[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 44 (Monday, March 8, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Page 11074]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-5581]


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OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT


Science and Technology Laboratory Personnel Management 
Demonstration Project, Department of the Army: the Aviation Research, 
Development, and Engineering Center (AVRDEC).

AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.

ACTION: Notice to make a technical correction to the AVRDEC Federal 
Register notice, Part V, Volume 62, Number 124, published on June 27, 
1997, specifically, the definition of competitive area.

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SUMMARY: 5 U.S.C. 4703 authorizes the Office of Personnel Management 
(OPM) to conduct demonstration projects that experiment with new and 
different personnel management concepts to determine whether such 
changes in personnel policy or procedures would result in improved 
Federal personnel management.
    Public Law 103-337, October 5, 1994, permits the Department of 
Defense (DoD), with the approval of OPM, to carry out personnel 
demonstration projects at DoD Science and Technology (S&T) Reinvention 
Laboratories. This notice makes a technical correction to the AVRDEC 
Personnel Management Demonstration Project.

DATES: This demonstration project may be implemented at the U.S. Army 
Aviation Research Development, and Engineering Center beginning on 
March 8, 1999.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: AVRDEC: Mr. David E. Knepper, U.S. 
Army Aviation and Missile Command, Attn: AMSAM-AR-ZS, Building 5681, 
Redstone Arsenal, AL 35898-5000, phone 256-313-4895. OPM: Ms. Joan 
Jorgenson, U.S. Office of Personnel Management, 1900 E Street N.W., 
Room 7460, Washington, DC 20415, phone 202-606-1315.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Background

    OPM has approved Science and Technology Laboratory Personnel 
Management Demonstration Projects and published the AVRDEC final plan 
in the Federal Register on Friday, June 27, 1997, Volume 62, Number 
124, Part V. The AVRDEC demonstration project involved simplified job 
classification, paybanding, performance-based compensation systems, 
employee development provisions, and modified reduction-in-force 
procedures.

2. Overview

    The Aviation Research, Development, and Engineering Center 
published its final project plan on June 27, 1997. The final plan 
incorporated changes made as a result of specific comments received 
from individuals during the public comment period. The comments were 
addressed in the final publication of the Federal Register. Any 
resulting changes to the plan were incorporated into that same 
document.
    One commentor stated that the initial plan appeared to limit 
competitive areas to occupational families in all geographic areas. The 
commentor was concerned that the reduced number of employees in a 
particular occupational family would result in smaller competitive 
levels and lead to more separations from that occupational family if 
reduction-in-force (RIF) occurred in AVRDEC. Project managers agreed 
with the commentor and replied that a change would be made to Section 
III, Paragraph F: Revised Reduction-in-Force (RIF) Procedures, 
introductory paragraph, to clarify the meaning of the subsequent 
paragraph, Competitive Areas. This paragraph stated that positions 
included in the demonstration project at a specific geographic location 
will be considered a separate competitive area. Because of an 
oversight, however, the plan was published without making the 
correction.

    Dated: March 2, 1999.

    Office of Personnel Management.
Janice R. Lachance,
Director.

I. Executive Summary

    The Department of the Army established the AVRDEC Personnel 
Management Demonstration Project to be generally similar to the system 
in use at the Navy Personnel Demonstration Project known as China Lake. 
The project was built upon the concepts of linking performance to pay 
for all covered positions, simplified paperwork in the processing of 
classification, revised its reduction-in-force procedures and proposed 
other innovative interventions; emphasizing partnerships among 
management, employees, and unions, and delegating other authorities to 
line managers.

II. Introduction

Purpose

    The purpose of this notice is to make a technical correction to the 
definition of competitive area. The correction is hereby made to the 
Federal Register, Part V, Science and Technology Reinvention Laboratory 
Personnel Demonstration Project at the Aviation Research, Development, 
and Engineering Center (AVRDEC); Notice, Volume 62, Number 124, Friday, 
June 27, 1997; page 34920, column one, under F. Revised Reduction-in-
Force (RIF) Procedures, Introduction. Lines 1-12 are corrected to read:

    Modifications include limiting competitive area, as defined 
below, and increasing the emphasis on performance in the RIF 
process. Retention criteria are in the following order: tenure, 
veterans' preference, service credit adjusted by a sum of the last 
three performance ratings. Current reduction-in-force regulations/
procedures have been adjusted in the context of the occupational 
family and the payband classification system.

    All other provisions of the approved AVRDEC Personnel Management 
Demonstration Project will apply. Employee notification will be made by 
delivery of copies of the amendment to union officials, to AVRDEC 
employees included in the project, and by posting on the Internet.

[FR Doc. 99-5581 Filed 3-5-99; 8:45 am]
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