The Ministry of Finance does not agree that the main IT system of the budget of the Russian Federation – "buggy"

In the response on the federal law draft about the budget of the Russian Federation for 2015-2017 published in October, 2014,the Accounts Chamber provided results of check of functioning of one of key information systems of the Ministry of Finance - Budget planning.

System designation

"Budget planning" is based on the software developed by BARS Group company and is one of key components of the "Electronic budget" implemented in the Ministry of Finance – a large-scale system using which it is in the long term going to perform all state financial management.

The subsystem of budget planning is intended for implementation of the formalized procedures of budget making, conducting summary budget painting and budget paintings. When planning the budget for 2015-2017, in particular, it was used by the main managers of budgetary funds for formation and providing justification of budgetary appropriations and registers of payment commitments.

For the first time this system implemented in the form of a cloud solution was used when forming the Federal Law about the budget for 2014-2016. At the same time on the bill of the budget for 2014 of notes on system operation did not contain in a withdrawal of Accounts Chamber.

"Budget planning" is a subsystem of "The electronic budget" of the Ministry of Finance

The revealed problems

During checks of Accounts Chamber a number of essential shortcomings of system operation of budget planning, said in a response of auditors on the bill on the budget was revealed. During preparation by the main managers of means of the federal budget of distribution of budgetary appropriations for 2015-2017 "there were frequent technical failures and errors in the software, long terms of updating of reference books of codes of budget classification of the Russian Federation and analytical reference books", auditors note.

Among the detected problems – miscalculation of total values of budgetary appropriations in justifications on providing subsidies to federal state institutions for rendering state services, incorrect unloading of printed forms of justifications, errors in the statuses of the electronic documents sent for approval, an error when forming the register of payment commitments, incorrect formation of forms of justifications regarding use of budget classification, etc.

"According to the results of control actions of Accounts Chamber it is revealed that the elements of an information system of the Ministry of Finance used when forming the bill work unstably, the documents placed in a system are filled out poor, - auditors of Accounts Chamber write. – Justifications of budgetary appropriations on additional financing of actions do not contain the calculations and regulatory legal acts proving need of additional financing".

The specified shortcomings of system operation of the Ministry of Finance complicate use of information for the purposes of the analysis and control and testify to need of its completion, state in Accounts Chamber.

"Victims" of bugs

In a response on the bill of the budget of the Russian Federation for 2015-2017 examples when errors in system operation Budget planning complicated accomplishment of tasks are given. So, for example, in the course of distribution of budgetary appropriations by the "Economic Development and the Innovation Economy" state program when using a system of the Ministry of Finance the facts of its periodic failures in a part of opening of tabs, syntax errors and long loading of pages were FULL FACE noted.

During the work with the system of the Ministry of Finance in Rosreestr the facts of untimely completion by the Ministry of Finance of forms of the justifications placed in a system and also carrying out the updates of a system including influencing an algorithm of calculation of volumes of budgetary appropriations in forms of justifications that resulted in need of their adjustment are mentioned.

Violations in system operation at distribution of budgetary appropriations by the Justice state program did not allow Ministry of Justice to create and direct a number of required materials timely.

Explanations of the Ministry of Finance

The Ministry of Finance told TAdviser that during the work of the main managers of means of the federal budget on submission to their department of distribution of budgetary appropriations for 2015-2017 in system operation "the short-term failures connected with interruptions in work of communication channels, network infrastructure" took place.

"Specialists of the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation jointly with technical support service of the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation held the organizational and technical events directed to the operational solution of the arising problems and ensuring smooth functioning of a system that provided a possibility of timely submission to the Ministry of Finance of distribution of budgetary appropriations of the federal budget for 2015-2017 with all main managers of means of the federal budget", - representatives of the Ministry of Finance told.

Department also noted that the main managers of means of the federal budget filled out data in a system according to the Methodical instructions sent them on distribution of budgetary appropriations by sections, subsections, target articles and expense types of classification of expenses of the federal budget for 2015 and planning period of 2016 and 2017 and Methodical recommendations about formation of justifications of budgetary appropriations for the same period. Responsibility for formation of information in a system according to Methodical recommendations is conferred on the main managers of means of the federal budget.

"A system gives opportunities for formation of all information required according to Methodical recommendations. Not the indication of information is not the main managers of means of the federal budget a consequence of the wrong functioning of a system", - said in the Ministry of Finance.

Department added that the relevant information is also sent by the Ministry of Finance to Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation.