Federal Manager's Daily Report: Friday, November 5, 2004 FEDweek is the largest information resource in the federal government with now over one million weekly readers. To Subscribe, Go to http://www.fedweek.com/subscribepopup.htm *********************************************************** Valued Added Service to Our Readers:
Federal Job Search http://www.fedweek.com/Jobs/default.asp Job Bulletin Board http://www.fedweek.com/Jobs/default.asp Unlimited Internet Access for as low as $10.90 http://www.fedweeknet.com Our Readers Will Get Special Discounted Travel Rates Including, Airfare, Hotels, RV's, Car Rentals, and Special Weekend Getaways--Anywhere in the world http://fedweek.sparklist.com/t/294972752/748675/339/0/ ********************************************************** In This Week's Issue 1. OMB Issues New Competition Reporting Requirements 2. GAO: Room for Improvement in Civil Rights Commission Management 3. Advanced Project Management Course http://www.leadership.opm.gov/content.cfm?CAT=OPP *********************************************************** 1. OMB Issues New Competition Reporting Requirements New reporting guidance for competitive sourcing from the Office of Management and Budget requires agencies to report on actual savings, quantifiable improvements on competitions completed in fiscal 2003, fixed costs for fiscal 2004, number of offers received in competitions and acquisition strategies used. OMB said the new requirements were aimed at improving the usefulness of the data it collects and the overall transparency of the process -- and that agencies will be asked to describe the steps their HR and competitive sourcing organizations have taken to identify skill imbalances, competency gaps, and organizational redundancies, according to an OMB memo. It said agencies should prepare a draft report consisting of a "transmittal, narrative statement, and spreadsheets with data on individual competitions," by November 12. The guidance also requires agencies to report on the cost of directing and overseeing competitions - or fixed costs - for fiscal 2004, but said it would accept estimates. For standard competitions in fiscal 2004, agencies must identify the number of bids or proposals from private sector contractors or public reimbursable providers and the strategy used to select the winner, such as a sealed bid, lowest price, technically acceptable evaluations, or phased evaluations, according to the guidance. It also directs agencies to "describe how their competitive sourcing decision making processes relate to the implementation of the strategic management of human capital," and "to address the steps human resources and competitive sourcing organizations have jointly taken to identify skill imbalances, gaps, and organizational redundancies." 2. GAO: Room for Improvement in Civil Rights Commission Management Management of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights - an independent federal agency that monitors and reports on the status of civil rights - could benefit from improved strategic planning and increased oversight, the Government Accountability Office has said. It said the commission has not updated or revised its strategic plan since 1997, as required by the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993, and that it has a weak basis on which to develop annual goals and evaluate performance. The latest performance plan and report, "contain weaknesses that limit the agency's ability to effectively manage its operations and communicate its performance," according to GAO-05-77. The report said the performance plan does not address strategies or resources needed to achieve stated goals and lacks budget information for programs, as well as performance indicators for certain annual goals. In recent years, the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management have provided oversight for the commission's budgetary and human capital operations, with a focus on the commission budget requests and GPRA plans and reports, said GAO. It said that while the commission implemented certain recommendations made by OPM related to human capital management systems in the 1990s, "it has not implemented five of six broader, systemic recommendations made in 1999 for improvement to its human capital management systems." 3. Advanced Project Management Course The Office of Personnel Management has scheduled a seminar for Dec. 5-9, for experienced project managers with a working knowledge of the basic concepts and tools of project management. Given at the Eastern Management Development Center in Shepherdstown, W. Va., "Optimizing Project Performance, Using Analytical Project Management Tools," focuses on teaching how to use advanced analytical tools to increase project effectiveness, as well as to effectively communicate complex projects. The course is designed to teach experienced project managers interested in optimizing project performance how to use project management analytical tools to effectively support project trade-off decisions. Participants use their actual projects to analyze costs and benefits, calculate key measures for financial evaluation, and perform risk analysis using a variety of techniques. The $3,400 fee includes meals, lodging, tuition and course materials. Learn more and register at: http://www.leadership.opm.gov/content.cfm?CAT=OPP Published by FEDweek 11541 Nuckols Rd. 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