SMG 2360.1

FDA STAFF MANUAL GUIDES, VOLUME III - GENERAL ADMINISTRATION

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

TRAINING

UNIFIED FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ACCESS AND COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Effective Date: 05/04/2010

[PDF version]

1. PURPOSE 

To outline course attendance and minimum knowledge requirements for users to gain access to the Unified Financial Management System (UFMS).

2. BACKGROUND 

All UFMS courses are in compliance with Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and Office of Information Management (OIM) policies, which mandate the minimum training and demonstrated knowledge requirements for UFMS Users, dependent upon roles and responsibilities.

3. DEFINITIONS 

A. Certificates of Completion. Certificates issued at the end of satisfactorily completing the requirements for a course to acknowledge attendance in the course.

B. Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Credit. CPEs issued by a governing board for the completion of pre-qualified courses to CPAs and CGFMs.

C. User Account Request (UAR). The FDA UFMS UAR web-based documents that add, delete, or modify access to the Financial Information System (FIS) and capture proper approvals.

D. Segregation of Duties (SOD). SOD is the requirement that policies, procedures, and organizational structure be established so that one individual cannot control key aspects of operations and thereby conduct unauthorized actions or gain unauthorized access to assets or records.

E. User Provisioning Coordinator (UPC). Member of Office of Financial Management’s (OFM’s) staff responsible for coordinating the provisioning activities for the UFMS.

F. User Provisioning Point of Contact (UPPOC). Designated Center/Office staff responsible for coordinating and approving UFMS UARs prior to submission to the OFM.

4. RESPONSIBILITIES 

A. UPC. Member of OFM who is responsible for receiving and processing UFMS UARs for the FDA.

B. OFM Training Team. Members of OFM’s Division of Business Transformation, Administration, and Management (DBTAM) are responsible for providing training to UFMS Users on the financial information systems and financial processes.

C. User Provisioning UPPOC. Center/Office designated points-of-contact, acting as liaisons between the OFM UPC and UFMS Users, responsible for processing UARs.

5. POLICY 

OFM requires course attendance prior to gaining access to the UFMS in accordance with this policy. 

Admission Policy

All UFMS courses are available to new or existing Users. Employees are admitted to courses on a space-available basis. Before gaining access to the UFMS, Users must request UFMS access through an online UAR form and subsequently complete the course requirements. Requirements will be determined when a UAR is submitted to OFM.

Americans with Disability Act Accessibility

Individuals with disabilities who need reasonable accommodation to participate in any OFM course may submit a description of the necessary accommodation in writing by close of the course registration period to: OCOFM/UMFSTeam@fda.hhs.gov.

Certificates of Completion

To receive a Certificate of Completion, the employee must attend the entire course. Certificates of Completion can be printed from the HHS Learning Management System within five days after the successful completion of the course.

Course Materials and Handouts

For the majority of course activities, materials and handouts will be available via HHS Learning Management System upon employee registration for each specific course. Each employee is required to print and bring the materials to the course.

CPE Credit

OFM is an approved provider of CPEs for Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) and Certified Government Financial Managers (CGFMs). Employees who register for the following courses will qualify for the indicated CPE units:

iProcurement (Requesting, Receiving, Approving): 6 CPE units

DocView Inquiry and Update: 3 CPE units

Employees requesting CPE credits are required to attend and participate in the approved course in its entirety and complete the lecture and the final evaluation forms.

OFM Course Registration Policy

UFMS courses are available for employee registration on the HHS Learning Management System and Users are required to self-register online. Registration for each course closes one week prior to the scheduled date. All OFM courses are available to new and existing UFMS users and employees are admitted to the courses on a first-come-first-serve basis. UFMS Users outside of the Metropolitan DC area will be given priority to UFMS virtual courses. Prudent budgeting considerations necessitate courses with less than three employees enrolled may be cancelled.

Prior to registering for UFMS courses, UFMS access must be requested through an online UAR form. Existing Users of UFMS seeking additional access should log into UFMS and select the HHS UFMS User Provisioning responsibility, then select "create request." Waiver of these requirements will be only through the Director of OFM’s DBTAM or delegate. The following courses will be scheduled monthly:

Special Course Requests

OFM reserves the right to decide on a case-by-case basis if special courses can be scheduled. The decision will be based upon the course schedule and other projects currently underway with the cadre of instructors. Requests for a special course must be made in writing and submitted to OFM at: OC OFM/UFMS Team@fda.hhs.gov.

No-Show Policy

When employees register for a course, they are required to attend the entire course to receive credit. If an employee fails to attend the session, no credit will be given. On the first occurrence of failing to attend or not completing a course, the UPPOC and employee listed on the UAR will be notified to reschedule.

On the second occurrence of registering but not attending or failing to complete the course, the UPPOC and the Supervisor appearing on the UAR will be notified of the absence. The employee will have the next month to complete the requirement. If it is not completed, the UAR will be considered void and the UPPOC, Supervisor, and Center/Office Executive Officer will be notified for further action.

Notice

A copy of this policy will be sent with all requests to register for courses and is made available on inside.fda.gov.

6. EFFECTIVE DATE 

The guide was signed by William Collinson, Director - Office of Financial Management, effective May 4, 2010.

7. DOCUMENT HISTORY – SMG 2360.1, Unified Financial Management System Access and Course Requirements