Sustainable Public Financial Management

New FreeBalance office provides innovative, collaborative and energy-efficient work environment 

Ottawa, Canada (December 13, 2011) – FreeBalance, a global Government Resource Planning (GRP) software company, today announced the relocation from the Ottawa headquarters to an innovative and collaborative work environment. The new office space incorporates the latest strategies in energy conservation and uses Bullfrog Power, a 100% green electricity provider. FreeBalance has experienced tremendous growth and financial success in the last five years.

Founded in 1984 in Ottawa, Canada, FreeBalance delivers proven, Canadian government resource planning technology to the world with a focus on countries in transition, fiscal decentralization, change, and reconstruction. In 2006, President & CEO Manuel Pietra brought global management experience to FreeBalance. FreeBalance was restructured into a global customer-centric company to help governments leverage technology to accelerate growth. The new Ottawa office is part of a regional strategy that has seen the addition of offices in the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia/Pacific.

“This move represents an exciting achievement for FreeBalance as we confirm our leadership position in the Government Resource Planning market,” said Manuel Pietra, President & CEO at FreeBalance. “FreeBalance is recognized around the world for promoting good governance, accountability and transparency in a sustainable manner. We are a proud Canadian company that is making a difference in the world. We are committed to helping governments leverage technology to accelerate country growth.” 

The new FreeBalance headquarters is located at:

FreeBalance Inc.
411 Legget Drive, Suite 210
Ottawa, Ontario
K2K 3C9

Phone: +1 613.236.5150
Fax: +1 613.236.7785
Email: info@freebalance.com 

About FreeBalance
FreeBalance helps governments around the world leverage robust Government Resource Planning (GRP) technology to accelerate country growth. FreeBalance software solutions for public financial and human resource management support reform and modernization to improve governance, transparency and accountability. Good governance is required to improve development results. FreeBalance solutions are active in 19 countries managing more than a quarter trillion ($US) in annual budgets worldwide. For more information, visit www.freebalance.com.

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Doug Hadden, VP Products

[Tweeting and asking questions. David Nummy looks on.]

FreeBalance sponsored and attended the most recent International Consortium on Governmental Financial Management (ICGFM) conference. We were a Gold Sponsor. (Presentations are up on www.icgfm.org pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/icgfm/, check out @icgfm on Twitter – most of the tweets come from FreeBalance.)

We’ve been at many public financial management and government-focused conferences this year.  We’ve been noticing a lack of involvement by the larger Enterprise Resource Planning vendors over the past few years.  You get the feeling that even when they attend, they aren’t engaged. It’s as if staff from these companies is uninterested in learning about the trends and lessons-learned in public financial management.

Perhaps the level of involvement is proportional to success. (There’s growing evidence to support this notion).

Some ERP companies sponsor events but staff stays in the trade show area or appear only to make a single presentation, which is about them. When they do appear in the conference sessions: it’s e-mail and spreadsheets.

Maybe we should stop distracting these companies by suggesting they listen to customers. Gets in the way of talking. Perhaps learning is over-rated. Or, they just don’t want to hear about continued ERP customer implementation problems.

My sense is that the PFM market is entering what Peter Hinssen calls a “flip” – from vendor to customer dominance.  Some signs:

• Increasing reliance on maintenance revenue by larger vendors, just to keep the corporate lights on. (Not to mention the software “license” ninjas that descend on customers to “audit”.)
• Lack of innovation among major enterprise software vendors has created a feeding frenzy of acquisitions. It’s the tech soap opera with Kardashian scope hype.
• Virtually every press release from major vendors talks about “innovation” when introducing a few new features.
• Despite all the hype, there’s no reduction in the incidents of publically revealed failures, particularly in government.  Believe me, it’s just the tip of the iceberg. You learn a lot more from the network of professionals about problems that have not made the press.

Some advice for ERP Companies

Why would I provide advice? Public money is being wasted: failed, over-budget, late. Developed countries, developing countries – national, sub-national – everywhere. Here’s what we’ve learned:

• Listening helps determine the long-term product roadmap. Don’t hire an expert in a vertical market and slot into a cubicle. Attend PFM conference.
• Problems help improve products. I’ve found three customers over the past five years who expressed dissatisfaction with FreeBalance products. The results are fantastic – we found ways to please the customer and improve our products at the same time.
• Sharing expertise builds the warehouse of what works and what doesn’t work in government financial management.  Vendors have to stop talking about themselves and share lessons learned.

Conference to explore PFM in the 21^st Century and Modern PFM Institutions

Ottawa, Canada (December 5, 2011) – FreeBalance, a global Government Resource Planning (GRP) software company, today announced participation at the 2011 International Consortium on Governmental Financial Management (ICGFM) Winter Conference. The event runs from December 5-7, 2011 in Washington, DC at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) conference facilities. The ICGFM conference provides opportunities to discuss ideas and policies with government financial managers from around the world. Representatives from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean, and North America will share practical experiences in adopting and implementing new components in the public financial management (PFM) world. For more information, visit www.icgfm.org.

“FreeBalance looks forward to discussing modern public financial management tools and implementation methods with the ICGFM dignitaries,” said Doug Hadden, VP Products at FreeBalance. “Our mission is to help countries leverage technology to support economic growth and aid development through transparent and accountable financial systems. FreeBalance is active in all World Bank regions and has more than 25 years experience implementing government resource planning solutions worldwide.”

Attendees of the 2011 Winter Conference will also learn about the PFM institutions that provide the foundation for meeting the demands for greater accountability, transparency, and better management of public resources. As described in the 2011 ICGFM Winter Conference overview: “ICGFM is focusing on how PFM has evolved over the last 15 years to meet greater demands for accountability and transparency, and to manage through unprecedented economic changes and crises.” Key themes of this conference include: Independent accountability institutions, Performance informed resource allocation, Risk management as an element of PFM, Reporting standards, and Managing beyond the current budget year.

FreeBalance is a Sustaining Member of the ICGFM. Other members include The World Bank; The International Monetary Fund; the United States Agency for International Development – Inspector General; the Association of Government Accountants (USA); and The Development Gateway Foundation. FreeBalance President & CEO Manuel Pietra is a member of the Board of Directors at ICGFM.

Software solutions from FreeBalance are being used in 19 countries, including Antigua & Barbuda, Afghanistan, Canada, Iraq, Kosovo, Kyrgyz Republic, Liberia, Mongolia, Namibia, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Southern Sudan, Timor-Leste, and Uganda among others.

About ICGFM
Working globally with governments, organizations, and individuals, the International Consortium on Governmental Financial Management (ICGFM) is dedicated to improving financial management by providing opportunities for professional development and information exchange. The ICGFM was established over two decades ago to serve as an international forum for public sector financial managers. More at www.icgfm.org.

About FreeBalance
FreeBalance helps governments around the world leverage robust Government Resource Planning (GRP) technology to accelerate country growth. FreeBalance software solutions for public financial and human resource management support reform and modernization to improve governance, transparency and accountability. Good governance is required to improve development results. FreeBalance solutions are active in 19 countries managing more than a quarter trillion ($US) in annual budgets worldwide. For more information, visit www.freebalance.com.

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Conference to explore economic, financial, commercial and technological partnerships in Africa

Ottawa, Canada (1 December 2011) – FreeBalance, a For Profit Social Enterprise (FOPSE) software company that helps governments around the world to leverage robust Government Resource Planning (GRP) technology to accelerate country growth, is pleased to announce attendance at PROMOTE 2011. This conference will be held in Yaoundé, Cameroon at the Yaoundé Congress Hall, 3-11 December 2011. Organizers of PROMOTE 2011 expect more than 1,400 companies and 120,000 visitors will attend the event. Over 29 countries will be represented, including members from the Economic Community of Central African States and the Economic and Monetary Community of Central African States (CEEAC/CEMAC).

FreeBalance is participating at PROMOTE 2011 in the Canadian Pavilion as part of the economic mission organized by the Canadian Council on Africa, in partnership with Afrique Expansion, the Association of Cameroonians of Canada, the Ministry of Economic Development, Innovation and Export Trade of Quebec, and the High Commissioner of Canada in Cameroon. FreeBalance is a member of the Canadian Council on Africa and supports Public Financial Management (PFM) reforms with GRP implementations in Liberia, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Southern Sudan, and with MCA Namibia.

“We look forward to meeting delegates at PROMOTE 2011 to discuss government resource planning needs in Africa,” said Manuel Pietra, President & CEO at FreeBalance. “We have seen the positive impact of modern GRP systems in Liberia, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Southern Sudan, and Uganda. FreeBalance helps these governments improve transparency, governance, and accountability, which leads to improved economic activity and an increase in private investor confidence.”

FreeBalance is uniquely positioned to support PFM reforms in Africa. FreeBalance has successfully assisted governments to implement modern PFM systems in challenging circumstances. The FreeBalance Accountability Suite has been implemented in African and other emerging nation governments where there has been limited connectivity, low bandwidth, lack of electrical power, and low human capacity.

The FreeBalance Accountability Suite is a GRP solution that supports transparency and accountability. FreeBalance solutions for governments and external aid projects and funds simplify administration and reduce transaction costs for government or private organizations managing aid projects. The FreeBalance Accountability Suite automates reporting to donors, project finance management, and project performance management. The FreeBalance solution operates in developing nations around the world, including low-capacity countries, and providing effective donor reporting that meets international standards.

Software solutions from FreeBalance are being used in 19 countries, including Antigua & Barbuda, Afghanistan, Canada, Iraq, Kosovo, Kyrgyz Republic, Liberia, Mongolia, Namibia, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Southern Sudan, Timor-Leste, and Uganda among others.

About FreeBalance
FreeBalance helps governments around the world leverage robust Government Resource Planning (GRP) technology to accelerate country growth. FreeBalance software solutions for public financial and human resource management support reform and modernization to improve governance, transparency and accountability. Good governance is required to improve development results. FreeBalance solutions are active in 19 countries managing more than a quarter trillion ($US) in annual budgets worldwide. For more information, visit www.freebalance.com.

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