[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 139 (Wednesday, July 21, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39179-39181]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-18558]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
Science and Technology Reinvention Laboratory Personnel
Demonstration Project at the Naval Sea Systems Command Warfare Centers
AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.
ACTION: Notice of amendment to expand coverage of all provisions of the
Naval Sea Systems Command, Naval Surface Warfare Center and Naval
Undersea Warfare Center personnel demonstration project to include
employees of the Naval Warfare Assessment Station (NWAS).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Public Law 103-337, October 5, 1994, permits the Department of
Defense (DOD), with the approval of the Office of Personnel Management
(OPM), to carry out personnel demonstration projects at DOD Science and
Technology (S&T) Reinvention Laboratories. This notice identifies the
expanded coverage of the Naval Sea Systems Command, Naval Surface
Warfare Center and Naval Undersea Warfare Center personnel
demonstration project to include employees of the Naval Warfare
Assessment Station (NWAS). This notice also serves to clarify
provisions of the Warfare Centers' final demonstration project plan
published in the December 3, 1997, Federal Register Notice.
DATES: This notice may be implemented July 21, 1999.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Warfare Centers: Shirley Scott, NSWC/NUWC Deputy Demonstration Project
Manager, NSWCDD, HR Department, 17320 Dahlgren Road, Dahlgren, VA
22448, 540-653-4623.
OPM: John Andre, U.S. Office of Personnel Management, 1900 E Street,
NW, Room 7460, Washington, DC 20415, 202-606-1255.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OPM has approved ``Science and Technology
Laboratory Personnel Management Demonstration Projects'' and published
[[Page 39180]]
the Naval Sea Systems Command, Naval Surface Warfare Center and Naval
Undersea Warfare Center final plan in the Federal Register on
Wednesday, December 3, 1997, Volume 62, Number 232, Part II. The
Warfare Centers' demonstration project involved a simplified broad
banded position classification system, performance management and
development system, performance-based incentive pay system, competitive
examining and appointment provisions, and modified reduction-in-force
procedures. The final plan provided for a staggered implementation
strategy across the Warfare Centers' divisions which began March 15,
1999.
On February 15, 1998, the Naval Warfare Assessment Station (NWAS)
was established as an organizational component reporting directly to
the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC). NSWC plans to expand coverage
of the personnel demonstration project to include employees of NWAS.
Dated: July 9, 1999.
Office of Personnel Management.
Janice R. Lachance,
Director.
I. Executive Summary
The Naval Sea Systems Command established the Naval Surface Warfare
Center and the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Personnel Demonstration
Project to be generally similar to the system in use at the Naval
Personnel Demonstration Project known as China Lake. The project was
built upon the concepts of linking performance to pay, simplifying the
position classification system, emphasizing performance development,
and delegating other authorities to line managers.
II. Introduction
A. Purpose
The Warfare Centers' personnel demonstration project attempts to
provide managers, at the lowest practical level, the authority, control
and flexibility needed to recruit, retain, develop, recognize and
motivate its workforce. Expanding the demonstration project to include
employees of the newly established NWAS activity will allow the Naval
Surface Warfare Center to implement the provisions of the project
throughout all of its organizational activities, and to compete more
effectively for high-quality personnel while strengthening the
manager's role in personnel management. All provisions of the approved
Warfare Centers' personnel demonstration project will apply.
Employee notification will be made by delivery of a copy of the
December 3, 1997, final plan, any subsequent amendments, and this
notice. Training for supervisors and employees will be accomplished by
information briefings and training sessions prior to implementation.
B. Participating Employees
This demonstration project will be expanded to cover all NWAS
civilian employees, with the exception of members of the Senior
Executive Service, located in Corona, California and remote locations.
Table 1 reflects the duty locations and a projected number of employees
to be covered.
Table 1.--NWAS Employees
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Projected
Location number of
employees
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Corona, CA.................................................. 653
Arlington, VA............................................... 2
Beaufort, SC................................................ 4
Cairo, Egypt................................................ 1
Ceiba, Puerto Rico..........................................
Cherry Point, NC............................................ 7
El Centro, CA............................................... 1
Fallon, NV.................................................. 12
Key West NAV Air Station, FL................................
MCAS Miramar, CA............................................ 1
Moorestown, NJ.............................................. 2
------------------------------------------------------------------------
C. Other Changes
(1) Section III.B.1h.3: Pay Protection Provision
The intent of this provision was to offer maximum protection of the
employee's salary upon movement to a different geographic location.
Upon conversion to the demonstration project, many employees who were
previously covered by special salary rates had their total adjusted
salary reallocated between basic pay and locality pay. These
reallocations were necessary to convert the employees to a broad-banded
classification and pay system and it was not intended to lower the
employees' total adjusted salary. Concurrent with the conversion, some
of these same employees received an increase in basic pay under the
demonstration project buy-in provisions outlined in Section III.D.1.:
Initial Conversion of Current Workforce. Increases to basic pay under
this section were granted as a buy-in into the demonstration project to
compensate employees for time earned creditable toward their next
within-grade-increase under the General Schedule system. Despite
seemingly clear language, the pay protection provision addressed in
Section III.B.1h3. appears to disregard consideration of the employee's
adjusted salary granted under this buy-in provision. This notice
corrects this oversight by clarifying that the salary under protection
includes the employee's pre-conversion special rate plus any increase
in salary granted under the buy-in provisions. The second sentence of
this section is amended to read: ``For these employees, the new
adjusted rate following a geographic move may not be less than the
dollar amount of the employee's pre-conversion special rate plus any
increase in salary granted under Section III.D.1. of this plan.''
(2) Section III.B.5. Competitive Examining and Distinguished Scholastic
Appointments
The Warfare Centers' demonstration project restructures the
competitive examining process and provides for an authority to appoint
candidates meeting prescribed distinguished scholastic achievements.
The final plan includes language that may be interpreted as authority
to extend changes in the examining process to positions outside the
demonstration project activities. To eliminate confusion, the following
sentence is deleted: ``To further minimize resource requirements and
the complexities inherent in administering two different sets of
examining and hiring processes, this component may be applied to GS and
FWS positions in activities for which the Warfare Center Divisions
provide human resource services.''
Also, the third sentence of that paragraph is changed from: ``When
a Division implements the Demonstration Project for some portion of
their workforce, this component may be available for all occupations.''
to:
``When a Division implements the Demonstration Project for some
portion of their workforce, this provision may be available for all
occupations, GS and FWS, within that Warfare Center Division.''
This change further clarifies that this provision is used only for
occupations covered by the Demonstration Project.
(3) Section III.D.3. Exit From the Demonstration Project
To clarify that conversion-out procedures also apply in the event
the project ends, the following sentence is added at the end of the
first paragraph under this section: ``These procedures will also be
followed for those employees who exit the project because of project
termination.''
[[Page 39181]]
(4) Section V.A.: Waivers to title 5, United States Code
The Warfare Centers' personnel demonstration project includes an
enhanced performance management system requiring a waiver of existing
laws and regulations governing performance management systems. Waivers
of specific provisions of title 5 and the Code of Federal Regulations
(CFR) were included under section V of the Warfare Centers' final plan.
However, waivers of 5 U.S.C. 4304(b)(1) and (3) were inadvertently not
included in this section. These title 5 provisions require OPM's review
and approval of performance appraisal systems developed by agencies
under 5 U.S.C. chapter 43. Simultaneously, Public Law 103-337 (Section
342 of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY95), October 5,
1994, requires OPM's approval of personnel demonstration projects. This
approval was obtained and the Warfare Centers' final plan was published
in the 3 December 1997 Federal Register. OPM's approval of the Warfare
Centers' final plan removes the need to have separate review and
approval of the revised performance appraisal system as required under
chapter 43 of title 5 U.S.C. Part V of the final plan is therefore
amended to add the following waivers:
5 U.S.C. 4304(b)(1)
5 U.S.C. 4304(b)(3)
[FR Doc. 99-18558 Filed 7-20-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6325-01-P