[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 54 (Wednesday, March 19, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14856-14858]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-5549]


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OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET


Performance of Commercial Activities

AGENCY: Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Executive Office of the 
President.

ACTION: Update to civilian position full fringe benefit cost factor, 
federal pay raise assumptions, and inflation factors used in OMB 
Circular No. A-76, ``Performance of Commercial Activities.''

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SUMMARY: OMB is updating the civilian position full fringe benefit cost 
factor used to compute the estimated cost of government performance in 
public-private competitions conducted pursuant to Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) Circular A-76. The civilian position full fringe 
benefit cost factor is comprised of four separate elements: (1) 
Insurance and health benefits, (2) standard civilian retirement 
benefits, (3) Medicare benefits, and (4) miscellaneous fringe benefits. 
OMB is updating the insurance and health benefits and standard civilian 
retirement benefits cost elements based on actuarial analyses provided 
by the Office of Personnel Management.
    OMB is also updating the annual Federal pay raise assumptions and 
inflation cost factors used for computing the government's personnel 
and non-pay costs in Circular A-76 public-private competitions. These 
annual pay raise assumptions and inflation factors are based on the 
President's Budget for Fiscal Year 2009.

DATES: Effective date: These changes are effective immediately and 
shall apply to all public-private competitions performed in accordance 
with OMB Circular A-76, as revised in May 2003, where the performance 
decision has not been certified by the government before this date.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim Daumit, Office of Federal 
Procurement Policy (OFPP), NEOB, Room 9013, Office of Management and 
Budget, 725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503, Tel. No. 202-395-
1052.
    Availability: Copies of OMB Circular A-76, as revised by this 
notice, may be obtained at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars/index.html. Paper copies of the Circular may be obtained by calling 
OFPP (tel: (202) 395-7579).

Jim Nussle,
Director.
Attachment

Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies

    From: Jim Nussle, Director.
    Subject: Update to Civilian Position Full Fringe Benefit Cost 
Factor, Federal Pay Raise Assumptions, and Inflation Factors used in 
OMB Circular No. A-76, ``Performance of Commercial Activities.''
    Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-76 requires 
agencies to use standard cost factors to estimate certain costs of 
government performance. These cost factors ensure that specific 
government costs are calculated in a standard and consistent manner to 
reasonably reflect the cost of performing commercial activities with 
government personnel. This memorandum updates the civilian position 
full fringe benefit cost factor, the annual federal pay raise 
assumptions, and inflation cost factors. The update to the civilian 
position full fringe benefit cost factor is based on actuarial analyses 
provided by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). The revised pay 
raise assumptions and inflation cost factors are based on the 
President's Budget for Fiscal Year 2009.

Civilian Position Full Fringe Benefit Cost Factor

    The Circular requires agencies to add the civilian position full 
fringe benefit cost factor to the basic pay for each full-time and 
part-time permanent civilian position in the agency cost estimate. This 
factor is comprised of four separate elements: (1) Insurance and health 
benefits, (2) standard civilian retirement benefits, (3) Medicare 
benefits, and (4) miscellaneous fringe benefits. OMB has determined, 
based on information provided by OPM, that the civilian position full 
fringe benefit cost factor needs to be adjusted downward, from 36.45 
percent to 36.25 percent. This adjustment reflects a decrease in 
civilian retirement benefits that is slightly greater than an increase 
in insurance and health benefits. The Medicare benefits and 
miscellaneous fringe benefits elements remain unchanged at this time. 
The revised cost elements of the civilian position full fringe benefit 
cost factor are summarized in the table below.

[[Page 14857]]



   Table.--Elements of the Civilian Position Full Fringe Benefit Cost
                                 Factor
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                Previous    Updated cost
                   Element                     cost factor     factor
                                                 percent       percent
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Insurance and Health Benefit \a\............          6.7           7.0
Standard Civilian Retirement Benefit \b\....         26.6          26.1
Medicare Benefit............................          1.45          1.45
Miscellaneous Fringe Benefit................          1.7           1.7
    Total Civilian Position Full Fringe              36.45         36.25
     Benefits...............................
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\a\ This factor is based on actuarial estimates for the costs of the
  government-paid portion of health insurance under the Federal
  Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program and the Federal Employees
  Government Life Insurance (FEGLI) Program and excludes the employee-
  paid portion of health insurance. This figure is multiplied by the
  average participation rates in these programs and divided by the
  average civilian employee's salary (as identified in the President's
  budget) to derive a factor as a percentage of basic pay. This factor
  is based only on costs borne by the government (not enrollee premiums)
  and only on behalf of active federal employees (not retirees).
  Increases in government costs for retirees are reflected in the
  standard civilian retirement benefit cost factor.
\b\ The standard civilian retirement benefit cost factor includes the
  government's accruing cost for pension benefits (Social Security,
  Thrift Savings Plan, Federal Employees or Civil Service Retirement
  Systems) and the accruing cost for post-retirement health benefits. It
  excludes the employee-paid portion of retirement.

    The master tables for COMPARE (the costing software that 
incorporates the costing procedures of the circular) have been updated 
to reflect these changes. The updates are available at 
www.compareA76.com. Agencies shall use the updated COMPARE master 
tables to calculate and document public and private sector costs in 
competitions where a performance decision has not been certified by the 
government by the effective date identified in the Federal Register 
notice accompanying the publication of this memorandum.
    Accordingly, the following changes are made to OMB Circular A-76.
    1. Subparagraphs B.2.f.(1)(a) and (b) of Attachment C are revised 
to read as follows:
    (1) Full-time and Part-time Permanent Civilian Positions. Full-time 
and part-time permanent civilian positions receive the civilian 
position full fringe benefit cost factor of 36.25 percent of the 
position's basic pay. The 36.25 percent civilian position full fringe 
benefit cost factor is the sum of the standard civilian position 
retirement benefit cost factor (26.1 percent), insurance and health 
benefit cost factor (7.0 percent), Medicare benefit cost factor (1.45 
percent), and miscellaneous fringe benefit cost factor (1.7 percent).
    (a) Retirement Benefit Cost Factors. The standard civilian 
retirement benefit cost factor represents the cost of the weighted 
Civil Service Retirement System/Federal Employees Retirement System to 
the government, based upon the full dynamic normal cost of the 
retirement systems, the normal cost of accruing retiree health benefits 
based on average participation rates, social security, and Thrift 
Savings Plan contributions. The standard civilian retirement benefit 
cost factor for civilian positions is 26.1 percent of the position's 
basic pay (21.0 percent retirement pension plus 5.1 percent for retiree 
health). The retirement cost factors for special class civilian 
positions are: 38.5 percent of basic pay for air traffic controllers 
(33.4 percent retirement pension plus 5.1 percent for retiree health) 
and 40.4 percent of basic pay for law enforcement and fire protection 
(35.3 percent retirement pension plus 5.1 percent for retiree health).
    (b) Insurance and Health Benefit Cost Factor. The insurance and 
health benefit cost factor for civilian positions, based on actual 
cost, is 7.0 percent of the position's basic pay (0.2 percent for life 
insurance benefits and 6.8 percent for health benefits).
    2. The following standard cost factors and footnote no. 1 in Figure 
C.1 of Attachment C, ``Table of Standard A-76 Costing Factors,'' are 
revised as set forth below:

                                     Table of Standard A-76 Costing Factors
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                                                                                                      Factor \1\
                  Title                         Originating source            Category of cost        (percent)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Civilian Position Full Fringe Benefit      OMB Transmittal Memoranda..  Pay........................       36.25
 Cost Factor.
Insurance and Health Benefit Cost Factor.  OMB Transmittal Memoranda..  Pay........................        7.0
Special Class Retirement Cost Factor(Law   OMB Transmittal Memoranda..  Pay........................       40.4
 Enforcement & Fire Protection).
Special Class Retirement Cost Factor (Air  OMB Transmittal Memoranda..  Pay........................       38.5
 Traffic Control).
Standard Civilian Retirement Benefit Cost  OMB Transmittal Memoranda..  Pay........................       26.1
 Factor.
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\1\ The factors listed in this column are factors in effect on February 2008. Agencies should refer to the
  COMPARE Web site at www.compareA76.com. for the updated COMPARE master tables and other updated information.

Federal Pay Raise Assumptions

    The following federal pay raise assumptions (including geographic 
pay differentials) that are in effect for 2008 shall be used for the 
development of government personnel costs. The pay raise factors 
provided for 2009 and beyond shall be applied to all government 
personnel with no assumption being made as to how they will be 
distributed between possible locality and base pay increases.

                     Federal Pay Raise Assumptions*
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                     Civilian   Military
                  Effective date                    (percent)  (percent)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
January 2008......................................        3.5        3.5

[[Page 14858]]

 
January 2009......................................        2.9        3.4
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Pay raise assumptions have not been established for pay raises
  subsequent to January 2009. For January 2010, the projected percentage
  change in the Employment Cost Index (ECI), adjusted, 3.2 percent,
  should be used to estimate in-house personnel costs for A-76
  competitions. For January 2011 through January 2018, the projected
  change in the ECI of 3.4 percent should be used. In future updates to
  A-76 guidance, as pay policy for years subsequent to 2009 is
  established, these pay raise assumptions will be revised.

Inflation Factors

    The following non-pay inflation cost factors are provided for 
purposes of public-private competitions conducted pursuant to Circular 
A-76 only. They reflect the generic non-pay inflation assumptions used 
to develop the fiscal year 2009 budget baseline estimates required by 
law. The law requires that a specific inflation factor (GDP FY/FY 
chained price index) be used for this purpose. These inflation factors 
should not be viewed as estimates of expected inflation rates for major 
long-term procurement items or as an estimate of inflation for any 
particular agency's non-pay purchases mix.

                           Non-Pay Categories
                       [Supplies, Equipment, etc.]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                Percent
------------------------------------------------------------------------
FY 2009......................................................        2.0
FY 2010......................................................        2.0
FY 2012......................................................        2.0
FY 2013......................................................        2.0
FY 2014......................................................        2.0
FY 2015......................................................        2.0
FY 2016......................................................        2.0
FY 2017......................................................        2.0
FY 2018......................................................      * 2.0
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Any subsequent years included in the period of performance shall use a
  2.0% figure, until otherwise revised by OMB.

 [FR Doc. E8-5549 Filed 3-18-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3110-01-P