Accenture supports US Air Force with DEAMS roll-out

Accenture Federal Services, a US subsidiary of Accenture, has been awarded a 30-month contract by the US Air Force to see its Defense Enterprise Accounting and Management System through its final phase to completion.

The Defense Enterprise Accounting and Management System (DEAMS) is an automated information system project launched in 2003 to provide a single accounting system and standard across all of the US Air Force bases. The project uses commercial off-the-shelf ERP software to provide accounting and management services that is integrated with legacy financial systems. The system provides cost accounting, purchase requests, accounts payable, financial obligations, and collections and customer billing, in one package to streamline audits among others.

The project was scheduled to be completed in 2014 at a cost of $1.1 billion; costs have since spiralled to $2.2 billion with a completion date set for 2017. Today, DEAMS has been rolled out at 40 Air Force Bases, at which it manages a total of about $800 million in monthly cash and billing collection, as well as processing 100,000 Air Force invoices annually.

To assist it with the finalisation of DEAMS, the US Air Force hired Accenture’s US subsidiary Accenture Federal Services. The 30 month contract will see the project through its final phase to completion and is worth $73 million. “DEAMS is designed to give the US Air Force a 21st century financial management system that will provide accurate, reliable and timely business information to support more effective decision-making,” comments Joe Chenelle, who leads Accenture’s US defence and intelligence work.