IMPROVING CASH MANAGEMENT practices is one of the most important issues of the financial world. Technological advances and the broadening availability of the Internet provide exciting, cost-savingcash management tools. The Financial Management Service (FMS), a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, is making full use of emerging technologies to improve the management of the Federal Government’s finances.

FMS’ vision is to move toward an all-electronic Treasury, maximizing the use of technology and providing Federal agencies with comprehensive electronic commerce solutions. The integration of e-commerce technologies in the payment and collection infrastructure will result in:

■ timely and accurate disbursement of Federal payments within the optimal payment processing environment, and

■ timely collection of Federal Government receipts at the lowest cost.

The cost savings realized by the integration of technology into the Federal Government’s cash management tools lessen the Government’s borrowing requirements and the interest paid on that debt, thus saving taxpayers’ money. As the Internet becomes the standard for how business is transacted, taxpayers (individuals and businesses) will want the convenience and the choice of interacting with the Federal Government in a similar fashion as they would conduct business transactions with the private sector.

Purpose of Cash Management Made Easy

The purpose of the Cash Management Made Easy guidebook is to provide a high-level overview of Federal Government cash management tools. Cash Management Made Easy is published by FMS. This guide, an updated supplement to the Treasury Financial Manual (TFM), will assist Federal agency cash managers in improvingthe management of the Government’s finances.

The information contained in this guide is to be used in conjunction with Treasury regulations, policies, and procedures set forth in the TFM; Office of Management and Budget (OMB) circulars; General Services Administration (GSA) regulations; Joint Financial Management Improvement Program (JFMIP) core requirements; and internal Federal agency regulations. A list of current regulations and OMB circulars that pertain tocash management is provided in Appendix D.

For additional information on any aspect of cash management, contact the Program Assistance Division or the Customer Assistance Staff (CAS) at your local FMS Regional Financial Center (RFC). Telephone numbers for headquarters and RFCs are provided in Appendix C of this supplement.