Data Intelligence System introduced for greater gov’t efficiency

Gov. Jenniffer González Colón said the new Data Intelligence System “places Puerto Rico at the forefront of government digital transformation, ensuring that critical information is accessible to those who make strategic decisions for the well-being of the island.” (Facebook via Jenniffer González Colón)

By The Star Staff

As part of the island government’s program to improve oversight and accountability, Gov. Jenniffer González Colón and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Orlando Rivera Berríos on Wednesday presented to government officials the Data Intelligence System (DIS), a new unified platform that is expected to mark a turning point in the way government agencies access, analyze and use information in real time.

The platform also addresses the Financial Oversight and Management Board’s observations over the past four years that a centralized budget process across agencies is lacking, that there are data inconsistencies, and that financial systems hinder fund monitoring and increase financial risks, the officials said.

DIS, González Colón noted, represents a historic step in strengthening public management as a tool that transforms the way government decisions are made. It will help each agency head and his or her financial team visualize the agency’s budget execution, identify whether or not they have the funds, access the updated list of human resources, and monitor expenses and payments to suppliers and contractors, all in real time and much faster than today, she said.

The governor delegated to the OMB the task of creating a platform that would store all government data digitally, with information at the time the agencies are integrated. The purpose is to contribute to government efficiency and also allow for compliance with the submission of financial statements required by the oversight board in order to accelerate the completion of the federal entity’s duties in Puerto Rico, she said. The goal is for all agencies to migrate to the digital platform by 2028.

“This new ecosystem places Puerto Rico at the forefront of government digital transformation, ensuring that critical information is accessible to those who make strategic decisions for the well-being of the island,” González Colón said. “This platform fulfills our programmatic commitment to govern more efficiently and, certainly, with greater transparency, avoiding significant duplication in spending. Therefore, this is a tool for transparency and accounting efficiency, and for preventing corruption and saving much more money.”

Rivera Berríos added that the DIS “is not just a technological tool; it is a commitment to transparency, efficiency, and evidence-based decision-making.”

“It is a structural change that places data intelligence at the center of our management,” he said. “We are a government that believes in purposeful innovation and transformation.”

Under Executive Order 2025-011, the governor created the Interagency Committee for Responsible Budgeting and Fiscal Sustainability in Puerto Rico, composed of the OMB director, who chairs the committee, the executive director of the Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority (AAFAF by its initials in Spanish, the Treasury secretary, the Labor and Human Resources secretary, and the Planning Board chairman.

This committee, among other things, will be charged with preparing responsible budgets that comply with the parameters set by the oversight board and developing strategies to improve budget planning and execution.

The OMB director noted that the main challenge is that too much time is spent collecting data and too little analyzing it. “The Treasury has some information, AAFAF has other information, and we at the OMB received some information on current spending from agencies,” Rivera Berríos said. “The reality is that this is the first time that the Treasury and we at the OMB are speaking the same language. We will have current spending recorded in accounting systems -- PRIFAS, for example [referring to the Puerto Rico Integrated Financial Accounting System] -- and will compare it with the Certified Budget … in a single repository. We will be able to generate reports in real time, which improves spending monitoring and budget execution.”