THE USDA FOREST SERVICE’S ABQ SERVICE CENTER (ASC) Bates, Regensberg, Stewart & Sanchez Carson National Forest

Introduction: Forest Service & ASC Inception  The founding of the National Forest System and the Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has its roots in the last quarter of the 19th century. Established in 1905 to provide quality water and timber. Over the past 100+ years has expanded to included national forests and grasslands.  The ABQ Service Center was established in 2004 as part of the centralization and migration of all budget and finance processes for the Forest Service.

History of the Forest Service 1891 The national forests (at first called forest reserves) began with the Forest Reserve Act of 1891, which allowed the president to establish forest reserves from timber covered public domain land. 1900s Congress established the Forest Service in 1905 to provide quality water and timber for the Nation's benefit. The FS has since expanded to cover national forests and grasslands. 2000s The ASC Budget & Finance Center was established to consolidate and migrate all budget and finance processes to Albuquerque.

Forest Service Goals:  The mission of the USDA Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations by “Caring for the Land and Serving People”.

Value Chain: ASC Primary Processes  Budget & Finance Division  Consists of 16 Branches. Some of these branches are: Internal Quality Audit (IQA) Reimbursable s &Advanced Collections Agreements (RACA) Travel (GovTrip, Transfer of Stations, Temp Duty Station) Payments (Grants & Agreements, Misc/Service Wide Agreements) Property & Working Capital Fund (Prop/WCF)

Inbound Logistics  Data that is provided and directed to Budget and Finance operations come from the following sources:  Field Operations This is the primary source of data used by B&F operations.  CFO Direction  Forest Service Direction  USDA Direction

Operations  Internal Use Software (IUS) – This a segment of the Personal Property section. We will focus in on this to see an example of one of the many operations at the ASC.  IUS reconciliation process for budgeting and financial reporting Formerly a manual process that was automated. The automated process was implemented in March 2010 The manual process took hours and days to complete, and the automated process is complete in just minutes. The manual process consisted of pulling information from secondary systems manually and inputting the collected information into separate spreadsheets. The automated process pulls the information from the systems simultaneously and reconciles all IUS projects at once rather than one at a time.

Outbound Logistics  Once data is processed at the ASC Budget and Finance division, the following are some of the many customers/main users of this information:  Field personnel and Contractors  Branch Chiefs  Internal and External Auditors  CFO and USDA  Local Governments  Federal Government

Value Chain: Support Processes  Firm Infrastructure  Human Resources Management  Technology and Systems Development  Procurement

Firm Infrastructure  Associate Deputy Chief for Business Operations/Chief Financial Officer (ADC/CFO)  ASC Leadership Team  Program Areas Financial Operations Financial Reporting and Reconciliation Budget Execution  Customer Service Customer Support Call Center Technology Support Group Training Team

Human Resources Management  HR Internal (Intranet) Website:   One of the first Forest Service processes to be fully automated  Employees can manage/view: Personal information, Employee benefits, Work schedules, Payroll, Non-Taxable Withholdings/Other Misc Deductions Etc…

Technology and Systems Development  CPAIS - Corporate Property Accounting Information System  BRIO – report generator from FFIS (Foundation Financial Information System)  WorkPlan – Forest Service Project Planning System  INFRA – Tim - Timber Reporting System  PROP – Personal Property System which is currently being integrated into CPAIS  ACL – Audit Command Language System  INFRA – SUDS – Special Uses Database System

Procurement  Data is one of the most valuable inputs in the organization.  Human resources are equally invaluable

Future Plans  Meeting future conservation challenges through synthesis of long term silviculture and range management research.  Identify ways to improve communication within the organization.  Provide science-based applications and tools for sustainable natural resources management.  Provide and sustain benefits to the American people.  Sustain and enhance outdoor recreation opportunities.

Recommendations  Identify training needs (ongoing) to improve the skills of end-users.  Identify interdependencies between data, software and hardware requirements.  Continue to integrate new information technology.  Incorporate clear links between the workforce plans and the strategic plan, and describe how the workforce plans will help the Forest Service achieve it’s goals.

Conclusion  Gives employees access to more self-service options.  Can now share data with customers and the public in a more effective and timely manner.  Consolidate internal planning, budget and performance information.

References:     ROJECT ROJECT