[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 180 (Wednesday, September 17, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54505-54507]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-23688]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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 Amendment to expand coverage of all provisions of the 
Department of Commerce Personnel Management Demonstration Project to 
include additional organizations within the Department of Commerce.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Section 4703 of title 5 U.S.C. 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. OPM approved a 
demonstration project covering several operating units of the U.S. 
Department of Commerce (DoC). The Code of Federal Regulations (5 CFR 
470.315) requires that modifications to approved demonstration project 
plans be approved by OPM. This notice proposes to expand the coverage 
of the demonstration project to include additional organizations within 
the Department and to increase the number of participants to the legal 
maximum of 5,000 participants. This notice serves to list all 
organizations within DoC that will be included in the Demonstration 
Project during its expansion phase. This notice also lists additional 
occupational series to be included as part of the expansion. The 
Department will follow the final plan as published in the Federal 
Register dated December 24, 1997, and the Federal Register Notice of 
Modification dated September 30, 1999, except for minor changes noted 
in Section III of this Federal Register Notice. These changes do not 
require waivers.

DATES: This notice may be implemented October 5, 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 White, U.S. Office of Personnel 
Management, 1900 E Street, NW., Room 7660, Washington, DC 20415, (202) 
606-1578.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Background

    The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) approved the Department of 
Commerce (DoC) 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) (Pages 52810-58212.)
    OPM approved a request to extend the DoC demonstration project for 
5 years as stated in an administrative letter from OPM, dated February 
14, 2003. 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 (RIF) 
procedures.
    This Federal Register Notice covers 1,505 additional employees. 
Currently, the demonstration project has 2,900 employees. The remaining 
additional employee slots are being reserved for the near future, 
pending reorganization. In the event more employees are added up to the 
maximum limit of 5,000, another Federal Register Notice will be 
published to provide employee notification.

    Office of Personnel Management.
Kay Coles James,
Director.

I. Executive Summary

    The Department of Commerce (DoC) demonstration project utilizes 
many features similar to those implemented by the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology (NIST) demonstration project in 1988. The DoC 
project supports several key objectives: To simply the classification 
system for greater flexibility in classifying work and paying 
employees; to establish a performance management and rewards system for 
improving individual and organizational performance; and to improve 
recruitment and retention to attract highly qualified candidates. The 
DoC project is designed to test whether the interventions of the NIST 
project, which is now a permanent alternative system, could be 
successful in other DoC environments. The current participating 
organizations include the Technology Administration, the Bureau of 
Economic Analysis, the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences, and 
three units of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: 
Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, National Marine Fisheries 
Service, and the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and 
Information Service.

II. Introduction

A. Purpose

    The Department's personnel demonstration project is designed to 
provide managers at the lowest organizational level the authority, 
control and flexibility needed to recruit,

[[Page 54506]]

retain, develop, recognize, and motivate its workforce, while ensuring 
adequate accountability and oversight. Expansion of the demonstration 
project will allow the DoC to broaden the scope of this test to 
additional organizations with different missions. This should improve 
the Department's assessment of the effectiveness of its interventions 
in its efforts to compete more effectively for high quality personnel, 
while strengthening the manager's role in human resources management.
    All provisions of the Department's personnel demonstration project, 
as published in the Federal Register Notice, dated December 24,1997, 
and the Notice of Modification dated September 30, 1999, will apply. 
This notice also serves to make changes to the plan to accommodate the 
expansion. These changes include the addition of specific occupational 
series, Departmental Personnel Management Board composition, and pre-
project cost formulas for the CFO/ASA organization.
    Employee notification will be made by delivery of a copy of the 
December 24, 1997, final plan, any subsequent modifications and this 
notice. Training for supervisors and employees will be accomplished by 
informational briefings and training sessions prior to implementation.

B. Participating Employees

    Employee notification of this expansion proposal has been 
accomplished by providing a full set of briefings to employees and 
managers and providing them electronic access to all Demonstration 
Project policies and procedures including the two previous 
Demonstration Project Federal Register Notices. We will also provide 
employees with a copy of this proposed Federal Register Notice upon 
approval. Subsequent supervisor training and informational briefings 
for all employees will be accomplished prior to the implementation date 
of the expansion.
    The demonstration project will be expanded to cover all 
nonbargaining unit employees in the following organizations at all duty 
locations. The following organizations are added to the final plan, 
Section II.D. Participating Organizations: Within the Office of the 
Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary for Administration 
(CFO/ASA), approximately 450 new employees from the following offices 
covering all their duty locations will be added at this time to the 
demonstration project as part of the expansion:

Office of Security
Office of Management and Organization
Office of Financial Management
Office of Human Resources Management
Office of Administrative Services
Office of Acquisition Management

    The DoC demonstration project will also be expanded to include 
1,055 additional employees in the following organizations and locations 
within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA):
    Within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration:

Program Planning and Integration Office, Silver Spring, MD

    Within the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research:

Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Research Laboratory, Princeton, N.J.

    Within the National Marine Fisheries Service:

Pacific Islands Regional Office, Honolulu, HI.
Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Honolulu, HI.

    Nonbargaining unit employees in the following organizations:

Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Woods Hole, MA, and Laboratories in 
Narragansett, RI, Milford, CT, Sandy Hook, NJ, and Washington, DC.
Southeast Regional Office, St. Petersburg, FL.
Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Miami, FL, and Laboratories at 
Panama City, FL, Pascagoula and Bay St. Louis, MS, and Galveston, TX.
Southwest Fisheries Science Center, La Jolla, CA, and Laboratories in 
Santa Cruz and Pacific Grove, CA.
Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Seattle, WA, and Laboratories in 
Newport and Hammond, OR, and Manchester, Pasco, and Mukilteo, WA.
Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Seattle, WA, and Auke Bay Laboratory 
in Juneau, AK.

    Within the National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information 
Service:
    Nonbargaining unit employees in the following organization:

Wallops Island Command and Data Acquisition Station, Wallops Island, 
VA.

C. Changes to the Plan

(1) Section II. E: Participating Employees
    The following series are added to Table 2.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Scientific and Engineering (ZP) Career Path
------------------------------------------------------------------------
0410............................  Zoology Series.
0413............................  Physiology Series.
0440............................  Genetics Series.
0690............................  Industrial Hygiene Series.
0808............................  Architecture Series.
0819............................  Environmental Engineering Series.
0871............................  Naval Architecture Series.
0896............................  Industrial Engineering Series.
1370............................  Cartography Series.
2210............................  Information Technology Management
                                   Series.
2299............................  Information Technology Student Trainee
                                   Series.
---------------------------------
         Scientific and Engineering Technician (ZT) Career Path
------------------------------------------------------------------------
0350............................  Equipment Operator Series.
0817............................  Surveying Technician Series.
1371............................  Cartographic Technician Series.
1374............................  Geodetic Technician Series.
1862............................  Consumer Safety Inspection Series.
---------------------------------
                     Administrative (ZA) Career Path
------------------------------------------------------------------------
0080............................  Security Administration Series.
0083............................  Police Series.
0085............................  Security Guard Series.
0018............................  Safety and Occupational Health
                                   Management Series.
0150............................  Georgraphy Series.
0170............................  History Series.
0201............................  Human Resources Management Series.
0399............................  Administration and Office Support
                                   Student Trainee Series.
0505............................  Financial Management Series.
0599............................  Financial Management Student Trainee.
0828............................  Construction Analyst Series.
0963............................  Legal Instruments Examining Series.
1008............................  Interior Design Series.
1015............................  Museum Curator Series.
1016............................  Museum Specialist and Technician
                                   Series.
1020............................  Illustrating Series.
1060............................  Photography Series.
1102............................  Contracting Series.
1104............................  Property Disposal Series.
1152............................  Production Control Series.
1170............................  Realty Series.
1176............................  Building Management Series.
1361............................  Navigational Information Series.
1640............................  Facility Operations Services Series.
1701............................  General Education and Training Series.
2001............................  General Supply Series.
2010............................  Inventory Management Series.
2030............................  Distribution Facilities and Storage
                                   Management Series.
2101............................  Transportation Specialist Series.
2130............................  Traffic Management Series.
---------------------------------
                        Support (ZS) Career Path
------------------------------------------------------------------------
0086............................  Security Clerical and Assistance
                                   Series.
0203............................  Human Resources Assistance Series.
0351............................  Printing Clerical Series.
0356............................  Data Transcriber Series.
0361............................  Equal Opportunity Assistance Series.
0503............................  Financial Clerical and Assistance
                                   Series.
0544............................  Civilian Pay Series.
1106............................  Procurement Clerical and Technician
                                   Series.
1421............................  Archives Technician Series.
1802............................  Compliance Inspection and Support
                                   Series.
------------------------------------------------------------------------


[[Page 54507]]

(2) Section VII: Project Management
    The Departmental Personnel Management Board will expand to include 
additional board members representing the new major operating units 
included in the project. It is the intent of the DoC to ensure the 
composition of the board reflects the diversity of employee groups to 
ensure the objectives of the demonstration project are achieved in an 
equitable and consistent manner.
(3) Section V: B. Base Cost Assessment
    The current plan identifies Fiscal Years 1994, 1995, and 1996 as 
the basis of analysis of pre-project costs to determine whether project 
costs are being maintained at acceptable levels. Since CFO/ASA has 
never participated in the demonstration project, costs will be computed 
as annual averages over the past three pre-project fiscal years 
immediately preceding implementation, within CFO/ASA offices. NOAA will 
continue using FY 1994-96 as its cost basis, since it was part of the 
demonstration project during these years.

[FR Doc. 03-23688 Filed 9-16-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6325-43-M