U.S. Office of Personnel Management - Ensuring the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce
Congressional Relations
Statement of
Clarence C. Crawford
Chief Financial Officer
Office of Personnel Management
before the
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Subcommittee on Financial Management, Government Information, and
International Security
United States Senate
on
Federal Agencies and Conference Spending
September 14, 2006
Dr. Coburn and Members of the Subcommittee:
On behalf of Linda M. Springer, Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), I want to thank you and the members of the Subcommittee on Financial Management, Government Information, and International Security for the opportunity to testify today on the subject of “Federal Agencies and Conference Spending.” Please know that Director Springer, as a former private sector chief financial officer and the former controller at the Office of Management and Budget, is totally committed to ensuring that OPM spending of tax dollars is justified and will further both our strategic mission for the agency and our goals for the Federal workforce we serve.
OPM supports the prudent participation in conferences that enable employees to do a better job in supporting the agency’s mission “to ensure that the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce.” These could include training conferences organized by OPM as well as those sponsored by other federal agencies and professional associations. These could also include continuing professional education programs to maintain important and relevant staff certifications.
As a central agency, OPM staff receives numerous requests to present or attend conferences. However, Director Springer requires her senior staff to carefully scrutinize all conference participation. The conferences must make business sense for OPM programs and the agencies we support.
Previous to 2004, OPM held a number of multi-day annual conferences covering topics such as employee and labor relations, workforce issues, and Federal Government benefits administration. We ended that practice in FY 2004 and moved to one consolidated human capital conference, the “Federal Workforce Conference”, which we now host every eighteen months. We found this approach to be a far more cost effective means of disseminating valuable strategic human capital information and direction with agency partners. There are a number of up-front costs for OPM associated with running the Federal Workforce Conference which are offset by participant registration fees. In addition to the training benefits received by the participants, this approach realizes budget savings for both OPM and its agency customers by reducing planning activities and travel requirements.
In the current fiscal environment, it is incumbent on all Federal agencies to take a hard look at spending to identify areas for greater efficiencies and reduced costs, while still producing valuable results. Conference sponsorship and attendance is no exception. During July of this year, we provided to the Committee total conference spending for FY’s 2001 through 2007. For FY’s 2001 to 2003, the amounts were $81,000, $68,000 and $145,000, respectively, based on the best information available. The actual conference spending for FY 2004 was $358,000 and in FY 2005 it was $331,000. We continue to estimate that the FY 2006 amount will be approximately $327,000 or less than four tenths of one percent of personnel compensation. While we are estimating FY 2007 expenditures at $177,000, conference activities will be evaluated after passage of OPM’s appropriations bill and preparation of operating plans. Per this subcommittee’s request in the invitation letter for today’s hearing, I have attached a more detailed cost estimate and list of specific conference activity tentatively being planned by OPM for FY 2007.
Dr. Coburn, OPM is very committed to maintaining proper stewardship of Federal funds. As the Chief Financial Officer, I can assure you that we will continue to avoid unnecessary conference expenditures, and where appropriate, to vigorously pursue more cost-effective methods of participating.
Thank you for this opportunity to speak before the Subcommittee, and I would be pleased to respond to any questions that you may have.
Attachments:
FY 2007 Conference Cost Estimates
- Strategic Human Resources Policy
- Human Capital Leadership & Merit Systems Accountability
- Human Resources Products & Services
- Management Services Division
- Office of the Chief Financial Officer
- Human Resources Lines of Business
- Office of Communications and Public Liasion
- Inspector General
Strategic Human Resources Policy
| Name of Conference | Dates | # of OPM Employees | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARMA Conference | 10/ 22-25/2006 | 1 | $1,500 |
| SHRM Conference | 6/24-27/2007 | 4 | $12,265 |
| COGNOS Conference | May 2007 | 1 | $1,900 |
| APA - Capital Summit | Mar 2007 | 1 | $1,500 |
| American Academy of Actuaries Meeting | May 2007 | 3 | $0 |
| Society for I/O Psychology | 4/26-29/2007 | 3 | $7,500 |
| World at Work | 6/3-5/2007 | 5 | $22,900 |
| Council in Government | July 2007 | 2 | $4,150 |
| Excellence in Government | July 2007 | 2 | $1,898 |
| ASTD Annual Conference | 11/5-8/2006 | 2 | $3,800 |
| Public Sector Leadership Development Network - Spring | Mar 2007 | 2 | $250 |
| Public Sector Leadership Development Network - Fall | Sep 2007 | 1 | $1,200 |
| IPMA | 10/7-11/2006 | 1 | $1,899 |
| Excellence in Government | 7/1/2007 | 2 | $1,650 |
| Annual ITAC Conference | 4/26/2007 | 2 | $4,220 |
| AWLP Conference | 2/21-23/2007 | 3 | $4,840 |
| IPMA - HR Conference | 10/26/2006 | 2 | $1,540 |
| Fall Festival of Training | 11/14-16/2006 | 3 | $2,720 |
| American College of Sports Medicine | 5/22-25/2007 | 3 | $2,720 |
| Steps to a Healthier US | 10/23-26/2006 | 3 | $1,320 |
| NBGH Obesity Conference | 6/1/2007 | 3 | $3,420 |
| FEHB Carrier Conference | 4/1/2007 | 6 | $2,450 |
| Enrolled Actuaries Annual Meeting | Mar 2007 | 3 | $2,100 |
| Mid Atlantic Actuarial Conference | Sep 2007 | 4 | $400 |
| National Business Group on Health | 4/1/2007 | 2 | $1,820 |
Total |
64 | $89,962 |
Human Capital Leadership & Merit Systems Accountability
| Name of Conference | Dates | # of OPM Employees | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| None currently planned | |||
Total |
$0 |
Human Resources Products & Services
| Name of Conference | Dates | # of OPM Employees | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| OPM AHP Carrier Conference | Apr 2007 | 1 | $8,200 |
Total |
1 | $8,200 |
| Name of Conference | Dates | # of OPM Employees | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDR - Federal Dispute Resolution Conference | Oct 2006 | 1 | $2,398 |
| EXCEL - Examining Conflicts in Employment Law | Nov 2006 | 1 | $2,661 |
| Mid-Atlantic Oracle | Mar 2007 | 3 | $1,050 |
| Asian Pacific Summitt | Mar 2007 | 1 | $410 |
| SHARE Conference | Mar 2007 | 1 | $5,225 |
| Work-Life 2007 Conference and Exhibition | Mar 2007 | 1 | $1,900 |
| Society for Labor and Employee Relations Professionals Conference | May 2007 | 2 | $800 |
| Executive Leadership | Jun 2007 | 1 | $1,095 |
| Energy 2007 | Jun 2007 | 3 | $3,000 |
| Software AG User Conference | Oct 2006 | 4 | $1,608 |
| IBM Technology Update | Jan 2007 | 4 | $1,608 |
| Oracle Government Users Conference | Apr 2007 | 5 | $2,333 |
| Oracle Developer Day | May 2007 | 5 | $2,208 |
Total |
32 | $26,296 |
Office of the Chief Financial Officer
| Name of Conference | Dates | # of OPM Employees | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal Financial Mgmt. Conference | Mar 2007 | 19 | $2,400 |
| CFO Leadership Executive Forum | May 2007 | 1 | $81 |
| Executive Women in Gov't. | Jun 2007 | 2 | $1,800 |
| Association of Government Accountants Professional Dev. Conf. | Jul 2007 | 3 | $6,875 |
| How to Succeed in PART and Show Results Training Workshop | Aug 2007 | 1 | $862 |
Total |
33 | $12,018 |
Human Resources Lines of Business
| Name of Conference | Dates | # of OPM Employees | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Association of Government Accountants Professional Development Conference | Jun 2007 | $1,100 | |
| Primavera Users Conference | Dec 2007 | $1,700 | |
| SAS Better Management Live | Oct 2006 | $2,000 | |
| HR Innovations | Oct 2006 | $2,500 | |
| Veterans Affairs Conference | Oct 2006 | $3,000 | |
Total |
$10,300 |
Office of Communications and Public Liasion
| Name of Conference | Dates | #of OPM Employees | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | $5,000 | ||
Total |
$5,000 |
| Name of Conference | Dates | # of OPM Employees | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18th Judicial Conference | Nov 2006 | 1 | $992 |
| National Association for Humanities Education "NAHE" Conference | Nov 2006 | 1 | $1,072 |
| Employment Law Conference | Dec 2006 | 1 | $960 |
| Symposium on Labor, Employee and Management Relations | May 2007 | 2 | $900 |
| Annual Labor & Employee Relations Conference | Jun 2007 | 1 | $990 |
| Public Sector EEO and Employment Law Conference | Jun 2007 | 1 | $745 |
| Employment Law Conference | Jul 2007 | 1 | $810 |
| Annual Government Ethics Conference | Sep 2007 | 1 | $600 |
Total |
9 | $7,069 |
| Name of Conference | Dates | # of OPM Employees | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 Teammate (Audit) Forum | Oct 2006 | 3 | $4,600 |
| Annual ADI Conference | Oct 2006 | 1 | $1,207 |
| 12th Annual Conference of SE SAS Users | Oct 2006 | 3 | $3,600 |
| NHCAA Institute 2007 Annual Training Conference | Nov 2006 | 3 | $6,195 |
| Federal Financial Management Conference 2007 | Feb 2007 | 3 | $450 |
| AGA National Leadership Conference | Feb 2007 | 2 | $1,600 |
| Data Warehouse Conference 2007 | Jun 2007 | 1 | $350 |
Total |
16 | $18,002 |
Letter to the Honorable Tom A. Coburn, M.D.
September 28, 2006
The Honorable Tom A. Coburn, M.D.
Chairman
Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management,
Government Information and International Security
Committee on Homeland Security
and Governmental Affairs
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Dr. Coburn:
Thank you for the opportunity to provide this letter for your hearing record which provides the views of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) with respect to our responsiveness to your subcommittee on the issue of Federal agency conference spending. I appreciated the opportunity to testify before your subcommittee on September 14 on behalf of our Director, Linda M. Springer.
We wish to point out that Director Springer took prompt action upon receipt of your initial letter to OPM on February 3, 2006. The Director responded to you on February 9, 2006 indicating we were working as quickly as possible to gather the requested information pertaining to FY2001-2007 conference spending. On March 9, 2006, the Director followed up with a second letter which enclosed 13 pages of detailed information, including division breakouts for FY2005 and FY2006 to date. On July 10, 2006, the Director followed up further with a third letter, in response to your June 9, 2006 request for updated information as
of mid-June.
We regret that the Director's third letter was provided to the subcommittee on Monday, July 10, 2006 when you had requested that it be provided by Saturday, July 8, 2006. I was not aware until seeing your prepared opening statement and learning of subsequent communications between OPM staff and staff for your subcommittee, that this delay on OPM's part during the weekend of July 8th was the sole reason OPM was invited to testify. If that had been made clear in the letter of invitation dated August 28, 2006, or in the background information sent by e-mail to OPM that same day by your staff, I would have been very pleased to have addressed that concern in my prepared testimony and oral remarks to the subcommittee.
As indicated when I testified, we believe OPM has a good story to tell with respect to our conference spending funding trends and consolidation efforts, and we appreciate that you have acknowledged that fact. We look forward to continued cooperation with your subcommittee and assure you we will continue to be fiscally responsible as we accomplish our mission of ensuring that the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce. Thank you for including this letter in your hearing record.
Sincerely,
Clarence C. Crawford
Chief Financial Officer
cc: The Honorable Thomas R. Carper
Ranking Member
U.S. Office of Personnel Management 1900 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20415 | (202) 606-1800 | TTY (202) 606-2532