Sehlke Consulting has supported II Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) with on-site Financial Management, Logistics, and Financial Improvement and Audit Remediation (FIAR) support since April 2020. Our Financial Management and Logistics Operations professionals are embedded within each Major Subordinate Command (MSC) within II MEF. Sehlke has delivered all products with high-quality standards while supporting II MEF and its MSCs in all areas of Financial Management & Logistics Support (FMLS). Specifically, the team has exceeded the highest standards of audit readiness, which ensured that the MEF was not only achieving a high level of audit compliance but contributed to the success of the entire financial management program. Sehlke’s expertise, attention to detail, understanding of Marine Corps processes, and the Quality Control Plan’s implementation substantially benefited the MEF and the Marine Corps. The forward-thinking approach by the team resulted in a significant reduction of negative Key Performance Indicators (KPI), identification of internal control weaknesses, and implementation of Corrective Action Plans (CAP). Subsequently, the number of samples resident on the Dormant Accounts Review – Quarterly (DAR – Q) reduced significantly. Sehlke’s attention to detail was praised not only by the MEF but also by the Headquarters Marine Corps, RFA team, and the Marine Forces Command Comptroller, which significantly contributed to achieving the overall USMC OSD grade of 96%.
The Sehlke team maximized the use of Robotics Process Automation (RPA) technologies to resolve compliance issues with Unliquidated Obligations (ULO), particularly regarding out-of-balance MILSTRIP transactions. Specifically, the implemented technology identified “Out of Cycle” price changes from the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). The price changes recorded in DLA’s system of record did not balance against the Standard Accounting, Budgeting, and Reporting System (SABRS), the official accounting system for the Marine Corps. After improved revisions to the original version, the Sehlke team provided the II MEF Assistant Chief of Staff G-8 with version 1.0 of the RPA tool designed by the Sehlke Robotic Operating Center of Excellence (ROCoE). The “BOT” identifies price changes initiated by DLA that systematically flow into Global Combat Support System – Marine Corps (GCSS-MC) regularly. This corrective solution was responsive to instances where DLA records a price change to an item. This price change flows from DLA to the GCSS-MC Item Master Organization (IMO). If a requisition is already resident within GCSS-MC and has transmitted that data to SABRS, GCSS-MC will generate a status code of B7 (unit price change). However, at an Enterprise level, it identified that these price changes do not transmit into SABRS regularly, thus causing an imbalance between GCSS-MC and SABRS. This defect causes an internal control issue that produces erroneous financial statement reporting. Not maintaining effective and efficient MILSTRIP internal controls is a fundamental weakness to maintaining an audit-ready posture. Internal controls promote performance-based management mandated by the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993. This RPA solution identified over 1,500 records having a B7 status within GCSS-MC. This effort has gained Marine Corps wide attention and would greatly benefit the entirety of the Marine Corps in reducing out-of-balance conditions.