TSTC has extensive capital planning experience within the Federal Government. Our staff is familiar with many of the phases of the capital planning process and has developed policies, procedures, and support documentation for our clients. Unique technical, operational, business, and project experience allows TSTC to successfully support Federal Agencies in identifying and leveraging their IT capital investments.

According to the Office of Management and Budget "Effective capital planning requires long-range planning and a disciplined budget decision-making process as the basis for managing a portfolio of investments to achieve performance goals and objectives with minimal risk, lowest life-cycle costs, and greatest benefits to the agency's business." The process integrates an agency's capital investments; strategic and performance plans prepared pursuant to the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993; financial management plans prepared pursuant to the Chief Financial Officer Act of 1991 (31 U.S.C. 902a5); information resource management plans prepared pursuant to the Clinger-Cohen Act (Pub. L. 104-106, Division E); method for performance-based acquisition management under the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994, Title V; and budget formulation and execution processes.

The Strategic Point

Major investments are so designated because of their size, scope, strategic importance to an agency, impact across the federal government, or impact on an agency's enterprise architecture. Typically each year, agencies provide documentation related to their major investments to their respective Chief Information Officer (CIO) or other similar organization. Staff assess each investment against established scoring criteria (i.e., does the investment answer the above questions) and prepares a written assessment. Based upon these assessments, a priority is assigned to each investment and funding allocated accordingly.

TSTC assists its clients in developing the policies and procedures required for an investment in the context of specific CPIC phases including the following: integrated project team (IPT) charters, business requirements, functional and technical requirements, alternatives analyses, cost-benefit analyses (CBA) including earned value management (EVM) and return on investment (ROI), project plans, configuration management (CM) and change control plans, risk management plans, security plans, business continuity plans, performance management plans, enterprise architecture (EA) documentation, E-Government (eGov) documentation, transition plans, Raines Rules Analyses, concepts of operations (CONOPS), and migration/transition plans. We assist our clients in evaluating, reviewing, and justifying their investments and develop deliverables that fully address the questions presented above.

Business Case Support

TSTC provides Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular No. A-11 Section 300: Planning, Budgeting, Acquisition, and Management of Assets support services to Federal agencies.

Each Federal agency must submit an OMB Exhibit 300 for each new and on-going major investment, system, or acquisition, and operational (steady state) asset included in the agency's capital asset portfolio. A major investment requires special management attention because of its:

• importance to an agency's mission;
  
• high development, operating, or maintenance costs;
  
• high risk;
  
• high return; or
  
• significant role in the administration of an agency's programs, finances, property, or other resources.

TSTC has experience evaluating, verifying, and preparing Exhibit 300s that demonstrate compliance with the capital planning and investment control policies of the respective organization. Furthermore, we help the agency demonstrate, for each investment via their Exhibit 300 submission:

• clear description of the investment in the context of the agency's capital planning process
  
• direct connection to the agency's strategic plan and goals and the President's Management Agenda (PMA)
  
• comprehensive analysis and explanation of alternatives
  
• return on investment and earned value for the selected alternative
  
• sound acquisition (program and procurement) planning
  
• comprehensive risk identification, mitigation, and management planning
  
• realistic cost and schedule goals
  
• linkage to the agency's and federal enterprise architecture(s)
  
• comprehensive security program
  
• measurable and defendable performance benefits