IFMS NewsWatch 3.1 - January 2023

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Issue 3.1, January 2023

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IFMS Activity At-a-Glance

The Integrated Food Management System (IFMS) replaces the legacy Automated Inventory System (AIS) to support the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR).

There are 85 Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs) using IFMS to conduct food distribution transactions for their communities and manage inventory and household records for FDPIR. To date, over 23 million food items have been issued through IFMS.

Fig 1 - As of December 2022, IFMS was being used by 85 ITOs at 116 Sites.

Fig 1 - IFMS was being used by 85 ITOs at 116 Sites in January 2023.

As of January 17, 2023, IFMS activity since launch included:

  • 85 ITOs deployed IFMS with 418 active users
  • 60,482 individuals in 30,977 households received food
  • 23,011,418 items issued through 296,612 order transactions
  • 40,370,312 items updated through 116,977 inventory transactions
  • 50,912 household certifications updated
  • 9,553 new households created

Transition Status

The IFMS Transition Team continues to transition ITOs. For the new year, there are eight confirmed ITOs transitioning in February and seven in March, with additional ITOs scheduled in April and June.  


Updates to IFMS

Certification Module:

The Certification Module is scheduled to launch in February 2023.

With this tool, ITO users will be able to determine FDPIR participant eligibility by:

  • Conducting income calculations by income type (earned and unearned)
  • Calculating net income (income minus deductions)
  • Generating certification notices
  • Assigning certification statuses such as expedited/pending and categorically eligible

The Certification Module contains two primary certifier roles. One role includes permissions to approve and deny applications. The other role can create, edit, and view applications but cannot approve or deny applications.

In anticipation of the launch of the Certification Module, existing ITOs on IFMS will need to provide the Transition Team with their certification approver and certifier (non-approver) staff member information. Please contact the Transition Team for more information on how to update the certifier roles by January 20, 2023.

Mobile App:

In November, Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council, Inc. (ENIPC, Inc.) and the Nevada Department of Agriculture participated in a soft launch of the mobile app. The Transition Team has received positive feedback from these early adopters.

The USDA IFMS mobile app is a streamlined version of IFMS intended to efficiently conduct food distribution at ITO tailgate sites with limited internet connectivity. The mobile app provides:

  • Integration with the IFMS web-based system through a syncing process
  • Ability to transfer IFMS inventory from the main warehouse to the mobile app inventory then back to the main warehouse upon return from a tailgate operation
  • Full tailgate inventory traceability from transfer to tailgate food issuance
  • Ability to create households in a pending status to expedite the food issuance process, allowing households to be issued food quickly while still enforcing the monthly guide rate

For more information on the mobile app, including a list of recommended equipment, or to schedule a demonstration, please contact the Transition Team.


Hot Tips

New Inventory Report

The Inventory Months On Hand Report is now available in the Inventory Reports folder in IFMS. This report displays how many months of inventory is on hand by site and by material based on current inventory levels and the average monthly issuances over the past three months. Detailed information can be found in the FDPIR Inventory Training Materials in the IFMS Learning Academy (login required).

Select the Reports tab on the navigation bar.

Fig 2 - Reports tab on the navigation bar

Fig 2 - The Reports tab on the navigation bar

Click All Folders on the left to access the Inventory folder. Open the Inventory folder to access the reports.

Fig 3 - The All Folders link is available on the left of the Reports screen.

Fig 3 - The All Folders link is available on the left of the Reports screen.

Click on the Inventory Months On Hand report to view the information.

Fig 4 - The Inventory Months On Hand report

Fig 4 - The Inventory Months On Hand report


IFMS logo featuring the outline of an apple and IFMS text in green on white background

Resources

IFMS Public Webpage

The IFMS webpage provides announcements, general information about IFMS, and a variety of other resources for the user community and other interested parties. These include:

Training Requests

Need IFMS Training? The ITO IFMS Support Program offers training opportunities for the IFMS user community in the form of new staff member training, refresher training, release enhancement updates, and advanced topics. 

ITOs can request a range of topic-specific user trainings for their ITO staff using the IFMS Training Request Form. Training is available for existing as well as new users or those switching roles. Completed forms should be submitted to the IFMS Transition Team

Contacts

IFMS Support

WBSCM.servicedesk@caci.com

877-WBSCM-4U (877-927-2648)

Service Desk Portal

IFMS Support staff are available M-F, 7-5 CT, except holidays.

IFMS Transition

Paula Joyce

paula.joyce@caci.com

IFMS NewsWatch

Samantha Escamilla

samantha.escamilla@usda.gov

 

Learn more at https://www.fns.usda.gov/food-distribution-programs

or contact us at USDAFoods@usda.gov.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.