Developer | Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
Implementation | Information Society Technologies Single Member SA |
Budget | € 887,096.77 (plus 24% VAT) |
What is the object of the project?
The object of the Act is to modernize and increase the efficiency of the financial management of the External Service Authorities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by developing, configuring and implementing a Financial Management Information System (FMIS).
For the implementation of the object, the following will be carried out:
Initial recording of requirements, process redesign and modeling of new operational functions,
Implementation and operation of an information system for the execution of the financial management functions of the Authorities and the monitoring of its financial data in real time by the Operational and Political leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The solution will be provided through a single centralized platform and collaborating decentralized network nodes (interconnection via Intranet Global VPN or Internet), however the data of the Financial Management of all the External Service Authorities will be stored in the central infrastructure of G-Cloud, which will facilitate their horizontal processing.
The implementation of the Financial Management Information System (FMIS) of the External Service Authorities will allow for the following functionalities:
Design of Financial Functions Procedures of the External Service Authorities, with a view to their implementation exclusively electronically, where each process will be modeled/codified separately and will be completed, by updating the respective Consular Managers and the detailed financial statements.
Intelligent information service with the inclusion of decision-making tools based on the overall financial data of the External Service Authorities, in order to assist the Operational and Political Leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the design of strategies and the evaluation of policies in the field of the Financial Management of the External Service Authorities.
Interoperability with systems with horizontal competence in financial management processes.
Automatic completion of data that are necessary for the operation of the FMIS through the interoperability with the existing systems of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, such as the Schengen Visa Information System (VIS).
What is the aim of the Project?
The proposed project aims at the procurement and exploitation of modern IT systems for the automation and control of procedures in the field of the financial management of the External Service Authorities and the achievement of interoperability with the forthcoming project “Reform of the Fiscal System in the Central Administration and the General Government (Gov-ERP)”.
The implementation of the Act aims at the electronic management of expenditure at all stages of the process, the replacement of the anachronistic stamp and the issuance of an electronic receipt, the transparency of the management of financial data, the rational management of public funds, a uniform way in the training and submission of consular accounts. Furthermore, it seeks to minimize errors and to simplify and speed up the work of the budgetary audit bodies.
The modernization of the financial management of the External Service Authorities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the simplification of procedures and the development of a modern information system, is necessary in order to achieve:
- Fast handling of transactions, both at the level of Consular Authorities and at the level of the Central Office, with the transition from hard copies to a financial management information system.
- Reduction of transaction and overall operation costs.
- Improvement of the image projected towards the trader (expatriates and citizens of other countries that perform transactions with the Consular Authorities).
- Provision of the possibility of online data acquisition by the General Inspectorate, other services of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other fiscal bodies, which are currently receiving data in the form of handwritten statements.
- Ensuring accurate and up-to-date information.
- Improvement of the quality of the services provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to citizens, businesses and other involved bodies.
- Strengthening the citizens’ and businesses’ trust in the state and the public administration.
- Removal of the malfunctions observed by the lack of establishment and standardization of data for the fields of competence of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
What does the implementation of the Project involve?
The Act concerns a single Sub-project, which includes the following phases:
Phase P1. Implementation Study – Analysis of Digital Operations and Applications
It includes the Project Management and Quality Plan (PMQP), the Requirement Analysis Issue, the Architectural Solution Design, the Control Methodology and Control Scenarios, the System Interoperability and Interconnection with Third Systems Study, the Migration Study, the System Safety Study and the Schedule for the gradual introduction of the External Service Authorities and the Directorates of the Central Office to the FMIS.
Phase P2. System Implementation Services – Configuration
It includes the creation of a single central database for the System, the development and configuration of the application software, the integration of the existing institutional framework and the operational environment, the installation of the ready-made software of the system, the interconnection with third systems, the primary functionality control, the configuration of the documentation and updated control scenarios manuals, as well as control testing.
Phase P3. System Operator and User Training
It includes the training of the Administrators of the information system in the Central Offices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Users in the Consular Authorities, in a classroom environment or remotely, using contemporary distance learning.
Phase P4. Pilot Operation
It includes the installation of a Request Management System, the on-site support of users and administrators, troubleshooting, development of complementary or redesigned functions, and the final functionality testing.
Phase P5. Test – Productive Operation.
It includes the development, configuration and completion of the deployment of the System, the provision of initialization and migration services, the on-site support of administrators and users, the resolution of problems, the development of complementary or redesigned functions and the provision of maintenance services for project applications and systems.
What are the expected benefits?
The benefits of implementing this Act are the following:
- Real-time display: of consular earnings and expenses, of the available balance of the consular earnings.
- Improvement of the quality of the services provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to expatriates, Greek immigrant communities, businesses and other involved bodies.
- Financial reports for the preparation and implementation of the budget (Revenue and Expenditure), the preparation of the Medium-term budgetary strategy plan, the provision of data and information to the General Accounting Office of the State for the Overview of Expenditure.
- Integration of software tools in support of the strategic planning of the Foreign Minister.
- Reduction of the operating costs of the External Service Authorities.
How is it funded?
The Project is funded by the Operational Program “PUBLIC SECTOR REFORM”, within the framework of the NSRF, by the ESF and by National Resources.