Key Areas of Financial Support
The Columbia Group supports program offices throughout the budget and executions phases. Our knowledge of the full spectrum of budget and financial execution phases allows us to provide this complete support.
Domestic and FMS Commitment Obligation & Expenditure Processing
The Columbia Group provides financial management and accounting support personnel who have expertise in government accounting systems, regulations, and environments throughout the Execution phase. We understand various financial systems, including transaction-level processing, and their impacts on overall execution monitoring and reporting and on financial statements. The company has also proven its ability to assist on Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) policy development and Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) policy review with consideration of financial implications. In addition to its knowledge of budget and accounting operating procedures and directives, The Columbia Group’s Financial Management team has mastery of the rules governing the various appropriations used by the Navy such as RDT&E, SCN, OPN, WPN and O&MN. The team also has extensive experience with STARS, PRISMS, Autodoc, SABRES SCRT, FIMS, COBRA, CRS, and others.
Budgeting & Execution
The Columbia Group develops business and financial plans, and uses all forms of technical tasking documents, procurement processes and documents, budget exhibits, budget tracking systems, and standard accounting databases. The Columbia Group’s Financial Team has experience in assisting in budget generation as well as various budget reviews and data calls.
The Columbia Group supports program managers and budget financial managers in developing their required funding documents such as Procurement Requests (PRs) and Work Requests (WRs), facilitating delivery order awards and tracking expenditures against financial controls.
The Columbia Group’s Financial Management team has mastery of the rules governing the various appropriations used by the Navy such as RDT&E, SCN, OPN, WPN and O&MN. The team also has extensive experience with STARS, PRISMS, Autodoc, SCRT, COBRA, CRS, and others. We also provide assistance in the review of Federal laws, regulations, policies, and procedures.
Key areas of Budgeting and Execution support The Columbia Group provides include:
- Research, analysis, and preparation of draft planning and execution documentation, including statements of work, procurement descriptions, and other funding documentation
- Preparation of funding documents
- Budget formulation including assistance with Program Objective Memorandum (POM) preparation
- Budget justification
- Reclamas/issues papers to request restoration of funds
- Identification, prioritization, and allocation of end of year funding
- Responding to Congressional inquiries
- Preparation of Congressional notebooks
- Preparation of allotments Below Threshold Reprogramming (BTR) authority
Cost Estimating
The Columbia Group provides cost estimating and risk analysis support to the United States Coast Guard utilizing various techniques including Analog, Parametric, Engineering Build-Up, and Extrapolation from Actuals. These techniques provide summary estimates of labor hours, labor costs, and material costs for waterfront activities, as well as labor hours and costs for production engineering and management activities. These techniques also produce estimates of cost risk based on assessments of technical and production complexities, as well as expected engineering, construction, schedule, and management performance issues. Estimate scopes range from individual component level up to complete ship and class construction costs.
Contract Closeout
The Columbia Group provides contract closeout support including accounting and entitlement records validation against contractual documentation such modifications, vendor invoices, treasury registration and comparison between accounting and entitlement systems. Additional efforts include DFARS requirements for closeout, identification of excess funding, and vendor invoicing issues. Closeout efforts have included U.S.-appropriated funding, Foreign Military Sales, and Defense Working Capital Funding.
Data Cleansing
The Columbia Group has provided data cleansing support as part of the conversion to a new accounting system of record cleanup for systemic problems in entitlement and accounting systems, implementation of policy changes that impact the recording of transactions, and reviews for expiring and canceling funding. We have also provided customized data retrieval, research and recommendations for corrective actions, and preparation of reporting metrics to Navy BSOs, program offices and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service.
Manpower Analysis
The Columbia Group has developed and implemented communication strategies for major manpower changes to the United States Marine Corps logistics community. We also conducted a skill gap analysis for the Ground Combat Service Support System program. From our development of Manpower and Training Analyses to our creation of automated tools such as WAMO, COBRA, and QER, The Columbia Group provides the needed level of support in addressing the mission, goals, objectives, or tactical implementation for our customers’ workforce management efforts.
