Attachment 7 - USFK Army Part 2 CBARS Reconciliation Process System.docx

Attachment 7 – Army CONUS Part 1 CBA Reconciliation System v2.3 November 2021 Attachment 7 – Army CONUS Part 1 CBA Reconciliation System v2.3 Attachment 7, Part 2 Army USFK Centrally Billed Account Reconciliation System (CBARS) February 2026 – v2.4 Description:

The CBA reconciliation process requires the Travel Management Company (TMC) to reconcile all charges provided by the Charge Card Vendor (CCV) against the TMC’s database for the specified reporting period defined by the billing cycle of the Charge Card invoice. All transactions, charges and refunds, of the CCV’s invoice must be verified by the TMC before submitting the Reconciliation Report Package to the Army including an electronic data file referred to as Technical Exhibit 1 herein. The reconciliation report package shall be provided by the TMC to the Army by use of the TMC’s Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) website. An email notification of the availability of the reconciliation report package to be downloaded from the TMC’s SFTP site shall be forwarded to usarmy.pentagon.hqda-asa-fm.mbx.army-cbars@army.mil [USARMY Pentagon HQDA ASA FM Mailbox ARMY CBARS] and cc: authorized users for them to retrieve the reconciliation package from the TMC’s SFTP site. The email notification will include a link that when selected by the user will open the login page of the SFTP site. Reconciliation package files for the current month will be available to download (or re-download) until such time as the subsequent months reconciliation monthly files are available. The TMC can also provide archival of reconciliation packages as needed. Army will provide the TMC authorized user(s) profiles to which account(s) in the TMC’s SFTP site they may have access to. The TMC will provide Army a POC(s) for the purpose of inquiry when expected files are not available for download from the TMC’s SFTP site. The TMC shall also provide POC(s) for advisement when expected files have not been provided or files as received are incomplete/incorrect for TMC’s adjudication.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will not be transitioning to the CBARS. They will maintain their current process for CBA Reconciliation. The TMC should continue with existing CBA process for USACE as outlined in a separate document (See attachment 7, Part 6).

Application/Interrelationship:

The CBA reconciliation report package is used by the Army to verify and reconcile transactions against travel orders, itineraries/invoices, and refunds to ensure that all travel services rendered are valid and serve as the substantiating documentation for required document archival purposes. Technical Exhibit 1 serves as one of the data sources for eventual obligation/commitment pre-validation and expenditure processing by the Defense Finance and Accounting Office (DFAS).

Preparation Instructions:

CBA reconciliation report package containing the reporting period data submitted by the TMC shall contain the following artifacts:

· One (1) dated transmittal report

· Transmittal Reports shall be a list in HTML or ascii text format of CCV Reference Numbers, Ticket Numbers, Passenger Names, Date of Tickets, TMC Invoice Numbers, Fulfillment Amounts charged to the official portion of travel, Transactional Charge Card Number used (last four characters), and Departure Locations.

· One (1) discrepancy report

· Discrepancy Report shall be a list in HTML or ascii text format of transactions which appear on the charge card vendors data file where there are no related transactions matching from the TMC’s data. An example of this would be a transferred debit or credit from another charge account. Conversely, if a transaction within the TMC’s data is not represented in the charge card vendors data. An example of this would be an advance credit.

· A list detailing zipped files, in HTML or ascii text format of supporting the ticket fulfillment, refund notices and Travel Orders/Authorizations.

· One copy, in pdf, jpg, gif, png, jpeg, docx, xlsx, doc, xls, csv, or txt format of each itinerary/invoice or refund notice.

· One (1) travel order/authorization in pdf, jpg, gif, png, jpeg, docx, xlsx, doc, xls, csv, or txt format that matches the itinerary/invoice or refund notice. If the travel authorization is accomplished through DTS, a copy of the authorization is not required.

· An Electronic data file in ascii/txt format that reconciles ticketed data between that which was performed in the Global Distribution System (GDS) supporting reservation and fulfillment actions to the transactions represented in the charge card vendors invoice as described in TECHNICAL EXHIBIT 1.

Note(s):

1. The goal of the discrepancy report is to list all transactions that do not reconcile between what is represented by the TMC’s database as compared to the Government Travel Charge Card (GTCC) vendors invoice. One example would be advance credits.

2. CBA reconciliation report package shall be provided to the Army by close of business on the fifth (5th) business day upon receipt from the Charge Card Vendor (CCV) electronic notification.

3. CBA reconciliation report package shall be made available for download on the TMC’s SFTP site and an email notification of the availability of these files forwarded to usarmy.pentagon.hqda-asa-fm.mbx.army-cbars@army.mil [USARMY Pentagon HQDA ASA FM Mailbox ARMY CBARS]. The authorized user(s) for the account in TMC’s provided SFTP site shall be added as a cc: to this notification email.

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT:

Travel orders/authorizations are presented to the TMC for reservation/fulfillment purposes by two methodologies, either via the electronic interface between the Defense Travel System (DTS) and the Global Distribution System (GDS) or for travel that cannot be processed within DTS, by “paper orders” in which requires the TMC’s travel counselor to manually prepare the PNR within the GDS.

For travel performed under DTS travel orders/authorizations, the elements of the appropriation data otherwise referred to as the Line of Accounting (LOA) automatically populates the PNR in an electronic, requirements driven process.

For travel performed outside of DTS (utilizing Paper Orders) the TMC shall take all reasonable actions to correctly interpret the LOA. Army uses three separate accounting systems. Although some elements are shared between all systems, there are LOA elements unique to the accounting system used. In the below examples, the LOA elements subject for inclusion in the TECHNICAL EXHIBIT 1 have been highlighted. It is understood that the TMC relies on the validity of the LOA as expressed on the travel order and will not be held responsible for accuracy should the (non-DTS) travel order cite the LOA incorrectly or with missing elements. It is expected that DTS generated PNRs accurately represent the LOA in TECHNICAL EXHIBIT 1, as provided by the PNR Gateway interface.

Army Appropriation Data – DTS Passenger Name Record (PNR) Line of Accounting (LOA) Format Map ARMY 3, 6/6/2003.

Travel Authorization Number (TA) and LOA is applied to PNR upon Authorizing Official (AO) approval TMC’s may view the TA and LOA in PNR A Remarks (*A‡) DTS LOA contains ten account fields separated by dashes Army appropriation data required for CBA reconciliation is contained in Account Fields 1 & 2

Sabre PNR Example #1:

*A‡ 95.A‡TA – 10MCXL (Travel Order or Travel Authorization Number a.k.a. TANUM) 96.A‡LOA1 (Line of Accounting)

97.A‡012152-212020207000000-2424332-1A1102A0000-PRAT21T2-A8AB2929Z8AB-012152---

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)

(1) Fiscal Station Number (FSN) - 6 characters (012152 in the example above)

(2) Department Code (DC) - 2 characters (21 in the example above)

(3) Fiscal Year (FY) - 4 characters (2020 in the example above)

(4) Basic Symbol Number (BSN) - 4 characters (2070 in the example above)

(5) Limit (LMT) - 4 characters (0000 in the example above) Army Appropriation Data – DTS Passenger Name Record (PNR) Line of Accounting (LOA) Format Map SFIS v3.4 (GFEBS).

Travel Authorization Number (TA) and LOA is applied to PNR upon Authorizing Official (AO) approval TMC’s may view the TA and LOA in PNR A Remarks (*A‡) DTS LOA contains ten account fields separated by dashes Army appropriation data required for CBA reconciliation is contained in Account Fields 1 & 2

Sabre PNR Example #2:

*A‡ 112.A‡TA – 10RONE (Travel Order or Travel Authorization Number a.k.a. TANUM) 113.A‡LOA1 (Line of Accounting) 114.A‡0210010212020-00020202020--131-A2ABF-2ABF0067CC-10101901-PI0000--D0131056VENQ

(1) (2) 3) (4) (5) (6)

(1) Agency Accounting Identifier Code (AAID) – 6 characters (021001 in the example above)

(2) Department Regular Code (DEPT RG) - 3 characters (021 in the example above)

(3) Main Account Code (MN ACCT) – 4 characters (2020 in the example above)

(4) *Sub Account Code (SUB ACCT) – 3 characters (000 in the example above)

(5) Period of Availability Fiscal Year Date (AFY) – 8 characters (20202020 in the example above)

(6) Funds Center Indicator – 5 characters (A2ABF in the example above) *Sub account code not required by DFAS as part of the APPN.

In the case of when DTS generates the obligation, the TANUM is the SDN which is required by DFAS to process the expenditure. As well as the AAID (FSN) and FCI.

LEGACY ACCOUNTING SYSTEM

GFEBS LOA

GFEBS-SA

Note: The TANUM is not technically part of a GFEBS LOA in DTS but is still a required element to be captured in Technical Exhibit 1 in the Obligation ID column which is where the SDN goes if it is a paper/Non-DTS Travel Order. It is immaterial whether the PNR was established through the DTS PNR Gateway in an automated fashion or the PNR was created through an Agent Assist.

The Standard Document Number (SDN), although not considered an element of the LOA, is a 14-character value that uniquely identifies the travel order as well as the obligation/commitment in the accounting system and is required on all Travel Orders/Authorizations for reservation and fulfillment of the ticketed travel. In the case of DTS generated authorizations, the TANUM (6-character value) is the SDN. The FCI is applicable only to DTS generated travel orders/authorizations. It is 5 characters and begins with an A. The FCI is not applicable to travel orders accomplished outside of DTS. Even using the same accounting system, the LOAs are treated differently depending on the source of the travel order. If the travel order is non-DTS generated, then the FCI field will be null. The example above illustrates how the GFEB LOA is expressed in non-DTS Travel orders.

Payment System Requirements: The TMC’s internal procedures and systems must be capable of differentiating between payments for official travel, leisure, and leisure in conjunction with official (LICWO) travel. The TMC shall ascertain the portion of the travel to be paid for or reimbursed by the Government, and the portion to be paid by the traveler at the individual’s personal expense. The TMC’s reconciliation of the billing shall capture proportional amounts attributable to the official portion in the Technical Exhibit 1.

CENTRALLY BILLED ACCOUNT (CBA):

Use of CBA: The TMC shall use CBAs as the prime method of payment for official travel when the IBA or Unit Card is not appropriate or available. The Government will determine the number of accounts required. The Government will establish the accounts with the Government Travel Charge Card (GTCC) Vendor and provide account numbers and related information to the TMC. Coordination between the GTCC Vendor and the TMC for encrypted/secure electronic transmission of data is the responsibility of the TMC, not the Government.

Reconciliation/Payment Package: The TMC is invited to propose any process that meets the requirements of the Government and is submitted in a way that allows reconciliation of the GTCC Vendor billing statement without any negative impact. An example of this would be the TMC providing a Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) site/portal for the Technical Exhibit 1 data file to be pushed or pulled in an enterprise fashion vice an email solution. Any proposed process is subject to Government approval prior to implementation. In absence of any proposed reconciliation process for Government approval, the TMC shall execute the CBA reconciliation processes as described below.

CBA Principal Actions: Two principal actions in CBA usage are the preparation of the reconciliation and preparation of the payment package. Reconciliation is the process of matching debits and credits appearing on the GTCC Vendor billing statement to their originating transactions. Preparing the payment package by the Central Billed Account Reconciliation System (CBARS) is assembling the documentation to support each reconciled transaction and presenting them in such a way that the billing statement may be paid.

CBA Timing: Timing for each billing statement is predicated on the receipt of the GTCC Vendor’s billing statement. The Government, upon receipt of a CBA billing statement, will date stamp and log the receipt. The electronic version copy of the billing statement will be presented to the Immersion’s CBA Reconciliation representative. The Government will use the GTCC Vendor’s Electronic Access System (EAS) to extract the electronic version of the monthly billing statement when available for downloaded in the EAS. The TMC shall provide a reconciled payment package by close of business on the fifth (5th) business day (workday or the next business day if fifth day falls on a holiday/weekend) upon receipt of the GTCC Vendor’s billing statement.

Interest Penalties: At the time the billing statement is paid, the Government will pay any interest penalties and charges per the Prompt Payment Act (5 CFR 1315). If the interest and charges are based on the failure of the TMC to act in a timely manner in providing a payment package or other supporting documentation, the TMC shall reimburse the Government. In the event the billing statement is partially paid, interest shall be apportioned to the Government and/or TMC in relation to liability.

Interest Penalty Payments: In the event any interest is attributed to the TMC, the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) will submit a formal request for payment to the TMC containing Prompt Payment Act (PPA) interest calculations (e.g., date CBA billing receipt signed for by Immersion personnel and date completed CBA payment package signed for by Government personnel) to support charges and Government instructions for submitting payment (e.g., check in the amount of [$USD]) payable to the U.S. Treasury. The TMC shall be allowed seven (7) business days to remit payment to the Government upon notification by the COR. The TMC shall be liable for payment of any additional penalties or charges assessed for failure to remit payment within seven (7) business days.

Credits: The TMC shall provide credit or refund for any charges contained in the GTCC Vendor billing statement which is attributable to the TMC’s actions and cannot be reconciled and certified for payment by the Government within thirty (30) days from the date of disputed charge notification by the Government. In the event the charge is later supported and paid, the Government will reimburse the TMC less appropriate PPA interest and penalties.

CBA Reconciliation Tool: The Government will use Central Billed Account Reconciliation System (CBARS) for all types of travel generated from all types of orders except when the DTS CBA reconciliation module is utilized. All 2600 series centrally billed charge cards whether used by the DTS reservation module to facilitate the creation of the PNR or when travel orders are presented to the TMC’s travel counselor for the creation of the PNR will have a reconciliation package provided. The 2700 series are reconciled within DTS, Both 2800 and 2900 series are outside of the TMC’s area of operation. The TMC shall ensure that data/text files are correct and reflect only supported/documented charges are presented to the Government. If the travel authorization is accomplished through DTS, a copy of the authorization is not required.

CBA ACCOUNT USAGE:

CBA Transaction Accounts: The Government will provide the TMC with local business rules describing which accounts should be used. The local business rules typically specify certain types of travel (e.g., air or rail) or certain financial characteristics of the order (e.g., fiscal station) be segregated to specific CBAs. The Government may change these rules, as it deems necessary. The Government will provide a minimum of thirty (30) days’ notice to allow the TMC to accommodate the change if any changes are required.

CBA Account Service Interruption: The Government will provide written instructions on use of accounts during temporary interruptions of service.

CBA Payment Data: The TMC shall capture all non-DTS information required for reconciliation and preparation of the report package (e.g., encrypted/secure electronic transmission) and store the information in a secure system that can be later, upon receipt of the monthly billing statement from the Government, used to reconcile the CBA. Coordination between the GTCC Vendor and the TMC for encrypted/secure electronic transmission of data to create data/text files is the responsibility of the TMC, not the Government.

CBA Account Loss: In the event of catastrophic loss of access to the CBAs, the TMC shall accept GTRs as payment. When using GTRs the TMC shall prepare a reconciliation and payment package to support each GTR billing.

CBA Reconciliation: The TMC’s encrypted/secure process shall completely reconcile the CBA, providing various hard or electronic copies of reports (i.e., reconciled debits, reconciled credits, summary payment information, and reconciliation balance sheet) where applicable in a format to be proposed by the TMC and agreed upon by the Government. The reports shall be provided to the Government with each payment package.

Army policy/CBARS does not process credits until they appear on the CITI invoice.

CBA RECONCILIATION:

Reconciliation: For each CBA billing statement, the TMC shall prepare a payment package containing such documents and information as required for the Government to process payment of the GTCC Vendor billing statement. The reconciliation package shall identify each debit and credit generated by the TMC and the transaction generating it.

Unauthorized Transactions: In the event of transactions (debits and credits) posted to the account not generated by the TMC, the TMC shall provide all available information. Examples of this type of transaction would be airline credits, additional charges by third parties, unauthorized charges, etc. This is to be included in the Discrepancy Report.

Unauthorized Transaction Notification: In the cases of transactions (debits and credits) not generated by the TMC, the TMC shall make a declarative statement disavowing the ability to identify such transactions as generated by the TMC. This notice shall be annotated on the reconciliation separately from reconciled transactions. This is to be included in the discrepancy report.

TECHNICAL EXHIBIT 1

File Format – ascii text File name: Conditional and unique based on the last four of the Corporate Account Number, CCV Invoice number, and CCV Statement Closing date indicating the end of the billing period.

Ex.: 4559_7112548144_032924.txt Field Format & Definition - The following definitions apply to the Field Type of this specification:

Sample

Instructions

[Blank]-Debit A-Advance Credit R-Regular Credit D-Discrepancy/Disputed M-Airport Credit Note: If an advance credit was reported on a previous file (w/o a CCV Ref Number), the credit will be considered as an R or M when reflected on the CCV Invoice (w/ its CCV REF Number)

--See Obgation_ID Breakout (Also known as DRN, SDN, or TANUM)

Length:

Non-DTS Paper Orders: Army SDN/DRN = 14 DTS Authorizations = 6 (left justify, no fill) Army DTS or NON-DTS Orders/Travel Authorizations must contain either as appropriate to be considered proper for ticketing/fulfillment 95-108

017 Department of Navy 021 Department of Army 057 Department of Air Force Corps of Civil Engineers Office of the Secretary of Defense 109-111

(Charge Card Invoice Reference Number)

Total - 163

Trailer Record

Sample

99-107

110-118

121-129

132-140

143-151

154-162

Total - 162

Obligation ID Breakout when value is the SDN from non-DTS travel orders

Instructions

(Breakdown of SDN/DRN for Info purposes)

(Breakdown of SDN/DRN for Info purposes)

B = Blanket Travel Order D = Medical TDY E = Emergency Leave P = Permanent Change of Station/ Permanent Duty Travel T = Temporary Duty Travel including Temporary Change of Station Z = Invitational Travel Order (Breakdown of SDN/DRN for Info purposes)

A = October B = November C = December D = January E = February F = March G = April H = May J = June K = July L = August M = September NOTE: Letter "I" is omitted.

(Breakdown of SDN/DRN for Info purposes)

(Breakdown of SDN/DRN for Info purposes)

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