The Challenge of Installation Management: Results of a 2005 Survey: sponsored by the American Society of Military Comptrollers and carried out by Grant Thornton LLP's Global Public Sector.With American Society of Military Comptrollers COMPTROLLERS. There are officers who bear this name, in the treasury depart @ment of the United States. 2. There are two comptrollers. It is the duty of the first to examine all accounts settled by the first and fifth auditors, and certify the balances arising sponsorship, rant Thornton LLP's Global Public Sector group surveyed 20 Department of Defense (DoD) and Uniformed Services The Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Public Health Services. See also Military Department; Military Service. executives and 54 installation-level financial managers about trends in military installation management. The surveys were conducted between January and March 2005. While the effect on survey results is not known, we note that during the conduct of this survey, the Base Realignment and Closure Base Realignment and Closure (or BRAC) is a process of the United States federal government directed at the administration and operation of the Armed Forces, used by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) and Congress to close excess military installations and realign Commission (BRAC Brač (bräch), Ital. Brazza, island (1991 pop. 13,824), 152 sq mi (394 sq km), off the Dalmatian coast in the Adriatic Sea, Croatia. It is a popular summer resort and tourist spot. Supetar (Ital. ) released proposed base closings and other changes that will affect joint basing and service delivery plans. Related trends identified during the survey include joint basing (co-locating assets and units of different Uniformed Services), newbase service delivery models (competitive sourcing and regionalization regionalization Managed care The subdivision of a broadly available service–eg, a blood bank, into quasi-autonomous regional centers, capable of making decisions and providing more cost-effective and/or faster service to hospitals and health care facilities, ), and regional governance structures. Survey respondents identified the following key issues concerning installation management: * Governance. The major issues are who will be in charge of a base, and what the responsibilities of hosts and tenants will be. Respondents suggested (1) regional governance approaches now used by the Army and Navy and (2) alternating base command among organizations at an installation. Whatever model is used, roles must be clear. * Common Levels of Service. One of the barriers to joint basing is that the four DoD Uniformed Services have different standards for base-level services. Joint basing requires common service standards for clear, acceptable installation service agreements. * Cultural Issues. A Uniformed Service's culture is manifested in the installations it controls and must be taken into account when developing base service standards. Many interviewees advised that cost efficiency measures won't succeed if they are seen as jeopardizing the parent Uniformed Service's culture. * Performance Management, Costing, and Budgeting. Clear standards for base services form the starting point Noun 1. starting point - earliest limiting point terminus a quo commencement, get-go, offset, outset, showtime, starting time, beginning, start, kickoff, first - the time at which something is supposed to begin; "they got an early start"; "she knew from the for effective installation management. With clear standards, bases can apply managerial cost accounting to develop accurate performance models for base services that can be used for performance budgeting and planning. * Alternative Methods of Service Delivery. For commercial-type services, competitive sourcing and privatization privatization: see nationalization. privatization Transfer of government services or assets to the private sector. State-owned assets may be sold to private owners, or statutory restrictions on competition between privately and publicly owned may help to reduce costs even when a service continues to be delivered by in-house personnel. * BRAC. Respondents suggested that DoD be cautious with closures because tens of thousands of military personnel overseas and their dependents are being redeployed to bases in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. one survey respondent, "A new base commander is going to need two things: a good business office and a great comptroller." Interviewees said that business and financial managers at all echelons need to sharpen sharp·en tr. & intr.v. sharp·ened, sharp·en·ing, sharp·ens To make or become sharp or sharper. sharp their skills in cost and performance management, in finding innovative ways to fund operations, and in providing sound financial information to decision makers. Other suggestions included the following: * Accounting systems capable of calculating accurate charges to tenants for installation services * A common chart of accounts and methods of aggregating costs for the Uniformed Services and Defense agencies * Better cost and performance models to determine unit costs, to change service levels based on available funding, and to identify cost-effective best practices * Better managerial accounting Managerial Accounting The process of identifying, measuring, analyzing, interpreting, and communicating information for the pursuit of an organization's goals. Notes: skills within installation comptroller organizations in order to effectively perform cost and performance management Jointness, regionalization, competitive sourcing, and BRAC all offer opportunities to develop a base environment that supports twenty-first century warfighters. Survey respondents agree that now is the time to develop the policies and tools needed to make this happen. A copy of the survey report, The Challenge of Installation Management: Results of a 2005 Survey, can be downloaded at http://www.grantthornton.com/content/14155.asp. |
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