&EPA Committee on Integrity and Management Improvement (CIMI) Bulletin 95-4 EPA 350-F-95-002 May 1995 EPA REGION VII IRC 077290 Conferences and Meetings This Awareness Bulletin is intended to highlight EPA's policy on scheduling conferences and meetings. It emphasizes the importance of site selection, and discusses Agency policy for charging registration fees for attendance at EPA-sponsored conferences and meetings. These are high profile activities at any agency, and we must ensure that strict fiscal responsibility is exercised when selecting conference and meeting sites. It is imperative that we avoid even the appearance of improprieties in this area. Background It is widely recognized that well-planned and executed conferences and meetings are an indispensable method of conducting official business and achieving the Agency's mission. However, in an effort to reduce administrative expenses, President Clinton singled out Government meetings and conferences for close review. As a result, the Office of Management and Budget issued OMB Bulletin 93-11, dated April 19, 1993, instructing agencies to keep conference costs to a minimum and to document the alternatives considered and rationale used in selecting conference sites. On September 14, 1994, the Agency issued Office of the Comptroller Policy Announcement 94-10 to provide implementing guidance. Guidelines Justifications for conferences and meetings must indicate, beyond reproach, that the sessions are mission-related and cost-effective. To assist in this effort, the Agency has issued the following guidelines regarding conferences and meetings: • These events should be held, to the maximum extent possible, in or near EPA regional cities or major laboratory facilities (Headquarters is considered the same as a regional city for this purpose); • Cost comparisons are particularly important for cities which could be construed as resort locations; • The duration of these events and the number of participants should be limited to the minimum required to achieve the intended goal; • Teleconferencing, video conferencing, and local training should be used whenever possible; • Travel should be authorized on an individual basis to ensure that the number of participants is necessary and justified; and • The cost comparisons for conferences and meetings involving travel by 30 or more people must be documented and the final site selection must be approved by the appropriate Assistant Administrator or Regional Administrator. Common Sense Considerations There are many considerations in selecting the most cost-effective conference location. In order to conduct a cost analysis, it is necessary to obtain at least the following information: 1. The number of people attending; 2. Where they are coming from; and 3. How long they are staying. The total major costs will primarily consist of travel and per diem costs of the participants. Other less obvious costs to consider in choosing a location are ground transportation (getting to and from airports), fees for rental of meeting rooms and audio-visual equipment, and parking costs. In developing cost estimates, it is important to remember that the cost of each item must be necessary and reasonable. Recycled/Recyclable Printed on paper that contains at least 50% recycled fiber ------- Registration Fees EPA policy states that organizations planning conferences and meetings should budget for their costs and avoid establishing registration fees, if possible. If it is determined that registration fees are necessary, they should only be used to cover administrative costs, and not items of subsistence or per diem which are reimbursable as ordinary travel expenses. Registration fees must not include the cost of meals and items such as entertainment, coffee, snacks, cocktails, and other similar items of a refreshment nature. Only expenses such as the costs of necessary supplies and materials, printing, and renting of facilities and equipment can be included in registration fees. The fee charged should not exceed the actual amount of these expenses, and the conference coordinator is required to provide a receipt to each participant for submission with the travel voucher. Conclusion A conference, meeting, and related travel can be authorized only if it will provide a direct benefit to achieving EPA's mission. These events must be carefully scrutinized to keep costs to a minimum, and to prevent travel from being used as a "perk" or in lieu of personal benefits, incentives, or rewards for past performance. In addition, registration fees should only cover the actual costs of allowable administrative items, and should never be used to make a profit. It is the responsibility of every EPA employee to ensure that travel dollars for conferences and meetings are spent wisely, registration fees are used properly, site selections are based on required cost comparisons, and attendance is limited to the minimum necessary for accomplishment of the Agency's mission. For additional information, please consult Office of the Comptroller Policy Announcement 94-10, or contact your administrative officer or servicing finance office. If you know of or suspect any fraud, waste, or abuse pertaining to conferences, meetings, related travel, or registration fees, please contact the Office of Inspector General (OIG) in Headquarters or the nearest Divisional Office of Inspector General. A telephone hotline number to the OIG is also available: FTS (202) 260-4977 or toll free (800) 424-4000. Information is confidential. As a step towards pollution prevention, one copy of this bulletin will be printed for every two employees. This publication is also available via the Agency LAN Services Menu under "Information Services"; CIMI-Prevention of Fraud, Waste and Abuse. Recycled/Recyclable • Printed with Vegetable Based Inks on Recycled Paper (20% Postconsumer) ------- Committee on Integrity and Management Improvement (CIMI) Customer Opinion Survey For the past ten years at EPA, the Committee on Integrity and Management Improvement (CIMI) has been working to increase employee awareness of their responsibilities to prevent and report indications of fraud, waste and mismanagement in the Agency/s programs and activities. The committee, which is comprised of senior Headquarters and regional managers and chaired by the Inspector General, produces awareness bulletins and information leaflets designed to highlight agency policy, practices and procedures. CIMI is conducting this survey to determine your views on the usefulness of our products. The survey is in three sections. The first section asks general questions about CIMI publications; the second section asks specific questions about the CIMI awareness bulletin enclosed with this survey; and the third section asks for your input on potential CIMI projects. Please answer questions as honestly as possible; all responses are kept confidential. :Please return the survey to Barbara Cobb Mitchell, OIG/OM, Mailcode 2443, 401 M Street SW, Washington, DC 20460 (or fax to 202-260- 6976) by June 30, 1995. SECTION I (Please check the correct response) .1. ' Prior to this survey, a. I had heard of CIMI and I knew what they did. b.__ I had heard of CIMI but didn't know what they did. . c.c I had never heard of CIMI. 2. Not including the attached bulletin, I have seen or read . a.. 5 or more CIMI publications. b._ '_ 1-4 CIMI publications. C. None. (If you checked "None", go to Section II) 3. Please list the title or subject of any CIMI bulletins or leaflets you have read. 4. Are you aware that CIMI documents are available on the Agency LAN? . a. yes / b. no 5. How did you obtain the bulletins/leaflets you have reviewed? (Check all that apply) a. received a hardcopy in the mail. b. retrieved it from the LAN menu. . C. other \ . (Please indicate) 6. How would you prefer to receive CIMI documents? a. in hardcopy form thru the mail. '•, b. via the LAN system c. other (Please indicate) ------- SECTION II (Please refer to the attached bulletin and check the correct response) Title of Attached Bulletin 7. The subject of this awareness bulletin is a. very important to me as an EPA employee. b.___ somewhat important to me as an EPA employee. c. not important to me as an EPA employee. 8. Before reading the bulletin, I was a. very knowledgeable on this subject. b. somewhat knowledgeable. c. not knowledgeable at all. 9. ; After reading the awareness bulletin, I have a. more understanding of this subject. b. the same understanding of this subject. c. less understanding of this subject. 10.' Did you know how to find out information on this subject prior to this bulletin? 11. What did you like most about the bulletin? 12. What did you like least about the bulletin? SECTION III (Please provide answers to the questions below) . 13. What topics would you like future CIMl documents to address? 14. Do you have any other comments, suggestions or questions for the Committee on Integrity and Management Improvement? BACKGROUND (This information is to assist us in analyzing the responses. check the correct response.) Please 15. 16, 17. 18, I am a a. b. Headquarters employee. Regional employee. I have been employed by EPA for a. more than 7 years b. 3-6 years c. less than 3 years My position is primarily described as a. Management/Supervisor Professional/Technical Administrative ' b. • I am in Grade a. b." GS 12 or above GS 11 or below 19. Date you are responding to this survey_ ------- |