USDA eGovernment Travel Implementation

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USDA eGovernment Travel Implementation

• Presented byAnn Adam

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eGovernment Travel

• USDA awarded an eGovernment Travel Contract
  June 23, 2006
• USDA eGovernment travel vendor is Northrop
  Grumman Mission Systems (NGMS). The travel system
  is called GovTrip.
• eGovernment Travel replaces existing processes
  for making TDY reservations, preparing
  authorizations, and vouchering for reimbursement.
• eGovernment Travel provides self service, online
  booking, electronic authorization and vouchering,
  automated routing for approvals, and split
  disbursements.
• eGovernment Travel allows agencies to better
  manage travel costs through the use of
  self-service functions these are the most
  economical fees.
• eGovernment Travel replaces the current process
  for using the centrally billed accounts for
  purchasing airline tickets.

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eGovernment Travel

• eGovernment Travel will interface with the USDA
  Financial System for
• Authorizations/obligations and advances
• Voucher Payment for employee travel reimbursement
  and payments to Bank of America (BoA)
• Back feed interface of valid accounting and
  payment notifications
• The eGovernment Travel system will also interface
  to BoA to receive a statement of the Traveler
  charges.
• eGovernment Travel will replace two USDA
  automated systems GVTS and TRVL (only TDY
  Portion).
• eGovernment Travel does not replace existing
  processes for relocation.

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eGovernment Travel

• USDA will not process Local travel through
  GovTrip.
• At this time, an Agencys current processing
  method for Local travel reimbursement will
  continue.

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Precursor to the Pilot

• Prior to implementation of the pilot, essential
  milestones were completed
• Completed development and testing of the
  financial system interfaces to and from the
  financial system to GovTrip including testing
  with the current SmartPay provider, BoA, and
  Treasury.
• Completed system set-up and testing of the
  e-Authentication process for use with the GovTrip
  application.
• Configured GovTrip with Departmental Settings.
• Implemented a pseudo Social Security number in
  GovTrip and FFIS (An employees actual SSN will
  not reside in the GovTrip application.)
• Implemented a TMC transition strategy that
  included reservation transfer from EDS to NGMS.
• Completed all steps depicted in the Agency
  Implementation Tasks.

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Agency Implementation Tasks

• Obtain Resource Commitment
• OCFO/ACFO-FS assigns an implementation team to
  each agency, led by the agency customer service
  advocate, that includes government resources and
  a dedicated contractor individual.
• Agencies must assign travel financial management
  and program staff familiar with your processes to
  the eGovernment Travel agency implementation
  team.
• Develop an Integrated Project Plan and monitor
  milestones.

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Agency Implementation Tasks

• Conduct AS IS and TO BE sessions (e.g.,
  Agency workflows-approval chains) - map and test
  the business processes, including the security
  roles and access authorities.
• Develop and validate user profiles in GovTrip.
• Conduct User Acceptance Testing to validate the
  agency configuration with the Financial interface
  and the reports.
• Conduct Agency Training for all GovTrip user
  roles and FFIS system guidance
• Complete Cutover Strategy collect of all
  advances and deobligate outstanding
  authorizations legacy TRVL data will not be
  converted into GovTrip.

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Training Strategy

• Agencies will receive Instructor Led Hands on
  training covering each of the following
  functional roles
• Traveler
• Travel Arranger
• Approving Official
• Agency Travel System Administrator
• Train-the-trainer approach train a cadre of
  agency designated users who in turn will train
  others in the agency.
• Computer Based Training, On-line Training,
  Webcast, or auditorium demonstration training for
  refresher or ongoing training.
• Agencies will receive FFIS/Travel training with
  updated procedures as it relates to FFIS travel
  documents and table settings.

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TMC Transition Plan

• Each agency will be transitioned from the current
  TMC (EDS) to NGMS as an agency is implemented
  into GovTrip.
• Profile information contained in the current EDS
  FedTraveler system will be removed, cleansed,
  transformed, and transferred to the new system.

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Pilot Implementation

• USDA implemented OIG as the Pilot Agency for
  GovTrip effective June 4, 2007.
• USDA will utilize the OIG pilot to ensure that
  the financial and BoA interfaces, the
  implementation practices, and the support and
  transition from our existing Travel Management
  Center and booking structure meet USDA needs
  before beginning the phased rollouts to the
  remaining agencies.

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Pilot Implementation

• The pilot will run for a minimum period of 2
  months to include a complete billing cycle with
  BoA and a disbursement cycle with Treasury. After
  the pilot has run for a period of time, an
  analysis of the pilot operation will be performed
  to determine a Go, No Go decision on rollout to
  the remaining USDA agencies.
• Based on the lessons learned from the pilot, the
  agency implementation tasks may be modified and
  the rollout dates changed.

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Implementation Order

• AGENCY BY PHASE
• Phase I Pilot OIG
• Phase II RMA, FAS
• Phase III ARS, ERS, NASS, CSREES, GIPSA
• Phase IV RD, APHIS, FSA, NRCS, DASO
• Phase V FSIS, FNS, AMS
• Phase VI FS
• All USDA will be implemented by December 2008 in
  accordance with OMB mandate.

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Travel Cost

• Self Serve (self booking on-line) vs. Full
  Service (phone call to travel agent)
• Voucher Fee
• Substantial difference in cost between self
  booking on-line and phone call to agent.
• Self Domestic International
• Service Phone Phone
• TMC Fee 4.60 27.75 36.25
• Voucher Fee 13.50 13.50 13.50
• Total 18.10 41.25 49.75

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Key ACFO-FS Staff

• Executive Sponsor - Wendy Snow
• Program Managers - Kay Levy
• Jerry Chenault
• Project Managers - Dennis Secketa
  
  Jeffery Boudreaux