OA Strategic Plan
Office of Administration
Office of Administration and Resources Management
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
November 1990
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EPA Office of Administration
Strategic Issues for the 1990's
NEW
HEADQUARTERS
PROJECT
ASSISTANCE
MANAGEMENT
FACILITIES
MANAGEMENT
RECRUITING,
DEVELOPING,
AND RETAINING
A QUALITY
WORKFORCE
SMART
CONTRACTING
PROCUREMENT
INFORMATION
RESOURCES
MANAGEMENT
CREDIBLE
HEALTH
AND SAFETY
PROGRAMS
MANAGING
CHANGE
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MEMBERS OF THE OA CORPORATE BOARD
n C. Chamber1in
rector
ffice of Administration
William Finister
Deputy Director
Office of Administration
Sherrrf/Kaschak
Speci&l Assistant
Office of Administration
David J. O onnor
Director, Procurement and
Contracts Management
Division
Harvey G. Pippen
Director, Grants
Administration Division
Kathy Petruccelli
Director
Management and Organization
Division
Nelsojr W. Hallman
Director
New Headquarters Project
Richard I/I Lemtey
Director, Facilities
Management and Services
Division
ironmental
Safety Division
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary i
OA Mission Statement 1
OA Strategic Planning Process 2
Stakeholder Analysis and Critical Processes 4
Externalities Analysis 6
- Critical Few Future Trends Affecting OA 7
- Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats 8
Action Steps for Strategic Issues 11
I. Managing Change 12
II. Facilities Management and Services 15
III. New Headquarters Project 17
IV. Recruiting, Developing and Retaining Staff 20
V. Safety and Health 23
VI. Procurement Information Resources Management .... 27
VII. Assistance Management 30
VIII. Smart Contracting 33
Conclusions 37
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Office of Administration (OA) is unique among the EPA
Offices in four respects. First, its sheer size (about 450 FTEs
and a budget of some $162 million) requires that it husband its
financial and human resources in a particularly skillful and
careful manner. Second, OA has responsibility for exercising
national program leadership in a number of critical administrative
areas including contracts and assistance agreements; safety,
health, and environmental compliance; personal and real property;
facilities maintenance and construction; and Federal advisory
committees. Third, OA has the responsibility for operating our
four headquarters facilities and providing responsive and reliable
customer services to headquarters employees residing in Waterside
Mall, the Fairchild Building and Crystal City. Finally, OA also
has responsibility for acquiring a new, high quality consolidated
national headquarters for EPA.
In an effort to dedicate ourselves to the three main
principles of Total Quality Management — achieving customer
satisfaction, employee empowerment and continuous process
improvement — OA' s senior managers have been engaged over the past
few months in a strategic planning process. As part of this
endeavor, we have taken a fresh look at our core reason for
existence, organizational strengths and weaknesses, external
opportunities and threats, critical work processes and major
stakeholders. In addition, we have conducted an office-wide review
of our management decision making processes, the integrity and
flexibility of pur structures and systems, and the efficacy of the
advice and services being delivered to our clients. Based on these
analyses, we refined our mission statement and identified eight
strategic issues that OA must address over the next five years.
OA is, therefore, fully committed to achieving the following
strategic goals:
Create a work environment and work ethic which inspires
strategic planning, assessment, and continuous
improvement as part of our daily lives;
Provide employees with a quality work environment,
enabling them to meet their programmatic goals;
Manage the planning, design, construction and move for
EPA's new headquarters facility;
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Provide EPA employees with ready access to
timely and accurate procurement information
leading to informed decision making on
contracts management issues;
Increase representation of minorities in the
GS-13-15 levels and retain, develop, and
recruit top quality staff at all levels of OA;
Improve/expand the Safety, Health and
Environmental Management Division so that it
is a creditable and effective organization,
and is viewed as such;
Ensure that EPA grants, cooperative
agreements, and lAGs are awarded consistent
with sound business management principles,
free from fraud, waste, and misuse; and
Ensure the appropriate use of contracts,
prevent conflict of interest, and ensure that
dependence on contractors does not result in a
loss of corporate memory.
The group problem solving and team building exercises we
undertook to develop this strategic plan have already yielded
important benefits to our organization. They have fostered better
communication and understanding across our Divisions and provided
our employees with a common sense of purpose. We intend to keep
this heightened level of energy and spirit alive by making this a
"living" document and revisiting it many times over the next few
years as we chart a successful course for the future. In addition,
we intend to complement our strategic planning process with an
aggressive, Total Quality Management effort. We have already begun
to form Process Improvement Teams to assess and improve the trouble
desk, small purchases, Agency bankcard, and space planning and
acquisition. Over time, we will add additional processes as we
move forward with our quality improvement initiative.
We foresee a future environment that will greatly
challenge all of OA's employees. Our staff will need to devise
ways to "work smarter," in order to accomplish an ever-increasing
workload within a relatively diminishing resource base. More
attention will be placed on facilities, safety and health, and
workplace issues, leading to greater demands for quality services
in these areas. Our operations will be under increasing scrutiny
from sources outside the Agency (Congress, OMB, GSA, taxpayers) and
from our program clients. We will be faced with new challenges
which range from changing technology to a changing workforce that
will force us to alter the ways in which we conduct our daily
business. This plan will enable us to chart a course that will be
more attuned to the nuances of a changing world.
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OA Mission Statement
OA is the foundation of
EPA's successful environmental program.
We are a diverse group of dedicated professionals who
provide quality management services for the Agency.
We are mutually committed to:
• Deliver quality advice and service to our
customers,
• Assure integrity, creativity, flexibility, and
responsiveness in our operations,
• Be fair in management decisions,
• Strive for continuous improvement, and
• Achieve the highest level of public trust.
We will create a climate that encourages the
generation of new ideas, recognizes excellent
performance, rewards people for their contributions,
and places a high premium on the development of all
OA employees to their fullest potential.
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OA STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS
This strategic plan is based on the decisions produced by a team of
senior managers within the Office of Administration (OA). The
strategic planning process transpired over several sessions during
the spring of 1990. The first session was comprised of Division
Directors, Branch Chiefs, and Special Assistants; three subsequent
sessions were comprised of a subset of the initial team.
OA's strategic planning process followed the steps
outlined in Guidelines for OARM Strategic Planning, a memo from
Charles Grizzle dated March 12, 1990. This plan is one of several
office plans which will eventually be consolidated into one Office
of Administration and Resource Management (OARM) plan. The
Guidelines directed OA to produce the following:
A Mission Statement that provides a clear
declaration of organizational purpose sufficient to
guide OA actions, especially in the face of rapid
changes.
An Externality Assessment which identifies the
political, social, economic and technological
forces shaping the context of OA decisions and
affecting our ability to effectively perform our
mission over the next five years.
An identification of Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) which OA will
bring to bear to address the external forces
impinging on it.
A description of Priority Strategic Issues which
emerge when analysis reveals either the absence of
an OA capability to deal with external threats or
OA's inability to take advantage of opportunities
to move forward in achieving its mission. These
priority issues were then translated into specific
strategic goals and action steps and the latter
have already been used to guide the development of
OA's FY 1992 budget request and, to some degree,
our FY 1991 operating plan.
The OA team supplemented these steps with a Stakeholder
Analysis that identified the key customers for each of OA's
component organizations and a Critical Process Analysis which
identified all of OA's core processes.
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EPA Office of Administration
Strategic Planning Process
Stakeholder
Analysis
Externality
Assessment
Process
Improvement Teams
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OA STAKEHOLDERS AND CRITICAL PROCESS
Two principal questions guiding our strategic analysis were who are
OA's main customers and what are OA's critical processes. The
consolidated lists of major stakeholders and critical processes
define the diversity and complexity of our mission and strategic
obj ectives.
Office of Administration
Man or stakeholders
Identifying the stakeholders or the customers for our
services helps focus our attention on what services they
expect from us and what services we actually provide.
OA's stakeholders are:
Top management (Administrator, Deputy, AAs, DAAs,
RAs, Charlie Grizzle, John Chamber1in, etc.)
OARM Divisions
Agency employees
Program managers
Central management agencies (OMB, GSA, GAO, OPM)
and other government agencies
Unions
Region offices and labs
Public
Congress
Public interest groups
- Contractors
- Developers
Major Critical Processes;
Identifying critical processes in OA operations enables
us to better understand our purposes as well as identify
some actions within our control which we may take to
improve them. OA's critical processes are:
- Agency budget and planning
Performance management
Executive/congressional correspondence
Executive notification (up and down)
EPA statutory-regulatory implementation
Use and application of automation and technology
Testing and selection protocol
Job safety analysis
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Risk assessment
Data analysis
Annual and periodic reporting
Pre-award procurement
Post award procurement
Audit resolution
Automation/financial management
National program management control (management
oversight review)
Suspension and debarment
Regional budget and planning
Small purchases (under $25K)
Contract close-out
Bank card program
Conflict of interest
Contractor conflict determination
Review contractor's procedures
Contractor Free of Conflict certification
Communications - Public Relations
Facilities design
Facilities construction
Facilities build out
Phased move
Green border reviews
Reorganizations
Delegations of authority
Directives
Trouble desk
Standard Level User Charge (SLUC) budgeting
Alteration requests
Form 5100
Supply store
Building and Facilities (B&F)
Space acquisition/allocation
Advisory committee chartering and management
Contracts management (outside PCMD function)
Printing and distribution
Recycling
Security
Property
Internal control reviews
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EXTERNALITIES ANALYSIS
We conducted an "externalities analysis" to identify the
"critical few" future events/trends and their predicted impacts on
OA. In the second step of this analysis, we identified the
opportunities and threats posed by these external factors and
compared them to OA's current and projected strengths and
weaknesses.
CRITICAL FEW FUTURE TRENDS/EVENTS AFFECTING OA
Seven future trends will shape OA's program
effectiveness. We perceive the external influences to be: stable
or declining OA resources, agency growth and change, increased
environmental demands, increased oversight and accountability,
facilities and workplace issues, workforce issues, and changes
brought about by automation and other technological advances.
These trends and their specific impacts are listed on the following
page.
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Critical Few Future Trends Affecting OA
Event
Stable/Declining OA Resources
- Continued uncertainty
- Growth in programs
- Change in administration
Impact
Backlog
Client dissatisfaction
Disequibilibrium
Disruptions in programs
Slow downs
Agency Growth/Change
- New legislation
- Client base increases
- Increased OA workload
- Reauthorization of existing
legislation
Increased Environmental Demands
- International focus
- Increased environmental awareness
Increased OA workload
Increased visibility/oversight
Large unknown
Change in client base
Change in financial mechanisms
Increased Oversight/Accountability
- Congressional pressures
- Client demands
Changes in way we do business
Diversion of resources
Facilities and Workplace Issues
— Aging existing facilities
- Potential for new facilities
Reduced productivity
Focus of resources on fireflghting
Heighten employee expectations
Changing skills needs for employees
and management for FMSD
Workforce Issues
- Hiring and retention
- Brain drain
— Changing demographics
- Changing work ethics
- More emphasis on health and safety
- More people-driven decisions
Less skilled workforce
Increased needs for training and
education
Alternative workplace
New way of thinking and acting
More open/creative in problem
solving
Technological Change/Automation
- Powerful micro computers
- Desktop publishing
- Local and Wide Area Networks
Training deficiencies
Financing
Different processes and skill mix
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STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITIES, AND THREATS
STRENGTHS
The strengths OA brings to bear on the threats and
opportunities shaping the future of environmental administration
rely, not surprisingly, on pur well-qualified, highly-motivated
employees. These strengths include:
Creative employees, capable of adapting to change
Highly skilled/educated workforce
"Budget smart"
Customer focus
Willingness to plan/early preparation
Existing culture of doing more with less among management
and employees
- Great expertise in what we're called on to do
- Deputy Division/Branch level management is highly skilled
and motivated
Emergence of new approaches for problem solving
- Ability to provide strong proponents of EPA before
Congress, e.g., testimony
Good reputation with GSA
Network with field counterparts
WEAKNESSES
To maximize the reach of our strengths, OA will need to
improve upon the following weaknesses.
Inability to use technology to its maximum
Over demand on professional resources (e.g., SHEMD is not
adequately staffed)
Little experience or incentive in changing paradigms,
e.g., inertia
Inability to address problems with aging facilities
(spend money)
Lack of single focus/coherent mission; result is wrong
skills in wrong place
staff not being groomed to move into first line
supervisor positions
first line supervisors are not ready to move into
management/executive positions
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Lack of communications with stakeholders (EPA
employees and external customers)
Inability, as a bureaucracy, to deal with change
Difficulty in re-focusing the workforce
Lack of adequate resource pool to reward employees
If NOAA merger occurs, we're inexperienced in
integrating two cultures
OPPORTUNITIES
The opportunities presented by these external factors
place OA more squarely in the public eye and call upon the best
efforts of our entire workforce to design and lead us in innovative
approaches. These opportunities are:
Personal growth
Resources growth (people and budget)
- Exhibit leadership
Shape the future
Creative approaches
Program growth
- Visibility = awareness = understanding = assistance
Re-think/re-shape all OA internal processes
Technology will enable us to better use our
resources
- Harness congressional interest
- Design new facilities
Stimulus to retrain personnel
Could correct number of problems with legislative
language during the re-authorization process, e.g.
Superfund
Globalization of EPA's mission creates new areas
for us to fill
Changes in Eastern Europe will result in more EPA
involvement in that region
Attract new people and new thinking
Increased emphasis on health and safety brings our
own program up to speed
Improve OA's image/credibility with EPA employees
Potential NOAA merger
Opportunity to improve the quality of hiring,
training and development of people
The merger of other Federal environmental programs
into EPA and/or the passage of "organic"
legislation by 1993 will affect the way we do
business
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THREATS
Threats to OA's effectiveness include some recurring and
some new political, regulatory, organizational and technological
concerns. They are:
Client dissatisfaction (employees)
- Operating elements of agency may take over our
functions
Inability to recruit/retain adequate number of
quality personnel ("quality" defined to include
analytical and creative)
. dwindling resource pool
. inadequate resources
. increasing demands
- Inability to provide essential services; "agency
gridlock," e.g., Federal Acquisition Regulations
(FARs) inhibit procurement
Election Year (implications)
. increased demand for more information, testimony
. pressure for action in the wrong areas
Congressional micro-management
- Superfund re-authorization—need to plan for impact
Technology
. seen as a panacea
. some activities are wasteful
Potential NOAA merger
Central agency (OMB, GSA) micromanagement
("intrusive niggling")
Union visibility with the public and the press
Program growth implication—OA is the last group to
get resources or among the first to get them cut
- The merger of other Federal environmental programs
into EPA and/or the passage of "organic"
legislation by 1993 will affect the way we do
business
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Action Steps
for the Office of Administration's Strategic Issues
The eight most critical strategic issues OA confronts over the next
five years are:
1. Managing Change
2. Facilities Management and Services
3. New Headquarters Project
4. Recruiting, Developing and Retaining Staff
5. Safety and Health
6. Procurement Information Resources Management
7. Assistance Management
8. Smart Contracting
This section highlights each of these critical strategic issues by
describing our:
Assumptions
Approach
Expected Outcome
Potential Obstacles and Support
We have developed these steps as a way of channeling our energies
to meet - and perhaps transcend - the challenges they pose.
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I. MANAGING CHANGE
Strategic Issue: Because EPA confronts change to its very
structure as it becomes decentralized, perhaps
made a Cabinet-level Department, OA must
execute a systematic and annual approach to
managing change.
Strategic Goal: OA will create a work environment and work
ethic which inspires strategic planning,
assessment and continuous improvement as part
of our daily routine.
Background and Assumptions
The Office of Administration houses many important but
very disparate functions. Many of its divisions are responsible
for a heavy operations component, while also being responsible for
policy development and program implementation on a national scale.
OA's divisions face the challenges of an ever-increasing workload
and a high demand for quality from its constituents with the
reality of a straight-lined resource base.
Many of the issues facing the OA divisions are highly
controversial, most have extremely short deadlines, and they are
frequently tied to political and policy judgments that EPA makes
about the work it does and the workforce that does it. In the
press of daily business and the need to accomplish the priorities
which our clients expect from us, it is easy to lose sight of
longer term strategic needs or to see how the long-term vision of
EPA ties to administrative functions and processes. Too
frequently, we don't take the opportunity to examine our past
experiences or to adequately plan for new issues that are likely to
force us into new and changing policy, political, socio-economic or
press arenas. Moreover, in light of the volume of activities which
must be performed every day, it is difficult to find time to
adequately reflect on better ways to do business. Left unattended,
this can potentially lead to compounded bureaucratic processes
which no longer meet the needs of OA or of its clients.
Approach
The complexities and challenges of OA's work demand that
it become more strategic and that it deal with change from a
position of strength. It is a fact that EPA is changing rapidly.
We face reauthorization in each of our major statutes. We are
likely to become a Cabinet Department. We have become
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increasingly decentralized, delegating more programs to the regions
and the States for implementation. We are responding to budget
deficits in our operating plans and support accounts. Finally, we
are facing new challenges in technology and in our workforce.
The strategic approach that OA has chosen is three-pronged: 1)
to look at long-term changes in EPA's mission, workforce or
technology that are likely to affect each division so that we can
better poise ourselves to meet the needs of EPA in the future; 2)
to do a more comprehensive annual planning process which will take
into account known divisional management priorities, such as
National Program Manager and division workforce needs; and 3) to
engage our workforce in a "continuous quality improvement" effort
that will strengthen and streamline the administrative processes
that we manage resulting in better client satisfaction and a higher
level of morale and creativity among the OA workforce.
Action Steps
OA will use a variety of action steps to accomplish its
goal.
Step 1: We will identify long-term strategic issues
facing OA so that we can put creative and thoughtful plans in place
to deal with them over a multi-year period.
OA divisions will compile annual planning documents that
allow them to capture ongoing and important internal needs and
execute the responsibilities they hold as National Program
Managers.
Step 2: We will develop a customer-oriented planning and
communications checklist to help ourselves identify all parties
potentially involved in a new issue or initiative along with their
biases and needs.
Step 3: We will use better tools to objectively evaluate
how we performed and assess the ramifications of the decisions we
made after-the-fact.
Step 4: We will train large segments of the OA workforce
to understand the principles and techniques of Total Quality
Management (TQM).
Step 5: We will also undertake a TQM review of several
key administrative processes each fiscal year.
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Outcome
The principle outcome of our combined activities under
this strategic goal will be to have made annual planning, crisis
management, communication, and continuous quality improvement a
part of our everyday life. We will have identified opportunities
to change operating systems and procedures that no longer make
sense. We will have looked at the big picture of EPA and
determined how its future will affect our own organizational
future. We will have learned from our past experiences and will
have developed a "corporate bra intrust" approach to problem-solving
complex issues. We will have fostered peer reviews and team-
building, and improved the morale and motivation of our workforce.
Finally, we will have appropriately rewarded all members of our
workforce for the quality of contributions they make to continuous
quality improvement in OA.
Potential Obstacles
The very nature of this strategic goal contradicts many
of the operational activities that OA divisions are required to do,
and do very well. Fast and effective response to day-to-day
processes and "fire drills" tend to be the things that OA managers
reward and value—they are our bread and butter. This strategic
plan will require us to be more flexible and tolerant in our
standards while we undertake a cultural change of improving our
planning abilities and targeted administrative processes. We will
face skills deficiencies, particularly those related to TQM
analysis, communication, and comprehensive work planning. We will
need to deal head-on with attitudinal problems, resistance to
change, and funding for training. We need to learn to market these
initiatives internally as well as externally, and how to motivate
a large team of people to a new way of doing business. Finally, we
will need a strong commitment by senior management to continuous
improvement in light of increasing service demands.
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II. FACILITIES MANAGEMENT AND SERVICES
Strategic Issue: How can OA provide employees with top quality
facilities management services?
Strategic Goal: OA will provide employees with a quality work
environment, enabling them to meet their
programmatic goals.
Background and Assumptions
After establishing the Facilities Management and Services
Division, we evaluated the services and support we were providing
to both regional and Headquarters offices. By late 1988,
Headquarters employees were vocally expressing their concerns on
facilities issues. We recognized the need to set new priorities
and change the direction of the services and support we were
providing in order to be more responsive to employees concerns.
We also began to seriously evaluate regional offices and
laboratories, many of which, especially those inherited from HEW,
were on the brink of becoming obsolete in the face of either
emerging state-of-the-art technology or age.
Approach
In our role to support the mission of EPA and given the
need to maximize resource dollars, we began to analyze how to
become more responsive to our clients.
We felt that the regions were basically not looking to
Headquarters to micromanage, but rather to provide "benchmarks" so
that they could better manage their own facilities issues and
concerns. Our approach was to use a planning contract as a vehicle
for the regions to buy into as necessary. We made a commitment to
acquire state-of-the-art facilities that meet programmatic and
employee needs and to help develop and define those needs through
master planning.
At Headquarters, we are taking a hands-on approach to
developing client out-reach and facilities enhancement programs,
namely through publicizing the services and support we provide and
by substantially upgrading our responsiveness through the Trouble
Desk and the Facilities Service Center.
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Action Steps
To meet this goal, a number of action steps will be
undertaken using Total Quality Management principles.
Step 1: We will develop and implement an organizational
self-assessment process specifically looking at processes and the
manner in which we do business, e.g., the Trouble Desk, the B&F
process, SIJ7C, etc.
Step 2: We will be constantly defining and determining, in
close coordination with regional and Headquarters staff, the actual
and perceived EPA mission requirements and employee needs and the
best approach to meet those needs.
Step 3: We will take steps to keep our staff motivated and
to improve morale.
Step 4: Through training and rotational assignments, we
will develop a professional staff, trained consistent with FMSD
programs.
Outcome
Our goals are to provide effective, efficient, professional
support services to our clients through acquisition of state-of-
the-art facilities and by improving the level of client
satisfaction. This is a two fold approach as the outcome should
also be a more highly developed, professional staff with improved
morale.
Potential Obstacles/Support
One of our greatest obstacles is to work within the budget
constraints and personnel ceiling. Additionally, we must overcome
a natural resistance to change both in our staff and our clients.
However, we feel that we already have a basically capable,
competent and professional staff that will work towards the mission
and goals of the Division and EPA.
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III. NEW HEADQUARTERS PROJECT
Strategic Issue: How can OA successfully manage the new
headquarters project?
Strategic Goal: OA will ensure efficient planning and execution
of the acquisition of the new EPA Headquarters
facility. This effort will include a phased
move and ongoing efficient space
utilization/management.
Background and Assumptions
The new headquarters objective is to manage the planning,
design, construction and move process for EPA and assure project
continuity from planning through occupancy. Inherent in the task
is to assure that the new headquarters is responsive to our size,
technical and special space requirements.
We also perceive this objective as a programmatic and human
resources task. It must reflect the Agency mission regarding
indoor air quality, energy conservation, water quality/
conservation, and radon and asbestos control and recycling.
Additionally it should serve as a means to attract and retain a
qualified workforce while serving as a morale booster and source of
pride to EPA personnel.
Approach
In keeping with the fundamental, programmatic and human
resources objectives, we will develop quality standards, address
long-term requirements, and complete a future building management
plan. We will conduct this effort with consideration for and
involvement of all major stakeholders including, but not limited to
employees, GSA, Congress, OMB, environmental groups, contractors,
developers and the public.
Action Steps
As a coordinated interagency (EPA/GSA) effort, the following
steps are/will be undertaken:
Step l: Obtain approvals.
We received congressional authorization to acquire a
facility of adequate size and quality, using a lease/purchase
methodology, in the fall of 1988. In June of 1990, GSA informed
EPA that OMB is willing to let our acquisition proceed under
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these terms. However, since that time, OMB has restated its
objection to lease/purchase, and consequently, funding levels must
be adjusted or this objection must be overcome.
Step 2: Requirements Development.
Detailed building performance specifications have been
jointly developed with EPA completing an extensive Pre-Design
Master Study. Finalization of these requirements, including a
segmented EPA/GSA budget, was completed in CY '90.
Step 3: Request for Proposals.
GSA has agreed that the Master Study will serve as the basis
for a Request for Proposals (RFP), expected to be completed in mid
to late fall 1990, and to utilize the resources of EPA's contractor
to develop the document.
Step 4: Developer Selection.
Evaluation criteria are being developed for inclusion in the
RFP. Careful attention to evaluation criteria at this stage will
help eliminate later problems, e.g., inconsistencies in evaluation,
grievances, etc. Once GSA releases the RFP, the formal acquisition
process will begin, with the solicitation and evaluation components
expected to take an additional 9-12 months (Fall 1990-Winter 1991).
Step 5: Designing facility/interiors.
Plans will be reviewed to ensure consistency with EPA's
requirements and the award (CY '92 - '93).
Step 6: Construction management.
GSA/EPA will monitor all phases from groundbreaking to
completion (CY '93 - >95).
Step 7: Move-In.
Establish and follow detailed acceptance procedures and
conduct move-in in a phased manner (FY '95).
Step 8: Follow-on Service.
Establish maintenance schedules, operating guidance, etc.
(CY '94 - '95).
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Outcome
There are several desired outcomes which would indicate
successful completion of the project. These include acceptance by
all client groups (EPA employees and the external environmental
community) that the facility meets EPA's needs and reflects its
mission. We also expect that the facility will serve as a morale
booster and source of pride to current personnel, and as an
incentive in recruiting. Further, we seek acknowledgement by
external shareholders (6SA, OMB, Congress, taxpayer) that real
value was delivered. Finally, the facility's use should quickly
demonstrate its functional worth and demonstrate the ability to
construct and deliver quality workspace.
Potential Obstacles/Supports
Obstacles, such as site decision (declining Southeast
Federal Center), and congressional authorizations, appear to be
satisfactorily resolved or are in the final stages of resolution.
We have been able to manage our internal stakeholders (employees,
unions, management, special interest groups), as well as garner
support from external shareholders (Congress, American Institute of
Architects, environmental groups, etc.), through careful
communication and involvement campaigns.
Strong support factors include considerable resources in
terms of outside expertise, in addition to high level interest and
involvement including the Administrator, Deputy Administrator, our
Assistant Administrator, and our top management staff.
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IV. RECRUITING, DEVELOPING AND RETAINING OA STAFF
Strategic Issue: How can OA retain, develop, and recruit top
quality staff?
Strategic Goal: OA will achieve success in recruiting, developing
and retaining top quality staff at all levels of
OA to meet EPA's technical and management needs.
Background and Assumptions
Much of OA's success is hinged on its ability to attract,
develop, and retain quality employees at all levels in the
organization. Since many of the entry level professional positions
do not require any specific technical ability, it is particularly
important for OA to recruit bright, articulate, energetic employees
who can develop the skills necessary for the variety of
administrative and technical professional positions in OA.
Increasing the minority representation within OA's
professional workforce is a top priority for the Office's senior
management. To do this, OA must make a concerted effort to make
recruitment goals and plans to facilitate meeting those goals.
Approach
To significantly affect human resources issues such as
recruitment, development, and retention, guidance from the Office
Director is critical. The Director of OA must convey expectations
and engage in periodic review of progress with Division Directors.
In turn, Division Directors must clearly communicate expectations
to Division managers and supervisors. We must work together and
understand where OA divisions have common concerns and also
recognize where issues may differ from one division to another.
To deal with OA's human resources concerns, we will segment
this issue into two parts. The first area is recruitment and
minority representation. OA must ensure that its managers are
aware of those vehicles available for recruitment including all
applicable Office of Human Resource Management (OHRM) and OPM
authorities (e.g., Outstanding Scholars, Administrative Careers
With America exam). Since so much of the recruitment process is
outside of OA's own control, we must enlist OHRM's support and get
OHRM's endorsement of any plan OA develops.
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The second human resource area is employee development and
retention. Although this issue is important at all levels, we
particularly need to focus on development of our mid-level
employees' managerial capabilities. For much of an employee's
career in OA, promotion is based on technical skills and job
performance. In managers we need a different set of skills. We
need to develop team leader and managerial skills in our employees
so that our middle and upper level employees will be prepared to
supervise and manage programs and organizations.
Action Steps
Step 1: Improve Recruitment.
Working with OHRM, OA will ensure that its managers and
administrative officers thoroughly understand those EPA and OPM
vehicles available to meet recruitment needs. OA will explore ways
to advertise positions to a wider audience to have a greater
variety of candidates from which to select. Establishment of
relationships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities may
provide access to a pool of applicants otherwise left untapped.
To set fair goals and target areas for improvement, we will
do a demographic study of OA and look at appropriate sub-units
(e.g., organizations, series). OA managers will devote appropriate
attention to setting recruitment goals and aggressively pursuing
them.
Step 2: Improve Development and Retention.
Again, it is important for us to understand where divisions
have similar problems and concerns and where issues may vary in
different organizations. Pulling together existing programs and
resources, a work group composed of representatives from each
division will work with this issue to determine how formal training
and informal development can best help employees develop managerial
skills. Each division should examine its own procedures for
training its people and determine if a more formal training plan
and budget may be necessary.
Outcome
Although many action steps could be followed to address this
difficult issue, we know what we expect success to be. OA's goal
is to have a quality staff at all levels. OA will hire minorities
into professional positions who are qualified and who, over time,
stay with the organization and become OA's leaders.
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With clear goals and a firm commitment, OA will know more
clearly where it is weak and will have the tools (demographic
picture, management training, individual development plans and
relationships with universities) to keep the organization on track.
Potential Obstacles
Recent changes in Federal hiring procedures, such as the
Administrative Careers With America program, suggest that EPA will
have less flexibility in hiring and less opportunity for direct
recruitment. Barriers in the personnel process can be difficult to
overcome. OA's human resource-related ideas (e.g., direct
recruitment from minority universities) conflict with personnel
policies. Much of the recruitment issue is out of OA's control.
Employee development is obviously critical, and resource
intensive (time and money). with the crunch of achieving program
goals and responding to crises, it can be difficult to focus on the
need to develop employees (e.g., send them to training, rotations)
and focus on long-term organizational needs.
One last potential obstacle is more of a cautionary note for
us to consider. It may be difficult to approach an important issue
such as human resources management solely as an office-wide concern
when divisions may have such different needs. We need to address
those concerns that are OA-wide as well as those that may be
specific to our individual divisions as we develop our plans.
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V. SAFETY AND HEALTH
Strategic Issue: How can OA enhance the efficacy and credibility
of the safety, occupational health and
environmental programs throughout EPA?
Strategic Goal: The safety, occupational health and
environmental compliance programs will be
recognized as efficient and credible throughout
EPA national program offices, laboratory
operations, and regional activities.
Background and Assumptions
The Safety, Health and Environmental Management Division
(SHEMD) is responsible for leading, planning, organizing,
controlling, implementing, and evaluating the safety, occupational
health, and environmental compliance programs of EPA. These
programs support the mission and program needs of the Agency and
assure that EPA's programs are carried out in compliance with
Federal and statutory mandates, regulations, guidelines and
standards.
This strategic plan will not only address fundamental
compliance issues, but it will also be designed to help managers
prepare, protect, and preserve the agency's assets and resources.
These strategies will help managers identify, assess, control, and
communicate those risks (potential harm), dangers (vulnerability to
harm) , and losses (actual harm sustained) that are faced by their
resources and assets.
We assume that the strategic value of SHEMD programs in
accomplishing EPA's overall mission of EPA can be documented
through reductions in risks, illnesses, injuries, property damage,
workers compensation costs, efficacy losses, vulnerability, and
interruption of mission.
We assume that adequate staff resources will be allocated
to safety, occcupational health, and environmental compliance
programs on a nationwide basis, and management support and
involvement will be strong.
Approach
The Safety, Health and Environmental Management Division
will provide the leadership for the development of an ambitious
long-term strategic plan for these programs. The process will be
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designed to strengthen and sustain current functional and
organizational capabilities and begin making EPA's safety,
occupational health, and environmental compliance programs world-
class operations in the future.
The regional and laboratory staffs will be actively involved
in the development and implementation of the strategic plans and
improvement projects by serving as members of Process Improvement
Teams and by providing leadership for some aspects of these
programs.
Action Steps
Step 1: We will create a vision for safety, occupational
health, and environmental compliance and define the strategic
intent of the programs.
A set of guiding principles will also be developed to guide
the performance of safety, occupational health, and environmental
compliance program staffs as well as responsible management
officials. The vision will capture the essence of a winning spirit
and challenge staff members to tap their creativity, to stretch
their resources and capabilities, and to identify ways to
communicate this wordclass challenge throughout EPA. The initial
emphasis will be to focus on making some aspects of these programs
wordclass or, at least, the best in the Federal government by the
end of FY 1993, and, at the same time, to develop continuous
improvement projects for all other aspects of the programs.
Step 2: We will develop a clear mission statement for
safety, occupational health, and environmental compliance programs.
An ambitious long-term strategic purpose and mission
statement will guide the overall decision making processes and
operating actions of SHEMD as well as laboratory and regional
staffs. The mission statement will be designed to focus on
strategies for providing assistance to managers in minimizing
risks, dangers, and losses to their assets and resources.
Step 3: We will develop goals with defined achievement
levels for safety, occupational health, and environmental
compliance activities.
A hierarchy of objective type statements (goals) will
produce a strategic fit between SHEMD program's mission and EPA's
mission. This hierarchy of achievement level statements will set
the stage for the development of field implementation activities.
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Step 4: We will identify factors to be used in calculating
the strategic value of safety, occupational health, and environ-
mental compliance activities.
We will develop an "economic model" to calculate the
beneficial returns from the budget invested in safety, occupational
health, and environmental compliance program activities. To
properly calculate "Strategic Value," the efforts must show how
safety, occupational health, and environmental compliance program
activities have helped to reduce losses, increase productivity, and
improve the delivery of services and demonstrate how these
activities have produced an adequate financial return on
investments.
Step 5: We will also design an effective, efficient
organizational structure for SHEMD and develop clearly defined
assignment of functions for SHEMD as well as regional and
laboratory staffs.
For SHEMD, the "organizational structure" and "operational
philosophy" will focus on strategic operations (developing policy
and programs, providing technical assistance, evaluating regional,
and laboratory performance) rather than program responsibilities.
For laboratory and regional programs, the "organizational
structure" and "operational philosophy" will likely focus on
strategic operations that are related to program implementation,
the proper positioning of the functions in the management
structure, and the integration of these functions into the overall
management decision-making process.
Step 6: We will develop a comprehensive, nationwide human
resource development and recruitment program. This will enhance
our capability to retain, recruit, and employ highly qualified
safety, occupational health, environmental compliance, medical and
support personnel.
Step 7: We will identify opportunities for delegating
operational program responsibilities to EPA national program
staffs and to external centers of expertise.
Step 8: We will develop Process Improvement Teams (PITs) to
improve EPA's ability to implement statutory and regulatory
mandates in a proactive and efficient manner.
The first PIT will clearly chart the future direction of
implementing safety, occupational health, and environmental
compliance statutory and regulatory mandates. This effort must
create a partnership between SHEMD, national managers and program
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officials, regional managers and program personnel, and laboratory
managers and program personnel and find ways to eliminate overlap
and duplication at our field activities.
Outcomes
EPA will be complying with all statutory and regulatory
mandates in a proactive manner. This accomplishment will
significantly reduce potential vulnerability under Federal
Managers' Financial Integrity Act (FMFIA).
Managers will be able to identify, assess, control, and
communicate risks (potential harm), dangers (vulnerability to
harm) , and losses (actual harm sustained) faced by their employees
as well as their assets and resources.
EPA will be recognized within the Federal government as
developing and implementing wordclass safety, occupational health,
and environmental compliance programs.
Potential Obstacles
One major obstacle will be budget constraints and personnel
ceilings. SHEMD has minimal historical precedents to justify its
budget proposals.
Regional and laboratory managers demonstrate minimal
confidence in SHEMD's ability to assist them in addressing their
risks and developing control strategies. It will be extremely
difficult to establish credibility throughout the regional and
laboratory operations.
If EPA is elevated to Cabinet status, the agency will be
subject to increased oversight by OSHA (inspections, program
evaluations, and Presidential goals).
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VI. PROCUREMENT INFORMATION RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
Strategic Issue: How can PCMD provide its clients with reliable,
consistent, and easily accessible procurement
information?
Strategic Goal: EPA has ready access to reliable and consistent
procurement information leading to informed
decision making on resource allocation,
procurement guidance, and contracts and program
management. Responses to information requests are
timely, thorough, consistent and accurate.
Background and Assumptions
In the 1970's, the Contracts Management Division at EPA
developed an automated Contracts Information System (CIS) to track
and report contract data. Since then, both EPA contracting
processes and advances in information technology have changed
dramatically. The current system is not capable of responding to
important contract information requests. Changes to the existing
system are cumbersome and expensive.
Due to the lack of a centrally available repository of
needed contract management information, a variety of local contract
management-related systems have been developed throughout the
Agency in recent years. Because these systems are not integrated,
we still do not have the capability to respond to reasonable
requests for EPA contract information made by EPA management,
Congress, GAO, OMB, and others. These requests continue to
increase and, too often, EPA either cannot provide responses or
must undertake extensive manual searches of contract files.
Approach
Procurement information resources management can be viewed
as two basic areas. The technically complicated but better defined
area is the actual design and development of the Integrated
Contracts Management System (ICMS) application. The other area is
the review and improvement of Procurement and Contract Management
Division's (PCMD) and EPA's policies and procedures affecting
procurement and contract management. We need to determine how
technology is (and will be) impacting our way of doing business.
Without addressing the human factor — individuals' roles and
processes — a sophisticated system will not provide EPA with an
effective contract management tool.
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Action Steps
Step 1: PCMD and Office of Information Resources Management
(OIRN) are developing a detailed management plan for the ICMS
design, development and implementation.
PCMD will undertake a life-cycle management approach which
emphasizes heavy end-user involvement in the design and development
stages. This approach will better assure that the requirements
analysis will capture all the salient characteristics needed for
ICMS. We will use computer-assisted software engineering (CASE)
methods to improve upon the quality and timeliness of developed
software. The CASE method will provide for the "rapid prototyping"
of software applications which will enable the end users ample
opportunity to provide constructive comments before the application
is finalized.
Step 2: PCMD will undertake an analysis of the impact of
technological changes on existing EPA and PCMD business practices
and methods.
We will analyze current policies and procedures, making
changes as necessary. Senior management support will be maintained
through the establishment of a PCMD Management Council and the
inclusion of ICMS on the agenda of the Administrative Systems
Council as needed. A corollary benefit to the heavy end user
involvement will be the development of an increased appreciation of
the importance of information management in the procurement and
contract management arenas.
Outcome
The principal outcome will be the ability to provide timely,
accurate information about EPA procurement and contracts, including
information on work assignments and subcontracts. The end users of
procurement information will be satisfied with the system response.
ICMS will be flexible to meet future (changing) needs. Procedures
will have been modified to meet new requirements.
Potential Obstacles
Resource limitations are a reality of present day Federal
projects. We will leverage our resources for maximum effect.
Funding beyond the current requirements analysis phase has not yet
been made available for obligation. We are optimistic about
management priority given to ICMS but we realize that even when the
next amount of funding is provided, it will not cover the total
needed to carry this multi-year project through the implementation
phase.
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We anticipate both procurement and program work force to
show the typical resistance to change. We will manage this
resistance through active user involvement.
The development of I CMS as a portion of an Agency-wide
Integrated Administrative System (IAS) represents a formidable,
technical undertaking. The ever changing ADP arena presents us
with the opportunity to develop robust systems but can also
increase the risk of selecting a path toward early obsolescence.
Our adherence to Federal and industry standards when possible will
facilitate system integration and will minimize problems of
obsolescence.
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VII. ASSISTANCE MANAGEMENT
Strategic Issue: EPA's budget includes more than three billion
dollars for grants, cooperative agreements,
loans, and interagency agreements each year.
With these funds, EPA must provide effective
pollution control, environmental protection,
and pollution prevention programs.
Strategic Goal: To ensure that all EPA grants, cooperative
agreements, and interagency agreements are awarded
in accordance with sound financial and business
management principles fostering honest, efficient,
and effective programs that are free from fraud,
waste, and misuse.
Backgrouund and Assumptions
The Grants Administration Division is responsible for the
development and dissemination of policy and regulations for all
assistance (grants, cooperative agreements, loans, and interagency
agreements). Specifically, the Division is tasked with the
administrative management functions for all applications and awards
for all Headquarters-administered grants programs. The Division
provides training and technical assistance to the Agency's grants
field establishment. It serves as the focal point for Agency
participation in Presidential or interagency Office of Management
and Budget efforts to improve the Federal assistance system;
maintains liaison with Federal, State, and local agencies and
grantees to assure the grants system provides prompt and effective
service; determines the need for, reviews, and recommends proposed
grants legislation, regulations, and directives; and provides
continuing monitoring, analysis and evaluation of grants program
activities.
We assume that Grants management offices will be responsible
for these grants activities in both headquarters and the regional
offices.
Approach
To better accomplish our role as administrative managers of
the Agency's assistance funds, our strategic focus will have a
three-pronged approach. We designed the approach to sustain and
strengthen current functional capabilities through a regional
organizational change, through professional development, and
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through utilization of Total Quality Management. The regional
grants staffs will be actively involved in the implementation of
all of these strategic plans, but will play a particularly
important role in successfully implementing the regional
organizational change.
Action Steps
Step 1: Consolidate grants management functions in Regional
grants management offices to assure compliance with fiscal and
business management principles.
The Office of Administration and Resources Management
initiated an effort in FY 89 to obtain approval for centralization
of Regional grants administration functions and a corollary
salaries and expenses program element. On June 1, 1990, the Deputy
Administrator effected this consolidation. A large part of our
strategic efforts will focus on a smooth implementation of this
Regional grants consolidation. The Grants Administration Division
has identified all grants administrative functions and the Region
will consolidate those functions in the Regional grants offices.
We will use our grants management workload model to evaluate grants
management branch staffing and submit budget requests for these
needs.
Step 2: Improve the professionalism, innovation, and
efficiency of grants service to clients.
To ensure even greater professionalism in the delivery of
grant services, Grants Administration Division will develop and
implement a training curriculum for grants professionals. This
curriculum will combine on-the-job-training with course work in
specific grants skills and rotational assignments. In addition, we
will make an effort to develop a consistent career ladder for all
grants staff based on experience and training and look for
opportunities to reward professional development and innovation in
the grants area.
Step 3: Implement Total Quality Management for EPA
assistance management. To improve our efficiency in the delivery
of grants services, we will begin to implement Total Quality
Management in all aspects of our responsibilities. Our first
mission will be to train grants staff in the Total Quality
Management approach. Next, we will survey grants clients to
determine areas where we must improve service. Finally, we will
review the grants processes to find and eliminate non-value-added
work.
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Outcome
As a result of our three-pronged approach, the Grants
Administration Division can meet its goals of providing improved
quality and efficiency of service to grants clients. Through the
implementation of a Total Quality Management program, we will see
improved customer satisfaction. The improved training programs
should increase staff productivity and professionalism and enhance
grants staff morale.
Potential Obstacles
We view the following as potential obstacles to successfully
implementing our strategic plans:
1. Implementing the consolidation could potentially be
hindered by a lack of program support for the
reorganization and for the highly independent nature
of the Regions.
2. Our training plans could suffer due to limited
resources.
3. A perception that Total Quality Management may only
be a short-lived initiative could potentially impede
our work in this area.
However, a considerable degree of support exists to overcome
these obstacles. Notably, the Grants Administration Division has
very capable staff. The program element to support the Regional
grants consolidation efforts presents a timely opportunity to
evaluate the grants administrative management process and to make
improvements.
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VIII. SMART CONTRACTING
Strategic Issue: Vulnerabilities associated with heavy
dependence on contracts
Strategic Goal: OA will ensure the appropriate use of contracts,
prevent conflicts of interest, and ensure that
dependence on contractors does not result in a
loss of corporate memory.
Background and Assumptions:
As a result of the issuance of OMB Circular A-76 and other
privatization initiatives, the Government as a whole has emphasized
contracting out for services wherever possible. Use of contractors
rather than permanent civil servants has distinct advantages
including the flexibility of paying for resources only when needed
and access to a diversified skill base. These benefits are offset
by risks of overdependence on contractors which can lead to
conflicts of interest, the performance of inherently Governmental
functions by contractors, and loss of corporate memory within the
Agency.
Approach:
Our approach will be two-pronged in that we will confront
these issues from the standpoints of acquisition planning and
management controls.
Acquisition Planning: We will work with program offices to develop
procurement plans for all major Agency programs and place
particular emphasis on identifying potential vulnerabilities of
contracted programs and whether specific activities need to be
brought in house. This planning process will involve senior level
management and will be coordinated with the budget and overall
program planning processes beginning in their earliest stages.
This will help ensure that accurate workyear and funding estimates
for contract management and technical work can be projected in the
planning process.
Management Controls: We will ensure appropriate use of contracts
by identifying high-risk services and control options. These
controls will prevent erosion of corporate knowledge, exposure to
conflicts of interest, acceptance of biased work products from
contractors, and other problems associated with overdependence on
contractors. We are concerned that most reviews of contract
management have in the past focused on processes the Agency employs
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to avoid conflicts of interest and the use of contractors to
perform inherently Governmental functions, rather than assessing
actual damage resulting from use of contractors. As a result,
corrective actions may have been taken to address perceived
deficiencies, not actual problems. An important objective of our
control options, accordingly, will be to assess the quality of
decision-making and work products of major Agency programs
supported by contractors to determine if real problems exist.
Action Steps:
Step 1: Make procurement planning and decisions part of the
budget process.
1) Meet with OC to discuss budget process, addressing
procedural and political implications of making this
change.
2) Develop draft plan.
3) Obtain senior management support.
4) Develop detailed plan for integration of acquisition
planning into budget planning process.
5) Implement integration.
Step 2: Evaluate contracted programs.
EPA has numerous processes and procedures in place to
protect against potential problems. We need to test products, not
just processes and procedures. Some of the indicators that might
be used to "test the waters", i.e. assess the potential for
contract-related problems are 1) amount of competition on
recompeted contracts, 2) volume and substance of public comments on
regulations, 3) program audits/reviews, and 4) program outputs,
i.e. achievement of goals. The steps we will follow are:
1) Select programs.
2) Select indicators.
3) Based on focus on study, research impartial sources
available to do this sort of work.
4) Commission study.
5) Analyze study results and develop options to resolve
deficiencies.
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Step 3: Develop management controls.
We will determine whether there is a need to develop a
management control plan for a particular contract based on
information received from contract program evaluations and other
sources. The steps we will follow are:
1) Develop and implement management plans for sensitive
procurements.
2) Review implementation of management plans using PCMD and
impartial program representatives.
Step 4: Provide training on appropriate use of contractors.
1) Continue PCMD's efforts to improve basic acquisition and
contract management training.
2) Continue to develop and conduct seminars and special
emphasis programs for organizations with problems
concerning appropriate use and control of contractors.
3) Revise Supervisor's Contract Management course to
include management control responsibilities.
4) Use a training evaluation form and other techniques to
determine other areas in need of special attention.
Outcome
The primary outcome will be better use of contractors,
including greater assurance that they are not used to perform
inherently Governmental functions and that they provide high-
quality, unbiased services. Beyond this, however we anticipate
other positive outcomes including:
Less criticism of contracted programs and better defense
against criticism
Increased public trust
More effective program delivery
Increased confidence in the quality of our products
Better use of resources
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Obstacles
There are several obstacles, both external and internal to
the Agency, that pose problems to us in the attainment of our
strategic goal. Within the Agency, there are two potential
obstacles. First, OARM may encounter substantial resistance on the
part of the programs that object to complicating the already
arduous budget and planning processes by incorporating acquisition
planning into these processes. Second, those programs that rely
heavily on contractors to accomplish their missions may resist the
major cultural change that might result from the reallocation of
resources from contractors to workyears. This resistance may also
be accompanied by the fear that the Agency will be unable to obtain
quality in-house resources.
Exogenous factors that must be considered are the need to
obtain OMB concurrence on possible reallocation of or increase in
resources. This is a particularly sensitive issue in light of
current Federal budget realities and may require interaction not
only with OMB but also with Congress. Finally, if the Agency
determines that work needs to be moved in-house, we will be faced
with the prospect of competing with private industry for talented
scientists, engineers, and other technically skilled individuals
needed to fill vacancies.
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CONCLUSIONS
The Office of Administration is committed to the objectives
set out in this Strategic Plan. Because the operating environment
within which the Environmental Protection Agency functions is
shaped by so many interconnected forces — statutory, budgetary,
technological and the like — we anticipate that this Strategic
Plan will evolve over the years as a moving agenda of strategic
obj ectives.
The action steps we have identified to meet these strategic
issues are those we can implement, for the most part, under our own
authority. The Office of Administration will strive for a work
environment and ethic that sustains this continuous improvement
process; to acquire a new, high quality consolidated national
headquarters for the Agency; to provide employees with a quality
work environment; to increase the representation of minorities at
the upper management levels; to build credibility and effectiveness
in the Safety, Health and Environmental Management Division; to
supply employees with ready access to accurate and timely
procurement information; to ensure the integrity of our grants
management process; and to ensure that contractors provide high-
quality, unbiased services.
To better manage change we will inculcate strategic
planning into our management decisions; develop customer-oriented
behaviors; use better tools to evaluate our decision making; train
much of the workforce in the principles of Total Quality
Management; and apply TQM methodologies to key administrative
processes.
To better manage our facilities and building services we
will conduct a self-assessment; define and review our mission
requirements and employee needs by coordinating with the regions
and Headquarters staff; motivate our staff; and develop a
professional staff consistent with facilities management programs.
To manage our new headquarters project we will efficiently
plan and execute the acquisition of EPA's new consolidated
headquarters facility, including plans for a smooth, phased move-in
and a plan for building management.
To recruit, develop and retain a well-qualified Office of
Administration staff we will maximize our use of all the available
recruitment vehicles; and improve career development and retention.
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To build the credibility of Safety and Health programs we
will create a vision of safety, occupational health and
environmental compliance programs, defining their strategic intent;
create a clear mission statement; develop goals with defined
achievement levels; develop indicators of the strategic value of
these programs; design an effective organizational structure;
develop a national-wide human resource recruitment and development
program; more freely delegate program responsibilities to EPA
national program staffs and to outside experts; develop process
improvement teams to enhance our capability to implement our
statutory and regulatory mandates.
To improve our procurement information resources management
we will develop and implement with the Office of Information
Resource Management an effective Integrated Contracts Management
System, using life-cycle analysis; and assess the impacts of
technological changes on existing business practices.
To ensure the integrity of our grants management we will
consolidate this function in the Regional grants management
offices, developing a workload model; improve the professionalism,
innovation and efficiency of grants service; and apply TQM
principles to the grants management process.
To ensure the appropriate use of contracts we will work with
program offices to develop comprehensive procurement plans that
include funding estimates for necessary contract management;
institute management controls that prevent erosion of corporate
knowledge, exposure to conflicts of interest, and acceptance of
biased work products from contractors; and continue to improve our
contract training and education efforts.
By melding a process improvement approach with strategic
thinking and acting, the Office of Administration pledges to become
an increasingly effective foundation for EPA's successful
environmental program.
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