Letter to Patrick Murphy, Acting Secretary of the Army - Evaluation Criteria of Pilot Program

Letter

Dear Acting Secretary Murphy,

Thank you for inviting our staff members to attend quarterly briefings on the progress of the Army's Financial Management Optimization (AFMO) process and for working closely with our offices to monitor the impacts this process could have on the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) and its 950-strong workforce in Rome, New York. As strong advocates of DFAS and its Rome facility we look forward to attending future briefings on this important topic.

We write today to follow up on concerns that have been expressed to us regarding the AFMO process and the metrics being utilized to determine the effectiveness of the Army's Facility Management Support and Operations Center (FMSOC) pilot program at Fort Bragg. As you know, this FMSOC is examining the feasibility of incorporating eight financial management tasks currently performed by DFAS into the Army's internal financial management structure.

In gauging this pilot program's effectiveness, we understand that data collection and analysis are critical and that after the pilot's completion such information will be delivered to the Office of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE) for review. As representatives of constituents who have equities in this process, we believe that it is critical that all parties understand the metrics that are being developed to assess the effectiveness of the pilot.

Therefore, prior to the termination of the pilot program and the delivery of this information to CAPE for further examination, we respectfully request that the Army provide our offices with a list of all `performance metrics and evaluation procedures that will be utilized. We also seek clarification as to the role CAPE will play in determining the effectiveness of the pilot program and whether CAPE will be responsible for verifying, in accordance with Pub. L. 113-235, that the transfer of DFAS functions reduces costs, increases efficiencies, and maintains auditability.

As always, we thank you in advance for your attention to our concerns, and for the high levels of transparency and accountability you have sought to maintain throughout this process. We look forward to continuing to work with you in the months and years ahead.

Source