1. IFMIS Acquisition Principles
Office of Technical Assistance
U.S. Treasury
Budget Team Recommendations
Donna Lewis and Rich Bartholomew
Washington, DC, May

2. General Rule: Go Slowly
Develop systems over a long time line, based on user need and capacity

3. Go Slowly Stretch out the acquisition and implementation schedule.
New modules (functions) should be added over a fairly long period of time.  
Pre-planning for a system may well take more time than the actual implementation

4. Take Time to Assure Usefulness
IFMIS DEVELOPMENT
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5
Year 6
Year 7
Year 8
Explore IFMIS options
Document current practices
Procurement of Design X
Design Phase
Procurement of Implementation
Train, Test, Implement
and phase in modules

5. Go Slowly
Assure the integrity of data planned to go into the system before it is implemented
Assign a unit coordinator/advocate to represent every organizational unit affected. This will become a full time job.
Thoroughly document the current operating procedures prior to development

6. Beware of the Big Bang!
"Big Bang" approaches (many modules implemented in a relatively short period of time) carry very high risks that administrative procedures, staff training, etc. won't keep up with the new system

7. Specific Principles
1. Assure full country ownership of all installed software and systems

8. Specific Principles
2. Insist on "interoperability" of systems and programming
similar to the stipulation used by some states.
require all vendors to supply systems and modules that can work together
demand that new or upgraded systems accept word processing and spreadsheet documents commonly used in a country for budget preparation and reporting

9. Specific Principles
3. Separate design procurements from implementation procurements

10. Specific Principles
4. Require stringent up front estimates of the operational/maintenance costs (including ongoing training and reprogramming) which will be required after build out

11. Specific Principles
5. Include more regional and medium size vendors, not just giant international firms in the bidding process

12. Specific Principles
6. Do not accept forced changes in business procedures primarily to accommodate new software or "off the shelf" solutions.
Do not fit the process to the system
Fit the system to the process!