Improving The Defense Finance And Accounting Services Interactions With Its Customers PDF Download

GAO discussed the Department of Defense's (DOD) progress in implementing and operating the Defense Business Operations Fund. GAO noted that: (1) DOD has initiated the Corporate Information Management project as a long-term strategy to improve DOD systems; (2) the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) has overall responsibility to provide uniform accounting policy guidance, establish requirements for financial systems, provide finance and accounting services, and prepare financial statements; (3) DOD has acknowledged that the Fund's systems are inadequate, but it has not developed a comprehensive cash management policy for the Fund; (4) DOD has established a goal of maintaining a working capital level of $1 billion; (5) billings to customers for services provided by the Fund have not been timely; (6) 11,019 inventory items with understated prices have been identified in an Army financial statement audit; (7) the Fund's financial reports do not accurately reflect the Fund's financial condition; (8) in fiscal year 1992, DOD began issuing activity-based unit cost budgets to the Fund's business areas; and (9) DOD has selected the Defense Business Management System to support the Fund's implementation without evaluating the system's benefits and technical risks or defining all of the features needed.