Hawaii issues RFP for part of accounting system

State requests proposals to update key accounting system function 

The State of Hawaii has issued a request for proposal (RFP) to develop a Unified Chart of Accounts (UCOA), a key function for the government’s accounting system. The RFP issued on Jan. 17 is part of the state’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) program to streamline the government’s business operations.

“A statewide uniform chart of accounts will provide the state with an accurate and comparable set of records and reports of all financial data across departments, state entities and agencies. This is the first key step in the state’s ERP process,” said Maria Zielinski, State Deputy Comptroller, Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS).

DAGS is currently responsible for statewide accounting functions. However, there is no standardized UCOA now in use. The new UCOA system will incorporate and include all the accounts that are required for preparing and reporting budgets and actual expenses and receipts. All state departments will eventually migrate their financial system into the new UCOA as the ERP program is implemented in phases.

This initiative is one of a number of component projects that will complement the implementation of the state’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) project. The ERP system is a top priority of the state’s Business and Information Technology Transformation Plan that will involve modernizing IT systems throughout every organization in state government. The project is expected to be initially driven by financial systems improvements, and thus the chart of accounts is an obvious base component of financial systems. The Departments of Budget & Finance, Human Resources & Development, Accounting & General Services, Taxation, and Education, as well as the Office of Information Management Technology, are all lead contributors to the ERP project. An earlier RFP for the ERP program was issued in September 2013. The selected ERP solution contractor will work closely with the UCOA team.

Proposals for the UCOA RFP are due by Feb. 18, 2014, at 2 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time.

Proposals must be submitted and received electronically through the Hawaii State eProcurement (HIePRO) system. Faxes or emailed attachments will not be accepted. Vendors must register to use the HIePRO system. Registration information is available at the HIePRO website:  https://hiepro.ehawaii.gov/welcome.html