S.EPA
EPA-190-B-11-001
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
FY 2011-2015 EPA Strategic Plan
Cross-Cutting Fundamental Strategy: Strengthening EPA's Workforce and Capabilities
Continuously improve EPA's internal management, encourage innovation and creativity in all aspects of
our work, and ensure that EPA is an excellent workplace that attracts and retains a topnotch, diverse
workforce, positioned to meet and address the environmental challenges of the 21st century.
Achieving positive environmental and human health outcomes through cleaner and safer air, water, and
land, and through protection of our natural resources is the focal point of all our work at EPA. This
compelling mission attracts workers eager to make a difference and drives employees across the
Agency to work together. EPA fully supports the Administration's efforts to reform the federal
government's hiring system to ensure highly qualified individuals are available to strengthen EPA's
workforce. EPA believes these reforms will improve the Agency's ability to protect human health and
the environment more effectively and efficiently.
EPA is a complex organization. This is both an asset and a challenge. To achieve its mission, EPA is
continuously building and nurturing a skilled workforce, finding new ways to use the power of
information, working together through enhanced communication, and demanding transparency and
accountability at all levels. With innovative and creative management and a talented, diverse, and
highly motivated workforce, EPA will be positioned to meet head-on the complex environmental
challenges of the present and future.
To achieve this goal, EPA will:
1. Recruit, develop, and retain a diverse and creative workforce, equipped with the technical skill and
knowledge needed to accomplish the Agency's mission and to meet evolving environmental
challenges.
2. Cultivate a workplace that values a high quality work life, provides employee-friendly policies and
facilities, and invests in the information infrastructure, technology, and security essential to support
a mobile workforce.
3. Practice outstanding resource stewardship to ensure that all Agency programs operate with fiscal
responsibility and management integrity, are efficiently and consistently delivered nationwide, and
demonstrate results.
4. Take advantage of existing and emerging tools to improve and enhance communication,
transparency, and accountability.
5. Integrate energy efficiency and environmental considerations into our work practices as core
components of Agency business models and operations.
6. Improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the Agency's acquisition function by strengthening
requirements development, contract management, and internal review practices; maximizing the
use of competition in contracting, reducing high-risk contracts; improving how contracts are
FY 2012 Action Plan: Strengthening EPA's Workforce and Capabilities 1
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structured; building the skills of the acquisition workforce; and improving management of the EPA
acquisition workforce.
FY 2012 Action Plan: Strengthening EPA's Workforce and Capabilities
This Action Plan lists the specific actions that the EPA will carry out in FY 2012 to achieve the goals of
the Strategy for Strengthening EPA's Workforce and Capabilities as described in the FY 2011-2015
EPA Strategic Plan. Annual Action Plans will be developed for each year of the Strategic Plan.
1. Reduce time to hire and ensure a well-qualified and diverse candidate pool: Shortening the
timeframe for making selections for Agency vacancies is the key to having the talent in place when
needed to meet mission requirements. We expect to continue reducing hiring time by automating
processes and improving hiring tools and practices, including increased use of standardized
recruitment packages, to ensure we hire the best talent available (Supports Principle 1).
• Reduce average time to hire to 86 days, 10% below the FY 2011 baseline. (September 30,
2012)
• Establish a baseline for assessing the quality and diversity of the candidate pool for EPA new
hires through collection and analysis of information from existing data sources. (September 30,
2012)
• Establish a baseline for assessing quality of EPA new hires through revision/administration of
an EPA survey for supervisors of new employees. (September 30, 2012)
2. Improve workforce planning: Organizations use workforce analysis to guide organizational
developmental opportunities, direct recruitment activities, enhance use of individual development
plans, and promote team-building initiatives. This will broaden the strengths of the EPA's talent pool
to better meet mission objectives. Workforce skill need projections will support management
decision making on resource allocations and effective management of staffing levels (Supports
Principles 1 and 3).
• The Office of Administration and Resources Management (OARM) issues a Gap Analysis
Report based on workforce projections from program and Regional offices, analyzing potential
gaps in mission critical occupations, and identifying the data's implications for hiring efforts,
succession planning initiatives, and training/professional development needs. (February 29,
2012)
• OARM will work with program and regional offices to identify next steps in response to issues
identified in the Gap Analysis Report. (June 30, 2012)
• OARM initiates Succession Management Pilot Program focusing on developmental needs of
senior leadership, including the Agency's Senior Executive Service (SES) corps. (September
30, 2012)
3. Build a Supportive Work Environment; Take advantage of technology to improve collaboration and
change the way we work, including enhancing our ability to telework and increasing employee
connectivity and productivity, while reducing costs, energy, and greenhouse gas emissions
(Supports Principles 2, 3, 4, and 5).
• Increase the number of hours teleworked by 10% over the FY 2011 baseline. (September 30,
2012)
• Conduct and complete up to 6 collaboration tools pilots. (September 30, 2012) Two examples of
how the use of these tools in the agency will help build a flexible workplace are: (1) using an
expertise locator to find employees with specific skills across organizations; and, (2) providing
the capability to allow employees to post and share work products from both the office and
remote locations.
FY 2012 Action Plan: Strengthening EPA's Workforce and Capabilities 2
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• Advance space consolidation goals by initiating workplace analyses in at least 3 Regional
offices and a Headquarters location by May 2012 and completing space consolidation plans in
those offices by September 2012.
4. Practice outstanding resource stewardship and ensure maximum use of Agency funds by reducing
unliquidated obligations (ULOs) and reducing unobligated balances (Supports Principle 3).
• Reduce ULOs in expired grants by 15% to $17.6 million and reduce ULOs in contracts expired
as of October 1, 2011 by 30% to $67.5 million. (September 30, 2012)
• By September 30, 2012, all Responsible Program Implementation Offices (RPIOs) must close
out, shorten the period of performance, or provide justification for 100% of grants 7 years or
older as of October 2, 2011.
5. Increase use of Green Conferencing and Green Meeting practices to reduce business travel and
the EPA's environmental footprint (Supports Principles 2, 4, and 5).
• Increase use of video conferencing equipment by 10% over the FY 2011 baseline of 55,373
occurrences.
FY 2012 Action Plan: Strengthening EPA's Workforce and Capabilities
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