    [United States Government Manual]
    [June 01, 2006]
    [Pages 489-494]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

    1900 E Street NW., Washington, DC 20415-0001

    Phone, 202-606-1800. Internet, www.opm.gov.
    Director                                          Linda M. Springer
    Deputy Director                                   Dan G. Blair
    Chief of Staff                                    Tricia Hollis
    Senior Advisor for Homeland Security              (vacancy)
    Director, Office of Human Resources Line of       Norman Enger
            Business
    Chair, Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory           (vacancy)
            Committee
    Inspector General                                 Patrick E. McFarland
    Director, Office of Congressional Relations       John C. Gartland

    [[Page 490]]

    Associate Director, Strategic Human Resources     Ronald Sanders
            Policy
    Associate Director, Human Resources Products and  Robert F. Danbeck
            Services
    Associate Director, Human Capital and Merit       Marta Brito Perez
            Systems
    Director, Communications and Public Liaison       Scott Hatch
    Associate Director, Management and Chief          Clarence C. Crawford
            Financial Officer
    General Counsel                                   Kathie A. Whipple,
                                                              Acting

    [For the Office of Personnel Management statement of organization, see
            the Federal Register of Jan. 5, 1979, 44 FR 1501]

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    The Office of Personnel Management administers a merit system to ensure
    compliance with personnel laws and regulations and assists agencies in
    recruiting, examining, and promoting people on the basis of their
    knowledge and skills, regardless of their race, religion, sex, political
    influence, or other nonmerit factors. Its role is to provide guidance to
    agencies in operating human resources programs which effectively support
    their missions and to provide an array of personnel services to
    applicants and employees. The Office supports Government program
    managers in their human resources management responsibilities and
    provides benefits to employees, retired employees, and their survivors.

    The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) was created as an independent
    establishment by Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1978 (5 U.S.C. app.),
    pursuant to Executive Order 12107 of December 28, 1978. Many of the
    functions of the former United States Civil Service Commission were
    transferred to OPM.

    Activities

    Employee Benefits  OPM manages numerous activities that directly affect
    the well-being of the Federal employee and indirectly enhance employee
    effectiveness. These include health benefits, life insurance, and
    retirement benefits.
    Examining and Staffing  The Office of Personnel Management is
    responsible for providing departments and agencies with technical
    assistance and guidance in examining competitive positions in the
    Federal civil service for General Schedule grades 1 through 15 and
    Federal Wage system positions. In addition, OPM is responsible for the
    following duties:
        --providing testing and examination services, at the request of an
    agency, on a reimbursable basis;
        --establishing basic qualification standards for all occupations;
        --certifying agency delegated examining units to conduct examining;
        --providing employment information for competitive service
    positions; and
        --providing policy direction and guidance on promotions,
    reassignments, appointments in the excepted and competitive services,
    reinstatements, temporary and term employment, veterans preference,
    workforce planning and reshaping, organizational design, career
    transition, and other staffing provisions.
    Executive Resources  OPM leads in the selection, management, and
    development of Federal executives. OPM provides policy guidance,
    consulting services, and technical support on Senior Executive Service
    (SES) recruitment, selection, succession planning, mobility performance,
    awards, and removals. It reviews agency nominations for SES career
    appointments and administers the Qualifications Review Boards that
    certify candidates' executive qualifications. It manages SES, senior-
    level, and scientific and professional space allocations to agencies,
    administers the Presidential Rank Awards program, and conducts
    orientation sessions for newly appointed
    [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T206692.054

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    executives. In addition, OPM manages three interagency residential
    development and training centers for executives and managers.
    Investigations  The Office of the Inspector General conducts
    comprehensive and independent audits, investigations, and evaluations
    relating to OPM programs and operations. It is responsible for
    administrative actions against health care providers who commit
    sanctionable offenses with respect to the Federal Employees' Health
    Benefits Program or other Federal programs.

    For further information, contact the Office of the Inspector General.
    Phone, 202-606-1200.

    Personnel Systems  OPM provides leadership and guidance to agencies on
    systems to support the manager's personnel management responsibilities.
    These include the following:
        --white- and blue-collar pay systems, including SES and special
    occupational pay systems; geographical adjustments and locality
    payments; special rates to address recruitment and retention problems;
    allowances and differentials, including recruitment and relocation
    bonuses, retention allowances, and hazardous duty/environmental pay; and
    premium pay;
        --annual and sick leave, court leave, military leave, leave transfer
    and leave bank programs, family and medical leave, excused absence,
    holidays, and scheduling of work, including flexible and compressed work
    schedules;
        --performance management, covering appraisal systems, performance
    pay and awards, and incentive awards for suggestions, inventions, and
    special acts;
        --classification policy and standards for agencies to determine the
    series and grades for Federal jobs;
        --labor-management relations, including collective bargaining,
    negotiability, unfair labor practices, labor-management cooperation, and
    consulting with unions on Governmentwide issues;
        --systems and techniques for resolving disputes with employees;
        --quality of worklife initiatives, such as employee health and
    fitness, work and family, AIDS in the workplace, and employee assistance
    programs;
        --human resources development, including leadership and
    administration of the Human Resources Development Council and the
    Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) interest group;
        --the Training and Management Assistance program, to help agencies
    develop training and human resources management solutions, including
    workforce planning and succession management strategies, e-learning
    applications, traditional classroom training materials, compensation and
    performance management systems, and other customized products;
        --information systems to support and improve Federal personnel
    management decisionmaking; and
        --Governmentwide instructions for personnel processing and
    recordkeeping, and for release of personnel data under the Freedom of
    Information Act and the Privacy Act.
        OPM also provides administrative support to special advisory bodies,
    including the Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee, the Federal
    Salary Council, and the Presidential Advisory Committee on Expanding
    Training Opportunities.
    Oversight  OPM assesses human capital management Governmentwide and
    within agencies to gather information for policy development and program
    refinement, ensure compliance with law and regulation, and enhance
    agency capability for human resources management accountability. Agency
    accountability systems help ensure that human capital decisions are
    consistent with merit principles and that human capital strategies are
    aligned with mission accomplishment. OPM also works with agencies to
    find better and more strategic ways to manage Federal human capital.
    Workforce Diversity  OPM provides leadership, direction, and policy for
    Governmentwide affirmative recruiting programs for women, minorities,
    individuals with disabilities, and veterans. It also provides
    leadership, guidance, and technical assistance to

    [[Page 493]]

    promote merit and equality in systemic workforce recruitment,
    employment, training, and retention. In addition, OPM gathers, analyzes,
    and maintains statistical data on the diversity of the Federal
    workforce, and prepares evaluation reports for Congress and others on
    individual agency and Governmentwide progress toward full workforce
    representation for all Americans in the Federal sector.
    Other Personnel Programs  OPM coordinates the temporary assignment of
    employees between Federal agencies and State, local, and Indian tribal
    governments; institutions of higher education; and other eligible
    nonprofit organizations for up to 2 years, for work of mutual benefit to
    the participating organizations. It administers the Presidential
    Management Intern Program, which provides 2-year, excepted appointments
    with Federal agencies to recipients of graduate degrees in appropriate
    disciplines. In addition, the Office of Personnel Management administers
    the Federal Merit System Standards, which apply to certain grant-aided
    State and local programs.
    Federal Executive Boards  Federal Executive Boards (FEBs) were
    established by Presidential memorandum on November 10, 1961, to improve
    internal Federal management practices and to provide a central focus for
    Federal participation in civic affairs in major metropolitan centers of
    Federal activity. They carry out their functions under OPM supervision
    and control.
        FEBs serve as a means for disseminating information within the
    Federal Government and for promoting discussion of Federal policies and
    activities of importance to all Federal executives in the field. Each
    Board is composed of heads of Federal field offices in the metropolitan
    area. A chairman is elected annually from among the membership to
    provide overall leadership to the Board's operations. Committees and
    task forces carry out interagency projects consistent with the Board's
    mission.
        Federal Executive Boards are located in 28 metropolitan areas that
    are important centers of Federal activity. These areas are as follows:
    Albuquerque-Santa Fe, NM; Atlanta, GA; Baltimore, MD; Boston, MA;
    Buffalo, NY; Chicago, IL; Cincinnati, OH; Cleveland, OH; Dallas-Fort
    Worth, TX; Denver, CO; Detroit, MI; Honolulu, HI-Pacific; Houston, TX;
    Kansas City, MO; Los Angeles, CA; Miami, FL; New Orleans, LA; New York,
    NY; Newark, NJ; Oklahoma City, OK; Philadelphia, PA; Pittsburgh, PA;
    Portland, OR; St. Louis, MO; San Antonio, TX; San Francisco, CA;
    Seattle, WA; and the Twin Cities (Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN).
        Federal Executive Associations or Councils have been locally
    organized in approximately 65 other metropolitan areas to perform
    functions similar to the Federal Executive Boards but on a lesser scale
    of organization and activity.

    For further information, contact the Director for Federal Executive
    Board Operations, Office of Personnel Management, Room 5524, 1900 E
    Street NW., Washington, DC 20415-0001. Phone, 202-606-1000.

    Sources of Information

    Contracts  For information, contact the Chief, Contracting Division,
    Office of Personnel Management, Washington, DC 20415-0071. Phone, 202-
    606-2240. Internet, www.opm.gov/procure/index.htm.
    Employment  Information about Federal employment and current job
    openings is available from USAJobs (phone, 478-757-3000; TTY, 478-744-
    2299; Internet, www.usajobs.opm.gov). Contact information for your local
    OPM office is available in the blue pages of the phone book under U.S.
    Government, Office of Personnel Management. For information about
    employment opportunities within the Office of Personnel Management,
    contact the Director of Human Resources. Phone, 202-606-2400.
    Publications  The Chief, Publications Services Division, can provide
    information about Federal personnel management publications. Phone, 202-
    606-1822. Internet, http://apps.opm.gov/publications

    [[Page 494]]

    For further information, contact the Office of Communications, Office of
    Personnel Management, 1900 E Street NW., Washington, DC 20415-0001.
    Phone, 202-606-1800. Internet, www.opm.gov.

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