The main purpose of implementing IFMIS is to improve financial management in Government.

Specifically, the objectives of implementing IFMIS are to:

• Control over expenditure in Government;
• Produce timely financial reports;
• Enhance transparency and accountability in government.

BRIEF BACKGROUND

The New IFMIS is Malawi’s third attempt at installing a government financial management system. The selection of the SAP platform and its implementation approach was premised on the lessons learnt from the previous attempts and mistakes corrected.

Procurement of the New IFMIS System started in 2015. This process was Financed by World Bank under the Financial Reporting and Oversight Improvement Project (FROIP) in Malawi. Unfortunately, the FROIP project expired before acceptance of a successful bidder in April 2018.

The procurement process was an open tender and Malawi government decided to proceed with the procurement process using its own resources and thereafter awarded the contract to the successful bidder (Twenty Third Centuries) in March 2019.

Government of Malawi signed the contract with the supplier in March 2019 and project plan approved by the Steering Committee in June 2019 foresaw a “big bang” implementation whereby all required functionality would be operational for all central government budget agencies from July 2020.

However, emergence of multiple risks made government to revise the implementation strategy where a few selected votes were to be piloted.  Ten MDAs have so far commenced transacting in the New IFMIS using core functionality from the start of 2020/21 FY.

Government is now operating using two (2) IFMIS Applications to process payments. The Epicor Based IFMIS (called the Current IFMIS) and the SAP Based IFMIS. The Epicor based IFMIS will be decommissioned once all votes (about 80) have been migrated to the SAP Based IFMIS (New IFMIS).

1a. SAP BASED IFMIS SECTION

The IFMIS Division is responsible for developing, maintaining and managing the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS)

DAY TO DAY OPERATIONS

• We check the status of the system
• We address outstanding issues that concerns the current IFMIS
• Our clients are all Ministries, Departments and Agencies
• Our clients should expect a high performing, stable and secure IFMIS that is available for use at all times
• From our clients, we expect that they should support the implementation through reporting any challenges that they experience in transacting in IFMIS.
• We address all complaints as soon as we receive them.

1b. EPICOR BASED IFMIS (CURRENT)

FUNCTIONS

• To administer and oversee proper and appropriate use of the Epicor IFMIS
• To provide assistance, guidance and training to Epicor IFMIS End users
• To monitor system performance, report technical irregularities
• Coordinate with ICT Team and consultants in resolving technical challenges

The core team has officers constantly monitoring the system and attending to queries made by clients and reported incidents

Clients are all MDAs who use the Epicor IFMIS applications and other stakeholders who are authorized to access information from the system.

Our clients should expect to be assisted with urgency and solutions to their problems will be provided at the earliest possible time.

Clients should adhere to all prescribed rule and regulations of using the Epicor IFMIS