Hermes the IT system supporting the Swedish budget process

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Hermesthe IT system supporting the Swedish
budget process

• Maria Kain
• The Swedish National Financial Management
  Authority

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Why a new IT system?

• To improve
• infrastructure
• quality of data
• efficiency
• transparency
• access to information
• links and communication between participants in
  the budget process
• metadata

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Before Hermes
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Hermesa web based IT system with 1500 users
within the budgetprocess
Swedish National Debt Office (SNDO)
MoF Budget Department
ESV and associated systems
Hermes data base
Line Ministries
Parliament
Budget users
Swedish National Audit Office
The Public
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Hermes An information pool and tool
Spring Fiscal Policy Bill
Detailed allocation of funds to approriations
Budget Bill
Budget Submissions
Annual Letters of Instructions
Forecasts
Annual Report incl appropriations
Hermes
Accounts in the SNDO
Carry over of unspent funds
Monthly Outcome
Amendments to the Letters of Instructions
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Hermes support to users in the Budget Department

• All relevant figures are found in Hermes
• Integrated short and medium term perspective
• Comments and explanations available
• Centralized and partly automatic price/salary
  adjustment
• Tools for simple forecasts and simulations
• Correct migration of data from budget preparation
  to the Budget Bill and to budget execution
• Budget totals staff
• Instant and reliable overview of the budget
  situation
• Late changes possible
• Desk officers
• Dont have to double check data
• Forecasting dialogue with the Line Minsitries in
  the system
• Letters of instructions are authorized in the
  system
• Administration of authority to carry over unspent
  money

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Security of information

• The users have access to Hermes depending on
• who they are
• their function within the process
• the current stage of the process
• Each user is individually authorized to the
  system and has a personal password

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What did we gain?

• All information can be found in one place
• Quick access to the information in Hermes
• High quality data
• The information in Hermes is always up to date
• Less risk of mistakes
• Less work repeated
• Greater transparency within the budget process
• Good traceability and control
• Easy access to information about earlier years
• Metadata institutional memory
• Hermes contributes to an efficient budget process

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Whats next?

• Revenue items
• Non financial results and facts
• Improvements in user interface
• Add information from earlier years
• More standard reports
• Parliament?
• The Public?