[Federal Register: August 12, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 155)]
[Notices]
[Page 47948-47949]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12au03-69]
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OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
Personnel Demonstration Project; Alternative Personnel Management
System for the U.S. Department of Commerce
AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.
ACTION: Notice of modification to the Department of Commerce Personnel
Management Demonstration Project.
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SUMMARY: Title VI of the Civil Service Reform Act, now codified in 5
U.S.C. chapter 47, authorizes the Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
to conduct demonstration projects that experiment with new and
different human resources management concepts to determine whether
changes in policies and procedures result in improved Federal human
resources management. On December 24, 1997, OPM approved a
demonstration project covering several operating units of the U.S.
Department of Commerce (DoC). In accordance with 5 CFR 470.315, this
notice modifies the existing provisions for the assignment of augmented
service credit for reduction-in-force purposes under the performance
appraisal system.
DATES: This notice modifying the DoC Demonstration Project is effective
August 12, 2003.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Department of Commerce: Edward
Liverani, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th and Constitution Avenue
NW., Room 5004, Washington, DC 20230, (202) 482-0272; Office of
Personnel Management: Delmar D. White, U.S. Office of Personnel
Management, 1900 E Street NW., Room 6H31, Washington, DC 20415, (202)
606-1578.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Background
OPM approved the Department of Commerce Demonstration Project and
published the final plan in the Federal Register on Wednesday, December
24, 1997, Volume 62, Number 247, part II. The project was implemented
on March 29, 1998, and modified in the Federal Register on Thursday,
September 30, 1999, Volume 64, Number 189 [Notices] [Page 52810-52812].
On February 14, 2003, OPM authorized an extension of the demonstration
project to March 28, 2008, to provide time to test and evaluate the
large number of innovations implemented under this project.
Office of Personnel Management.
Kay Coles James,
Director.
Table of Contents
I. Executive Summary
II. Basis for Project Plan Modification
III. Changes to the Project Plan
I. Executive Summary
The Department of Commerce Demonstration Project utilizes many
features similar to those implemented by the National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST) Demonstration Project in 1988. The key
features of the project involve increased delegation of authority and
accountability to line managers, simplified classification and broad
banding, pay for performance, hiring and pay-setting flexibilities, and
modified reduction-in-force procedures. The DoC project is designed to
test whether the innovations of the NIST project, which is now a
permanent system, can be successful in other DoC environments. The
participating organizations include the Technology Administration, the
Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Institute for Telecommunication
Sciences, and three units of the National Oceanic and
[[Page 47949]]
Atmospheric Administration: Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research,
National Marine Fisheries Service, and the National Environmental
Satellite, Data, and Information Service.
II. Basis for Project Plan Modification
There are two types of ratings of record that may be assigned to
employees within the DoC Demonstration Project: eligible and
unsatisfactory. Eligible is a rating indicating an acceptable level of
performance. Unsatisfactory is a rating indicating an unacceptable
level of performance.
Currently the demonstration project provides additional service
retention credit only to those employees with a rating of record of
eligible and whose overall performance score ranks within the top 30
percent of all scores within their pay pool. These employees are
credited with 10 years of additional service retention credit in the
event of a reduction-in-force. The total additional service retention
credit that may be awarded to an employee is based on each of the
employee's three most recent annual performance scores received during
the 4-year period immediately prior to an established cutoff date. The
potential additional service retention credit, therefore, totals 30
years. No additional service retention credit is awarded to employees
who have not received a score in the top 30 percent of their pay pool.
In accordance with the demonstration project, DoC also does not provide
any performance-related retention credit to employees who are hired or
transfer into the demonstration project from any other performance
appraisal system.
Project evaluations and comments received from employees and
employee groups (e.g., unions) indicate that the current policy of
limiting additional service retention credit to employees within the
top 30 percent of all scores in their pay pool is unfairly weighted
against other employees who have achieved an acceptable level of
performance but who did not score within the top 30 percent.
To address this issue, the DoC Departmental Personnel Management
Board (DPMB) has approved a modification to the project plan to provide
additional service retention credit to all employees rated eligible
within the demonstration project, even if their scores do not fall
within the top 30 percent of their pay pool. All employees rated
eligible, other than the top 30 percent, will be awarded an additional
5 years of service retention credit for each eligible rating of record
in the event of a reduction-in-force. The total additional service
retention credit that may be awarded to an employee is based on each of
the employee's three most recent annual performance scores received
during the 4-year period immediately prior to an established cutoff
date.
The Department of Commerce plans to expand the demonstration
project to include other organizations within the Department. Various
officials expressed concern that the current policy places new
employees at a disadvantage because no prior performance-related
retention credit is permitted. In response to these concerns, the DPMB
approved a new policy of awarding performance-related retention credit
for Federal employees who are hired or transfer into the demonstration
project.
III. Changes to the Project Plan
The following discussion refers readers to the substantive changes
to the project plan. The referenced page number refers to the page in
the final plan, published in the Federal Register on December 24, 1997,
and the notice of modification to that plan published in the Federal
Register on September 30, 1999.
Page 67451. Replace Paragraph C.3 ``Link between Performance and
Retention'' in its entirety as follows: An employee rated eligible with
an overall performance score within the top 30 percent of scores within
a pay pool (See Performance Evaluation and Rewards) will be credited
with 10 additional years of service for retention credit. An employee
rated eligible with an overall performance score that does not fall
within the top 30 percent of scores within a pay pool will be credited
with 5 additional years of service for retention credit. The total
credit will be based on the employee's three most recent annual
performance scores received during the 4-year period prior to an
established cutoff date.
Employees who convert to this system from any other performance
appraisal system within the Federal Government will receive 5
additional years of service for retention credit for each performance
rating of record equivalent to an eligible rating in the demonstration
project. Just as with other employees in the project, the total credit
will be based on the employee's three most recent annual performance
scores received during the 4-year period prior to an established cutoff
date. Career status and veteran preference will continue to have the
same effect on retention standing as they now have under current
regulations.
[FR Doc. 03-20447 Filed 8-11-03; 8:45 am]
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