Government budgeting moves to Affecto’s new IT system specially designed for budgeting and spending limits

Earlier, decisions on spending limits and budgets were made in separate systems; today they are drafted and handled in the same system, which was taken into use in December. The new system is now used by all ministries, the Standing Committee of Supply at the parliament and the translation office. At the moment, the government spending limits for years 2013–2016 is being prepared in the system. Once this is accomplished, the supplementary budget for spring 2012 and budget proposal for 2013 are next in line.

”Formerly the information needed for decisions on spending limits was delivered in spread sheets and text documents. Budgeting was already handled in an IT system, but even there calculations required manual processing. In the new system everything is in electronic format: information is produced, processed and transferred to the next phase within the system,” says Ministerial Adviser Juha Majanen from the Fiscal Policy Unit of the Ministry of Finance.

Electronic processing decreases the need for manual work and sending of papers from one place to another.

In the new budgeting system formatted data like figures and free format text can be combined. If a figure has been linked to text from a spreadsheet, the figure is updated automatically, when the original spread sheet is changed. This decreases the risk of errors.

The web service where citizens can read budgetary proposals and decisions will also soon be based on the new spending limits and budget system. The renewal will take place during the first half of this year.

The project was demanding and unique in its scope of application. The same system has to serve two different, very complex processes, i.e. drafting spending limits and budgets.

”We managed to deal with all the challenges encountered in good cooperative spirit, and our customer now has an excellent system, albeit the original schedule was compromised,” says Petri Reiman, Director, Software Solutions & Services at Affecto Finland Oy.

Affecto delivered the system in cooperation with XML technology expertise provider Index Information Technologies Oy.

For further information, please contact

Affecto Finland Oy, Director Petri Reiman, tel. +358 205 777 858,
petri.reiman(a)affecto.com