By Carolyn Martino, PM DIBS Strategic Communications and Jessica Wingfield, ACWS Strategic CommunicationsNovember 5, 2024

U.S. Army Program Executive Office (PEO) Enterprise and the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Procurement (ODASA(P)) recently achieved another key milestone with the modernized Army Contract Writing System (ACWS). On Oct. 31, they announced the integration of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Financial Management System (CEFMS) with ACWS -- a move that will streamline contracting processes and improve financial management for projects managed by the USACE.

The ACWS-CEFMS integration facilitates seamless data transfer between the two systems, allowing for real-time updates on contract status, funding allocations and expenditure tracking, ensuring that contracting and financial data are consistent and up to date. The newly integrated system is being deployed in waves to 3,250 total users, with approximately 500 USACE users training and deploying to ACWS each month. The updated ACWS system is expected to achieve full deployment by April 2025.

"The ACWS-CEFMS integration marks an important milestone," said Lt. Col. Camille Morgan, product manager for ACWS at PEO Enterprise. "Through the culmination of close coordination with multiple stakeholders and successful management of competing priorities on short and often reduced schedules, we are pleased to deliver this capability to our Army contracting community."

ACWS users will notice several system improvements and benefits.

The integration will create more efficient workflows, reducing redundancy, minimizing errors and accelerating contract and payment processing. The combined capabilities of ACWS and CEFMS will also allow for more robust reporting tools. Users can generate comprehensive financial and contract reports, which provide insights into project performance and spending trends with integrated systems, enabling project managers to monitor contract expenditures against approved budgets more easily. The result will be enhanced accountability and transparency in financial management practices, enabling traceability of funds throughout the contract lifecycle.

"Users are excited about the new system, the current functionality and the ability to add capability iteratively over time," said Maria Dunton, ACWS lead for the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Procurement). "Under the Agile framework, users are providing direct feedback to enhance the system. Our recent ACWS releases are evidence that we are listening to users and incorporating ideas directly into the system."

The Army's ACWS-CEFMS integration is part of a broader effort to modernize its contracting and financial management processes. Historically, the Army has faced challenges with siloed systems, where contracting and financial information were managed separately, creating inefficiencies and a risk of data discrepancies. The recent integration is a pivotal step towards a cohesive, enterprise-wide approach to enhanced financial management and accountability.

As the modernization effort moves forward, ACWS -- which is part of PEO Enterprise's Defense Integrated Business Systems portfolio -- will continue to leverage cross-service collaboration to share incremental updates and develop future capabilities that deliver business excellence at the speed of relevance.