6 FAH-5 H-370
Treatment of Distinctive Costs
(CT:ICASS-75; 06-20-2018)
(Office of Origin: CGFS/ICASS)
6 FAH-5 H-371 Overseas Schools Costs
(CT:ICASS-36; 07-02-2013)
(Applies to participating ICASS agencies)
The costs of school grants and technical assistance in support of U.S. diplomatic missions abroad are included under ICASS. These costs will be assessed at Washington, DC headquarters based on each agency’s percentage of the global U.S. Government student population at the supported schools. Posts provide the requisite student data for compilation at Washington, DC headquarters as part of the post’s budget submission. The Chair of the ICASS Working Group, ICASS Service Center (CGFS/ICASS) Director, and ten representatives from the supported agencies serve on the Overseas Schools Policy Committee (OSPC). This committee meets annually to review the budget for the grant and assistance program and to provide policy guidance and direction to the overseas schools program; the Interagency Working Group approves the budget. The State Department’s Assistant Secretary for Administration (A) serves as the chairperson for the committee.
6 FAH-5 H-372 Constituent Post Costs
(CT:ICASS-5; 07-21-2006)
(Applies to participating ICASS agencies)
a. ICASS is a comprehensive program that encompasses the costs and services throughout the host country. Agencies located at a consulate or elsewhere in the country, and not at the embassy are still entitled to representation on the ICASS council. At some of the largest constituent posts with a substantial administrative infrastructure, councils may find it useful to tailor ICASS to meet the unique needs and conditions at the post, (e.g., developing service standards specific to the constituent post, providing a means for constituent post oversight/feedback to complement the council’s role, forming a constituent post working group, and soliciting the constituent post’s views on countrywide policies that affect their operations). The ICASS cost distribution software has, as an option, the capability to capture major costs by constituent posts using the location sub-cost center features.
b. Operating costs at a constituent post may be either greater or less than at the embassy location. This means that agencies that are resident at only one location may be paying more or less than the actual price of the service at their specific location. One advantage of establishing constituent post cost centers is that it is perceived as a more equitable method of costing services. It allows agencies at a particular location to budget for the services received at that specific location using the actual costs from that location. If reasonable allocations are made for embassy support, a fairer invoicing process for both consulate and embassy services may be produced. This approach makes it easier for each agency to understand the basis for costs at its specific location. Service providers might find it easier to justify certain positions when the costs and workload are assigned to specific locations.
c. Establishing budgets for multiple locations is more detailed and complicated than developing and implementing budgets at a single location. Deciding whether and how to allocate embassy time and costs that support ICASS services at the consulate may be seen as subjective. Where and how workload count is recorded is also more complicated if portions of a service are provided at both the consulate and the embassy (e.g., vouchers initiated by consulate ICASS staff and forwarded to the embassy financial management office for final processing). Execution of this method can be problematic and requires additional staff time. Increased management may be needed to develop, monitor, and track separate budgets.
d. One way to mitigate the complexity of developing budgets for separate locations while enhancing the equitable distribution of costs for agencies that are not present at the embassy is to budget centrally for most cost centers but break out some cost centers by location. The cost centers that are budgeted for separately vary from post to post, but many posts choose to budget separately for expenses associated with office space, such as building operations, lease costs, and guard services.
6 FAH-5 H-373 APO/FPO and DPO Costs
(CT:ICASS-5; 07-21-2006)
(Applies to participating ICASS agencies)
a. APO/FPO is outside the ICASS system because it is a Department of Defense (DOD) provided service. However, mission-provided support costs, usually specified in a memorandum of agreement or interagency support agreement with military postal authorities, should be distributed to the serviced agencies through ICASS. These costs could include space, office equipment, and local-hire mailroom personnel as part of the mail and messenger cost center at a Standard post or part of the information management cost center at a Lite post.
b. Diplomatic Post Office (DPO) mission-provided support costs are distributed to the serviced agencies through ICASS. These costs could include space, office equipment, and local-hire mailroom personnel as part of the mail and messenger cost center at a Standard post or part of the information management cost center at a Lite post.
6 FAH-5 H-374 bureau of overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) personnel
(CT:ICASS-24; 04-02-2012)
(Applies to participating ICASS agencies)
a. Project Directors: Project Directors from the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) and related personnel are treated as a separate agency and have a separate ICASS billing code (1920.0-State-OBO-Overseas Building Operations). The OBO project director receives a separate ICASS invoice and is responsible for signing the ICASS MOU and annual service level agreement. As an independent bill payer, the OBO Project Director is entitled to a seat on the post budget committee. The Department of State member represents OBO and all other State entities on the post ICASS Council.
NOTE: If there is no OBO Project Director at post, email the MOU, service level agreement, and ICASS invoice to OBO/CFSM/CM/CS/CON for approval and signature.
b. Facility Managers: OBO facility managers are treated as State Program personnel and none of their associated costs are included in ICASS. Workload counts related to OBO facility management personnel are counted against 1900.0-State Program. As a service provider, facility managers may sit on the post budget committee or ICASS Council as an ex officio member, as appropriate.
6 FAH-5 H-375 Marine Security Guard (MSG) program
(CT:ICASS-5; 07-21-2006)
(Applies to participating ICASS agencies)
a. The Marine security guard (MSG) program is an ICASS customer but not a service provider. For informational purposes only, the MSG program will be recorded as a separate agency for services they receive under ICASS. MSG detachment personnel will not be counted as part of the State program complement. Because the State Department regional bureaus will continue to fund the MSG ICASS costs, the MSG detachment will not be entitled to a seat on the post ICASS council.
b. To accommodate the recording of ICASS costs incurred to support MSG personnel, a separate agency code of 1931.0 “Marine Security Guards” has been established and is included in the cost-distribution software. As applicable, posts should activate the MSG recording code and input the appropriate workload statistics in the ICASS software. All known and projected MSG support requirements must be included in the annual ICASS budget forecast. Posts should establish procedures for capturing the workload count for the various cost centers as they would for any other agency. A comprehensive review of services actually provided should be made to ensure that all costs are accounted for under ICASS.
c. The costs that can be directly identified to the MSG detachment such as residential utilities and furniture and furnishings (F&F) will continue to be included and funded in the Diplomatic Security (DS) budget.
6 FAH-5 H-376 Diplomatic Telecommunications Service Program Office (DTS-PO)
(CT:ICASS-5; 07-21-2006)
(Applies to participating ICASS agencies)
a. The Diplomatic Telecommunications Service Program Office (DTS-PO) provides international-leased data and voice circuits between the United States and all diplomatic and consular missions abroad. ICASS is a collection agent for DTS-PO services requested at the post level. DTS-PO is a separate interagency initiative unconnected to ICASS (see 1 FAM 220) except for the collection of revenue. DTS-PO provides the ICASS service center with projected costs annually for each post. The ICASS service center loads these costs into the software without alteration. ICASS and the service center do not participate in DTS-PO calculations, service-capacity decisions, or service-provision arrangements. Posts with questions or comments about DTS-PO service should contact the DTS-PO Requirements Division - Customer Service Representative at (703) 302-7893 or send a cable to the DTS-PO address.
b. The DTS-PO service for both voice and data starts in the United States and runs to a gateway in the embassy. Customers not located within the main embassy or consulate building may negotiate to establish an alternate gateway with DTS-PO. The customer is responsible for maintaining and funding all connectivity on the customer side of the gateway. This arrangement is similar to residential phone service in the United States. In the United States now, the phone company is only responsible for the telephone lines to the point that they enter the house. Once inside the house, it is up to the resident to maintain the lines/instruments. The ICASS Reception and Switchboard Cost Center funds the expenses associated with ICASS voice service. Some posts also extend access to ICASS voice services to locations outside the chancery. Post costs include telephone lines from the embassy switchboard to sites like the ambassador’s residence or an annex building (contracted for locally) and the cost of installing and maintaining those connections to locations outside the chancery. The service does not become a DTS-PO responsibility until it reaches the DTS-PO established gateway. The fund charged will depend on the building’s occupancy. Expenses for an ambassador’s residence are charged to the Department of State’s Diplomatic and Consular Program (D&CP) allotment. Expenses for a building solely occupied by a single agency are charged to that agency. Expenses for a building occupied by multiple agencies are charged to ICASS similar to utilities and shared by each of the occupying agencies.
c. DTS-PO currently provides its International Voice Gateway (IVG) voice circuits as a full-time dedicated service. DTS-PO service is quite different from making long-distance phone calls via AT&T, Sprint, or MCI. Contracting with DTS-PO for an IVG circuit is akin to buying a vacation home. One has sole and unlimited access to the vacation property throughout the year and has to pay all the expenses of the vacation home whether one uses it or not. Commercial long-distance service, on the other hand, is like renting a hotel room where one only pays for the room while using it. However, if there is a convention at the beach that week, the hotel may be fully booked.
d. Posts evaluating international voice communications need to weigh a number of factors. Cost is clearly important. Some posts have installed meters or software on their switchboard to control access to the IVG circuits and to monitor usage. Such meters help in estimating some of the benefits a DTS-PO leased line can provide. However, guaranteed access in a crisis is an example of a noneconomic benefit that a meter won’t capture. Noneconomic benefits also should be considered when evaluating the level and cost of DTS-PO service.
6 FAH-5 H-377 Locally Employed Staff (LE Staff) Severance
(CT:ICASS-75; 06-20-2018)
(Applies to participating ICASS agencies)
Since Fiscal Year 2000, participating agencies assume full responsibility for severance costs which will be distributed in accordance with ICASS methodology. More detailed information on severance costs is provided in the ICASS Financial Procedures (6 FAH-5 H-424.)
6 FAH-5 H-378 Tandem Couple
(CT:ICASS-5; 07-21-2006)
(Applies to participating ICASS agencies)
a. Assignment orders and inter-agency housing board policy are the guidelines in determining the distribution of ICASS service-provider housing costs in the case of a tandem couple. For example (following 15 FAM), when members of a tandem couple are employed by different agencies, and one of the partners is an ICASS service provider, all costs, including rent, BOE, preparation for occupancy, etc., are usually to be shared evenly between ICASS and the other agency. In this case, half of these costs would be distributed under ICASS. The same would prevail in the case of a tandem couple where both partners work for the same agency and one partner is an ICASS service provider and the other is a program officer.
b. All other allowances paid at post, e.g., education allowance, education travel, post allowance, etc., will “follow the orders.” That is, if the allowances are charged on orders to the ICASS service provider, then those expenses will be spread under ICASS.
6 FAH-5 H-379 Regional Costs Associated with Individual Service Providers
(CT:ICASS-5; 07-21-2006)
(Applies to participating ICASS agencies)
The costs of individual regional support personnel (regional medical officers, regional budget and finance officers, personnel officers, etc.) should be budgeted for and charged entirely to their “home” post. Such regional officers may have local costs (such as office space and equipment) that are paid for locally in each of their posts, but the costs associated with the individual (salary, benefits, ICASS capitation work counts) should be charged to the home post.