ~ Martha JohnsonAdministratorEnclosurecc: The Honorable Elijah Cummings, Ranking MemberCommittee on Oversight and Government Reform

U.S. General Services Administration1275 Fi rs t Street, N EWashington, DC 20417www.gsa.gov


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March 22, 2011The Honorable Todd R. PlattsChairman, Subcommittee on GovernmentOrganization, Efficiency, andFinancial ManagementCommittee on Oversightand Government ReformHouse of RepresentativesWashington, DC 20515Dear Mr. Chairman:

GSA Administrator


1 I ~ ~ Q 6 ~ ~ Martha JohnsonAdministratorEnclosure

u.s. General Services Administration1275 Fi rst Street, N EWashington, DC 20417www.gsa.gov


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March 22, 2011The Honorable Jim JordanChairman, Subcommittee on RegulatoryAffairs, Stimulus Oversightand Government SpendingCommittee on Oversightand Government ReformHouse of RepresentativesWashington, DC 20515Dear Mr. Chairman:

GSA Administrator


:!i::t!:.: ~ p ~ Administrator

Enclosure

u.s. General Services Administration1275 First Street, NEWashington, DC 20417www.gsa.gov


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March 22, 2011The Honorable James LankfordChairman, Subcommittee on Technology.Information Policy, IntergovernmentalRelations and Procurement ReformCommittee on Oversightand Government ReformHouse of RepresentativesWashington, DC 20515Dear Mr. Chairman:

GSA Administrator


! 1 ~ ! ! : ; o ~ ~ o ~ AdministratorEnclosure

u.s. General Services Administration1275 First Street, NEWashington, DC 20417www.gsa.gov


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This letter responds to your request dated March 8, 2011, requesting informationregarding the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) electronic systems to supportbusiness and accounting functions; grants and loans management; contractsmanagement; and reporting to government-wide systems such as USASpending.govand Recovery.gov.

Request No.1: Identify and briefly describe each of your agency's business andaccounting systems. If separate divisions, bureaus, or offices of your agency useseparate systems, identify which divisions, bureaus, or offices use each system.GSA Response: The GSA core financial management and accounting system of record(Pegasys) is Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) CGI Momentum Financials software.GSA also has a legacy mainframe system (NEAR) that provides accounts receivableinformation.The following administrative, business, and acquisition systems transmit financial datato Pegasys and NEAR:

Administrative Systems The payroll system transmits to Pegasys payroll data through a batch interface. The travel system transmits to Pegasys travel financial data though a near realtime interface.Business Systems The Fleet Management System transmits to Pegasys financial and assetinformation on Federal Government fleet vehicles through a real-time interface. The System for Tracking and Administering Real Property transmits to Pegasysfinancial data on federal buildings and leases of real property through a batchinterface. The Inventory Reporting Information System transmits to Pegasys financial dataon federal buildings and property management through a batch interface. The Reimbursable Work Authorization Entry and Tracking Application transmitsto NEAR financial data on reimbursable work on buildings and building inventorythrough a direct database link. The Utility Payment Processing System transmits to Pegasys utility paymentdata through a batch interface. The Telecommunications Ordering and Pricing System transmits to Pegasys

financial data on telecommunications activity through a batch interface. The Customer Supply Center System transmits to Pegasys financial data onGlobal Supply activity through a batch interface.Acquisition Systems The Federal Supply System-19 (FSS-19) transmits to Pegasys financial data onFederal Acquisition Service activity through a batch interface.


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The National Business Application and Regional Business Application transmit toPegasys financial data on assisted acquisitions and Government-Wide ITAcquisition Contracts (GWACs) through a batch interface. The Requisitioning, Ordering, and Documentation System transmits to Pegasysfinancial data on fleet vehicle activity through a batch interface. The Comprizon Suite Enterprise Acquisition System manages contracts for theconstruction, renovation, and operations and maintenance of GSA Federalbuildings. Contract actions are manually entered into Pegasys.

Request NO.2: Explain how the business and accounting systems identified inresponse to Request No. 1 interact with one another.GSA Response: See response to Request No.1.Request NO.3: For each system identified in response to Request No.1, state whetherinformation found in that system is regularly or periodically submitted to any of thegovernment-wide accounting systems maintained by the Department of the Treasury,e.g., GFRS, FACTS I, FACTS II, IFCS, etc., and explain how and at what intervalsthose submissions occur, including descriptions of both manual and automatedprocesses.GSA Response: All GSA financial and accounting information transmitted to theDepartment of Treasury accounting systems comes from Pegasys, the core financialmanagement system, or NtAR, the accounts receivable system. Pegasys provides theaccounting and financial information for the quarterly submissions to FACTS II, IFCS,and IRAS, annual submissions to FACTS I and GFRS, and monthly SF-224submissions through Governmentwide Accounting and Reporting. The requiredinformation is compiled in spreadsheets and transmitted to Treasury through manualentry or bulk file transmission into the respective Treasury system. NEAR provides theaccounting and financial information for the quarterly submissions to the TreasuryTROR web application. The required information is compiled in spreadsheets andtransmitted to Treasury through manual entry into TROR.Request NO.4: For each system identified in response to Request No.1, state whetherinformation found in that system is regularly or periodically submitted to the Office ofManagement and Budget's ("0MB") MAX Information System, and explain how and atwhat intervals those submissions occur, including descriptions of both automated andmanual processes.GSA Response: The OMB MAX information system is automatically populated withagency financial data through FACTS II. FACTS II transmits agency submissions forthe fourth quarter when they are received. FACTS II transmits data at the Treasuryaccount level, and GSA manually enters detailed data. MAX edit checks ensure thatdetailed data reconcile to FACTS II transmissions.

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Request NO.5: For each system identified in response to Request No.1, describerecent, current, and planned migration or modernization projects.GSA Response: Pegasys is the GSA core financial management and accountingsystem of record, and NEAR is a legacy accounts receivable system. The GSA Billingand Accounts Receivable (BAAR) project is implementing accounts receivable andbilling modules in Pegasys in three phases. Implementation of the final phase willcomplete the consolidation of GSA accounting processes into a single, integrated corefinancial management system (Pegasys) and will allow GSA to retire NEAR.The scheduled completion date of the first phase is July 2011, implementing accountsreceivable, billing, and collection functions for motor vehicles leased to other Federalagencies through the Federal Acquisition Service and rent bills for Federal tenants ofspace provided by the Public Buildings Service.Request NO.6: In addition to your agency's submissions to government-wideaccounting systems maintained by the Department of Treasury and OMB, as describedin response to Requests Nos. 3 and 4, does your agency publish any of the sameinformation online for public viewing? If so, describe how and in what format thatinformation is published.GSA Response: GSA publishes an annual Agency Financial Report (AFR) thatincludes its annual consolidated financial statements and accompanying footnotes. TheAFR also provides the required annual Improper Payments Information Act reporting.The AFR is posted on the GSA website at www.gsa.gov/annualreport and is available inHTML or in a printable format as a PDF file.GSA provides weekly reports of financial activity in its Recovery Act appropriations athttp://www.gsa.gov/portal/contentl103571 and also on Recovery.gov, at link:http://www. recovery.govlT ransparency/agency/reporting/agency reporting 1 aspx?agency code=47.GSA provides summary statistics on cash and payments management data, includingtotal number and dollar amount of invoices paid, on Data.gov, at link:http://www.data.gov/raw/1439.Question NO.7: Identify and briefly describe each system that your agency uses tomanage grants, direct loans, and/or loan guarantees. If separate divisions, bureaus, oroffices of your agency use separate systems, identify which divisions, bureaus, oroffices use each system.GSA Response: GSA does not manage grants, loans, or loan guarantees, andtherefore, has no grant, loan, or loan guarantee systems.

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Request NO.8: For each system identified in response to Request No.7, explain how itinteracts with any business or accounting system identified in response to Request No.1.

GSA Response: Not applicable; see response to Request NO.7.Request NO.9: For each system identified in response to Request No.7, state whetherinformation found in that system is regularly or periodically submitted to the Catalogueof Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA), and describe how and at what intervals thosesubmissions occur, including descriptions of both automated and manual processes.GSA Response: Not applicable; see response to Request NO.7.Request No. 10: For each system identified in response to Request No.7, statewhether information found in that system is regularly or periodically submitted to any ofthe government-wide grants management and reporting systems, e.g., FAADS, FAADSPLUS, etc., and describe how and at what intervals those submissions occur, includingdescriptions of both automated and manual processes.GSA Response: Not applicable; see response to Request NO.7.Request No. 11: For each system identified in response to Request No.7, describerecent, current, and planned migration or modernization projects.GSA Response: Not applicable; see response to Request NO.7.Request No. 12: In addition to your agency's submissions to government-wide grantsmanagement and reporting systems, described in response to Requests Nos. 9 and 10,does your agency publish any of the same information online for public viewing? If so,describe how and in what format that information is published.GSA Response: Not applicable; see response to Request NO.7.Request No. 13: Identify and briefly describe each system that your agency uses tomanage contracts. If separate divisions, bureaus, or offices of your agency useseparate systems, identify which divisions, bureaus, or offices use each system.GSA Response: See response to Request No.1.

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Request No. 14: For each system identified in response to Request No. 13, explainhow it interacts with any business or accounting system identified in response toRequest No.1.GSA Response: See response to Request No.1.Request No. 15: For each system identified in response to Request No. 13, statewhether information found in that system is regularly or periodically submitted to any ofthe government-wide contract management and reporting systems, e.g., FPDS, FPDS-NG,FAPIIS, etc., and describe how and at what intervals those submissions occur, includingdescriptions of both automated and manual processes.GSA Response: GSA reports all contract actions greater than $3,500 to the FederalProcurement Data System (FPDS).

The Federal Supply System-19 (FSS-19) transmits Federal Acquisition Servicecontract data to FPDS automatically, on a per-transaction basis and in real time.FSS-19 transmits order data (agency purchases against GSA multiple awardcontracts) through batch processing. The National Business Application and Regional Business Application transmitcontract data on assisted acquisitions and GWACs directly to FPDSautomatically, on a per-transaction basis and in real time. GSA uses a webservice to complete transactions in FPDS and to validate the data. The Requisitioning, Ordering, and Documentation System (ROADS) transmitsfleet vehicle contract data to FPDS through FSS-19. ROADS transmits data toFSS-19 daily, and FSS-19 transmits to FPDS immediately. The Comprizon Suite Enterprise Acquisition System transmits Federal buildingscontract data to FPDS automatically, on a per-transaction basis and in real time.GSA uses a web service to complete transactions in FPDS and to validate thedata. The System for Tracking and Administering Real Property (STAR) is not acontract system, but transmits data on leases of real property to FPDS through aseparate web interface built specifically for that purpose. Some multi-year telecommunications contracts and all contracts for GSA-internaluse are manually entered into FPDS.

GSA does not enter contract information into the Federal Awardee Performance andIntegrity Information System (FAPIIS). GSA reports Terminations for Default and Causethrough the Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS), which isautomatically transmitted to FAPIIS.

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Request No. 16: For each system identified in response to Request No. 13, describerecent, current, and planned migration or modernization projects.GSA Response: GSA is modernizing the FSS-19 System to bring it into compliancewith current system design and to integrate ordering processes with customer supplychain requirements and procurement systems.Request No. 17: In addition to your agency's submissions to government-wide contractmanagement and reporting systems, described in response to Request No. 15, doesyour agency publish any of the same information online for public viewing? If so,describe how and in what format that information is published.GSA Response: Pre-award information on GSA contract actions is made available assolicitations, which are published at www.FedBizOpps.gov.Contract terms and conditions of GSA Multiple Award Schedules (MAS) are publiclyavailable on the GSA eLibrary at link: http://www.gsaelibrarv.gsa.gov/ElibMain/home.do.GSA Advantage!, GSA's on-line ordering system, provides all catalog information,pricing, and the availability of products and services on GSA MAS, GWACS, and othermultiple-award contracts; it can be accessed at link: www.GSAAdvantage.gov.Request No. 18: Briefly describe your agency's efforts to comply with OMB'smemorandum on the Open Government Directive - Federal Spending Transparency,dated April 6, 2010. In particular, describe whether and how your agency has begun tocollect and report sub-award data, as required by the memorandum, and describe howyour agency's reports on OMB's data quality metrics, as required by the memorandum,are generated.GSA Response:Sub-award Data: GSA requires all prime contractors to report prime and sub-awarddata to the Federal Subcontract Award Reporting System (FSRS) for all prime awardsof $25,000 or more. Contractor reporting does not begin until the prime contractorawards the first sub-contract award. All contractors are required to certify the accuracyof their FSRS reporting.GSA Contracting Officers review contractor reports on a quarterly basis and informcontractors of any inconsistencies in the data. In the event of an inconsistency, GSArequires the contractor to correct the report or provide an explanation as to why thecontractor believes the information reported is correct. The results are documented inthe Contracting Officer's contract file.

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Data Quality Reporting: GSA collects FPDS data quality metrics through the datavalidation process described in the response to Request No. 20. GSA conductsmultiple levels of testing through statistical sampling to regularly assess the accuracyand completeness of GSA contract data in FPDS. Results are used to identifycorrective actions to improve data quality, but also produce useful metrics for reporting.Request No. 19: If your agency interacts directly with USASpending.gov, in addition tosubmitting information to the systems that feed USASpending.gov, describe the nature,frequency, and purposes of that interaction.GSA Response: GSA does not interact directly with USASpending.gov. GSA enters allcontract data into FPDS. USASpending.gov pulls contracts data from FPDS through aninterface.Request No. 20: Describe the data quality controls and procedures that your agencyhas implemented for information that is submitted to USASpending.gov, includinginformation submitted directly and information submitted to one of the systems thatfeeds USASpending.gov.GSA Response: GSA has established internal controls and procedures to assure thequality of data submitted to FPDS. Because all GSA data in USASpending.gov is fedfrom FPDS, these controls effectively cover both systems.GSA has policies in place that require each contracting activity to establish formal dataquality plans for FPDS contracting data. GSA data quality plans document internalcontrols to ensure completeness and accuracy, including a review process for thevalidation of each FPDS contract action against original information in the contract fileand a quarterly certification of the condition of FPDS data by the head of the contractingactivity. In addition, all heads of contracting activities are required to ensure that allpersonnel entering data into FPDS are appropriately trained, and to assign a functionalcoordinator for FPDS data quality activities.GSA relies on the following controls and procedures to ensure FPDS data quality:

Internal data verification edit checks built into the FPDS system help assure dataquality. FPDS performs front-end validation on contracts data as it is submitted.FPDS applies hundreds of data validation rules to agency submissions andrejects submissions that do not pass edits. FPDS data validation rules arepublicly available at link: https://www.fpds.gov/fpdsng/index.php/worksite. For contract actions transmitted to FPDS on a per-transaction basis (e.g., notbatch upload), the Contracting Officer must review and approve each FPDSContract Action Report for accuracy and completeness before award of thecontract action. For all contract actions (including batch upload), GSA reviewsvariance exception reports to identify and correct anomalies. In addition, each GSA contracting activity conducts a quarterly review of contractfiles, which includes ensuring that all data elements for each FPDS action are

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validated against the original contract file. Contracts are selected for reviewbased on statistical sampling. GSA also reviews FPDS data for accuracy as part of the annual Procurement

Management Review process. The PMR team verifies that contract data havebeen loaded completely and accurately into FPDS as a part of morecomprehensive reviews to ensure the integrity of GSA acquisition processes.Contracts are selected for review using risk-based sampling, focusing onweaknesses identified in prior-year reviews.

The head of each contracting activity must certify the quality of FPDS data eachquarter, and GSA's Senior Procurement Executive certifies FPDS data qualityannually.Request No. 21: State whether all of your agency's current grants, contracts, and loansare accurately reflected on USASpending.gov, and, if not, estimate the percentage ofcurrent grants, contracts, and loans that are not accurately reflected, using both thenumber of transactions and dollar figures.GSA Response: GSA's FY 2010 FPDS Data Quality Report determined that 93.8percent of FY 2010 contracts data had been entered into FPDS and that the dataassociated with those reports was 96 percent accurate (+/-3.1 %). As of September 30,2010, GSA had reported 809,365 contract actions in FPDS, with total obligations valuedat over $15,615 million. GSA reviewed 340 contracts, the number necessary to meet a95 percent confidence level.GSA does not manage grants or loans, and therefore, does not submit grant or loaninformation to USASpending.gov.

Request No. 22: State whether your agency incurs any reporting burdens or costs as aresult of its obligations under the Federal Financial Assistance Transparency Act("FFATA") that it does not incur as a result of other reporting obligations, and estimatethose burdens and costs in worker-hours and dollars.GSA Response: GSA has not identified any signi ficant costs that can be attributeddirectly to FFATA compliance. Most FFATA requirements are met using existingprocesses and systems. Sub-contract award reporting is performed by primecontractors.Request No. 23: Identify the individual(s) who serve(s) as Senior AccountableOfficial(s) ("SAO") over federal spending data quality for your agency, as defined byOMB.GSA Response: Ms. Alison L. Doone, Chief Financial Officer, serves as GSA's SAO.

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