SYSTEMS APPROVAL Frequently Asked Questions
- Request for Approval of Proposed Financial / Administrative System Investment form
- Enterprise-Wide Opportunity Assessment
- Your Business Justification, which must include:
Q. - It sounds like OFM and the ISB are trying to stop agency investments in financial and administrative systems. Is this why they are requiring approval?
A. - Not at all. OFM and the ISB are formalizing the review process to help agencies steer their investments towards common or shared solutions. This approach will make better systems available to more agencies and lower maintenance costs for the agency.
Q. - My agency has a real business need, or we wouldn't be planning to spend money on a system. Are OFM and the ISB going to tell us we can't meet that need?
A. - No. OFM and the ISB are most interested in how agencies meet their financial and administrative system needs. The intent is for agencies to give full consideration to common or shared solutions before investing in an agency-unique solution to what may very well be a common business problem.
Q. - My agency has many systems. Which ones do we need to request approval for?
A. - Approval must be requested before investments are made in systems that support financial and administrative functions (see chart). Basically the scope includes operations, management, and reporting in these four business areas: financial, budget, human resources/payroll, and procurement.
Q. - Do we need to request approval if we plan to meet our needs through one of the common systems currently available from a central service agency?
A. - No. In this case, no approval is necessary.
Q. - What can my agency do to speed up the approval process?
A. - It will speed up the process if you involve OFM and DIS in discussions about your business needs as early as possible. Your agency’s OFM Financial Consultant or DIS Senior Technology Management Consultant can help you find out about central systems or interagency partnership opportunities that may help you meet your business needs. Requests that demonstrate full consideration of common and shared solutions, as requested in the business justification section of the request form, can be approved most rapidly.
Q. - How long will the approval process take?
A. - A triage approach will be used when requests are received. Approval will be expedited for requests that clearly have no cost-effective common or shared system solution. The time required to evaluate other requests will depend on how thoroughly the agency demonstrates that their proposed approach will leverage their investment to benefit as many agencies as possible.
Q. - How should requests for approval be submitted?
A. - Requests should be submitted by email to Systems.Approval@ofm.wa.gov. The email must include three attachments:
a. An analysis of each of these alternatives:
i. Use of an existing central system solution.
ii. Modifying your agency needs to adapt to a central system, or requesting a modification to a central system to meet your business needs.
iii. Creating an agency unique extension to a central system or central database rather than a completely new system.
iv. Partnering with one or more other agencies to share in the creation of a new, shared system solution.
b. Descriptions of any major business requirements you feel are unique to your agency.
c. Discussion of how you propose to address accounting policy requirements.
