FY 2010 ICASS INITIAL BUDGET PREPARATION AND

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 STATE 092189 FOR MGT COUNSELOR, FMO, ICASS COUNCIL CHAIR, BUDGET COMMITTEE CHAIRS AND ALTERNATE SERVICE PROVIDER REPRESENTATIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KICA AFIN AMGT SUBJECT: FY 2010 ICASS INITIAL BUDGET PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION FOR MANAGEMENT COUNSELOR, FMO, ICASS COUNCIL CHAIR AND BUDGET COMMITTEE CHAIRS DAKAR PASS TO BISSAU, KINSHASA PASS TO BRAZZAVILLE ¶1. SUMMARY: Posts should start to develop the FY 2010 Initial Requirements data before the new software, budget guidance/checklist and the official targets are released to posts. Web.ICASS version 2.30 is scheduled to be posted on the PASS website no later than the first week of October. The FY 2010 ICASS initial budget hearing will be held in Washington on September 23, ¶2009. The ICASS Service Center (ISC) will post initial ICASS Traditional Bureau, Non-Residential Local Guard Program, OBO and ASP (Alternate Service Providers) targets on the ICASS website (www.icass.gov) two days after they are approved by the ICASS Working Group Budget Committee. The initial budget submission due dates are staggered by region (para 5). All ICASS initial invoices must be signed by agency representatives at post prior to submission of the post budget to the ISC, except for ASP posts (para 14, 15 and 16). Posts must submit the telegraphic agency invoice summary cable in the format shown in para 12, which is due to the ISC on the same date as the budget due date. All invoice disputes must be processed in accordance with the ICASS Handbook 6 FAH-5 H-443. END SUMMARY -------------- BE AHEAD OF THE GAME -------------- ¶2. Don't wait for the new ICASS budget software or official initial targets, you can and should use the current ICASS budget software to collect the Initial Requirements data now. This head-start will help prevent the last-minute rush before the budget workshops, allow for better review and verification of posts' budgets, and allow posts to meet the submission deadline more easily. Budget checking this year will require you to bring hard copies of reports to the workshop - this will be addressed septel. -------------- -------------- INITIAL BUDGET PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION DUE DATES -------------- -------------- ¶3. The ICASS initial budget checklist and software- related budget guidance will be available by September 10 on the ICASS website (www.icass.gov) under "Budget/Cost Centers - Current Fiscal Year - FY 2010 ICASS Initial Budget Cables & Instructions." To ensure proper budget preparation and data integrity, posts must complete the ICASS budget checklist before submitting the budget plans to the ISC. ¶4. Posts should convene a Budget Committee (BC) meeting to review the initial budget and then present the BC- approved budget to the ICASS Council for approval (see "Recommended ICASS Meeting Schedule" posted on the ICASS website under "Hot Topics" for more details). Posts must ensure that all agencies have approved/signed their respective initial invoices prior to submitting their FY 2010 ICASS initial budgets. ¶5. The submission due dates listed below are staggered to ensure smooth network submissions. The due dates also apply to FY 2010 OBO Non-ICASS initial budgets. November 23, 2009 for EUR-IO posts November 30, 2009 for AF posts and ASP (State and USAID) December 1, 2009 for GFS Charleston December 7, 2009 for EAP posts December 14, 2009 for NEA-SCA posts December 18, 2009 for WHA posts ¶6. NOTE: While the ISC expects you to submit your budget no later than the due date listed above for your region, we encourage you to submit the budget earlier if you are finished (but no earlier than November 15 in order to ensure that you receive the mid-November reference table update.) -------------- SUBMITTING YOUR INITIAL BUDGET TO THE ISC -------------- STATE 00092189 002 OF 003 ¶7. Given that each budget electronically submitted is manually accepted into the ICASS Global Database, you may not see the "Accepted" status on the same day you submit your budget. Therefore, as long as the "Submission Status" of your submitted budget plan is "Received Initial," you do not need to contact the ISC or ICASS Technical Support to check the status of your budget submission. We recommend waiting at least 24 hours for the "Accepted" status to register for your budget. ¶8. If you have problems with submitting your budget electronically to the ISC, contact Jim Nunno (NunnoJM@state.gov) for assistance. If because of technical difficulties you are unable to submit your budget by the due date for your region, you must contact Trish Garate (GaratePA@state.gov) to request an extension. ICASS Technical Support cannot grant extensions. ¶9. Please note that ICASS Technical Support will be available to assist you if you experience any technical difficulties with the software. However, please do not save your questions until the day before you leave for the workshop or the submission deadline. Due to the high volume of inquiries at those time periods, ICASS Technical Support may not be able to resolve your technical issues on the same day they receive your inquiry. ICASS Technical Support will, nonetheless, send you an email within 24 hours of each inquiry received to acknowledge your technical issue. -------------- INVOICE AUTHORIZATION -------------- ¶10. Customer agency representatives must identify in advance who is responsible for signing their invoices for any billing codes used by their agencies. If an appropriate agency representative is not present at post at invoice signing time, an alternate signatory from the same customer agency must be identified. If both the representative and alternate are absent, submit your budget and note the absence in the telegraphic agency invoice summary cable. Do not delay submission of your budget. You must, however, submit a revised telegraphic summary once the representative (or alternate) signs the invoice. ¶11. NOTE: The ICASS Handbook (6 FAH-5 H-432.4) states that once an invoice is presented to a customer agency representative for his/her review and concurrence, the representative must sign the invoice or dispute it within 10 working days of receipt. -------------- TELEGRAPHIC AGENCY INVOICE SUMMARY -------------- ¶12. After the invoice has been signed by the customer agency representative, post must submit the initial budget and concurrently a telegraphic agency invoice summary to the ISC in the following format: A) The first tag on the telegram should be KICA, followed by AFIN, AMGT, ASEC, and ABUD). B) Direct the telegram to the attention of "ISC - Mattie Harms". C) The subject line must read "FY 2010 Initial ICASS Invoices, Telegraphic Summary". D) Include the following information regarding the invoice of each serviced ICASS agency. (1) Agency Code (2) Agency Name (3) Post Name (4) Invoice Total (5) Approval Status (approved or not approved with explanation) (6) Name, Title of Invoice Approver (7) Telephone Number of Invoice Approver (8) Email Address of Invoice Approver (9) Date of Authorization E) The last paragraph of the cable will contain the STATE 00092189 003 OF 003 following post certification: "All invoices, other than those identified as in dispute, have been signed and the originals have been retained at post." ¶13. Please remind customer agencies that they are responsible for providing a copy of their signed invoices to their ICASS Agency Billing Code contact listed on the invoice signature sheet. -------------- INSTRUCTIONS FOR ASP POSTS -------------- ¶14. Both State and USAID Service Providers at ASP posts (Dakar, Khartoum/Juba, Lilongwe, Sarajevo, Pristina, Astana/Almaty, Cairo and La Paz) must submit their budgets by November 30. Do not circulate ASP invoices for signature at this point. The ISC will recalculate ASP invoices with redistributed Service Provider amounts and return the invoices to ASP posts by December 14. ¶15. Upon receipt of the ISC-recalculated agency invoices by December 14, State and USAID Service Providers at ASP posts must present the invoices to customer agency representatives for approval in accordance with instructions in para 11 above. ¶16. After the ASP invoices have been signed by the customer agency representatives, State Service Providers must submit a telegraphic agency invoice summary. USAID Service Providers must email an invoice summary by December 30 to the ISC in the format detailed in para ¶12. -------------- INVOICE DISPUTES -------------- ¶17. Disputed invoices should be forwarded by the disputing agency in writing to the post ICASS Council for resolution. The ICASS Council, through consensus or by vote, must decide on the dispute resolution. The ICASS Council decision can be appealed and forwarded by the disputing agency in writing to the Chief of Mission. If any party to the dispute is not satisfied with the Chief of Mission's decision, that party has the right to appeal the decision to the ICASS Executive Board (IEB) in Washington (6 FAH-5 H-443). -------------- PROCEDURES FOR REVISED INVOICE AMOUNT -------------- ¶18. If an invoice amount must change due to minor budget revisions after it has been authorized by an agency, please inform the Council and agencies of the difference. New invoices do not need to be re-issued for slight changes. Post must, however, maintain on file a copy of the notification informing all affected agencies of the change and resubmit the telegraphic agency invoice summary of the revised agency invoice amounts to the ISC. Additionally, the resubmitted summary should explain the reason for the difference between the signed invoice and the notification of change memo on file and state that the council and agencies have been informed of the revision. NOTE: We encourage post MOs/FMOs to define "slight" with their Council/Budget Committee in the context of their post. -------------- POINT OF CONTACT -------------- ¶19. For questions concerning the formulation of the initial targets, contact your regional bureau, DS or OBO. Questions concerning the submission due dates should be directed to Trish Garate (GaratePA@state.gov). For questions concerning the ICASS budget checklist or ASP budget submissions should be directed to Stella Whitman (WhitmanSL@state.gov). Questions concerning the telegraphic agency invoice summary and invoice disputes should be directed to Mattie Harms (HarmsMA@state.gov). For budget software related questions, contact Bob Braganza (BraganzaRG@state.gov). For budget submission questions, contact Jim Nunno (NunnoJM@state.gov). For technical assistance, contact ICASS Technical Support (ICASStechsupport@state.gov). ¶20. Minimize considered. CLINTON