62 research outputs found
Recommended from our members
Sourcing Policy: Selected Developments and Issues
[Excerpt] Sourcing policy refers, generally, to determining which sector—public (government) or private—will perform an agency’s function(s). Both federal employees and contractor employees have valid roles to play in performing the work of the federal government. This combined workforce is known as a blended workforce. Determining which sector will perform which functions, including determining when federal employee performance is, or should be, required can be challenging, however. Efforts to address this issue, and related questions, have been the subject of the federal government’s sourcing policy since at least the 1950s.
This report begins with a history of sourcing policy that focuses on the terms commercial and inherently governmental, and the policy of government reliance on the private sector. The following section examines the two strains of sourcing policy: competitive sourcing and multi-sector workforce management. The juxtaposition of the Bush Administration’s competitive sourcing initiative and the Obama Administration’s multi-sector workforce management effort aids in understanding different, yet potentially complementary, facets of sourcing policy. Policy issues that may be of interest to the 112th Congress are also discussed
Recommended from our members
Former NFL Players: Disabilities, Benefits, and Related Issues
[Excerpt] Professional football is a very popular sport, and the physical nature of the game of football is part of its appeal, but, at the same time, playing the game can exact a physical and mental toll on players. Violent collisions, as well as other aspects of the sport, can and do cause injuries. Each week during the season, the National Football League (NFL) releases an injury report that lists, for each team, players who are injured, the type or location of the injury (for example, concussion, knee, or ribs ), and the players\u27 status for the upcoming game. During the 2007 season, aside from weeks one and eight, at least 10% of NFL players were identified each week as being injured. Players\u27 injuries and current health conditions (for example, excess weight and sleep apnea) might have long-term consequences for their health, meaning that today\u27s injury might become a chronic health problem or disability during retirement from the NFL. The issue has received considerable attention from Congress, including hearings in both chambers. Through collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiations and other discussions, the NFL and the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) have established a number of benefits, including retirement benefits (that is, a pension), severance pay, total and permanent disability benefits, and an annuity program. Some benefits are available to all players, while other benefits are available only to players who played in the NFL during certain years. Additionally, some benefits have eligibility requirements. Funds for benefits that are included in the CBA come from the portion of the league\u27s total revenues that is allocated to the players. Apparently, the NFL and the NFLPA determine how to fund other benefits. The NFL and the NFLPA have taken steps to promote the health and safety of players. The league has established several committees, such as the Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI) Committee, and, through NFL Charities, awards grants for medical and scientific research related to health and safety issues. The NFLPA has a medical advisor and a performance consultant, and there is an NFL-NFLPA joint committee on player safety. The subject of injuries, disabilities, and benefits is a complex one, and there are a variety of issues surrounding this subject. For example, it has been argued that the way compensation is structured within the NFL might induce an individual to play while injured instead of seeking medical treatment. The oldest retired players might make up a subset with exceptional financial and medical needs, because they (1) might not have been protected as well as current players are; (2) might have received medical care that, while the best available at the time, was not as effective as the care available today; and (3) are not eligible for all of the benefits available to current players. Another issue involves MTBI research and whether multiple concussions might have long-term effects. The NFLPA proposed three legislative options in 2007. Other possibilities include establishing one or more ombudsman offices or taking steps to mitigate the economic risk of injuries and disabilities. This report will be updated as events warrant
Recommended from our members
Inherently Governmental Functions and Other Work Reserved for Performance by Federal Government Employees: The Obama Administration’s Proposed Policy Letter
[Excerpt] On March 31, 2010, the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a proposed policy letter on inherently governmental functions and other “work reserved for performance by federal government employees.” While not final, the policy letter represents the Obama Administration’s proposed guidance for agencies determining (1) whether particular functions are inherently governmental and (2) when functions closely associated with the performance of inherently governmental functions and critical functions should be performed by government personnel. The proposed policy letter was, in part, issued under the authority of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for FY2009 (NDAA\u2709) and President Obama’s memorandum of March 4, 2009, on government contracting. Section 321 of NDAA\u2709 tasked OMB with (1) reviewing existing definitions of “inherently governmental function” to determine whether such definitions are “sufficiently focused” to ensure that only government personnel perform inherently governmental functions or “other critical functions necessary for the mission of a Federal department or agency;” (2) developing a “single consistent definition” of “inherently governmental function” that would address any deficiencies in the existing definitions, reasonably apply to all agencies, and ensure that agency personnel can identify positions that perform inherently governmental functions; (3) developing criteria for identifying critical functions” that should be performed by government personnel; and (4) developing criteria for identifying positions that government personnel should perform in order to ensure that agencies develop and maintain “sufficient organic expertise and technical capacity” to perform their missions and oversee contractors’ work. President Obama’s March 4, 2009, memorandum similarly charged OMB with clarifying when outsourcing is “appropriate.
Recommended from our members
Other Transaction (OT) Authority
This report discusses other transactions (OTs) which are special vehicles used by federal agencies for obtaining or advancing research and development (R&D) or prototypes. An OT is not a contract, grant, or cooperative agreement, and there is no statutory or regulatory definition of "other transaction." Only those agencies that have been provided OT authority may engage in other transactions
Recommended from our members
Hurricane Katrina Recovery: Contracts Awarded by the Federal Government
Information about contracts and other types of government procurements made in
support of hurricane recovery efforts may be obtained online from the Federal
Procurement Data System (FPDS), the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, and the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command websites.
The government-wide database, FPDS, provides the most comprehensive and detailed
information, but the other three websites include contracts not currently listed in FPDS.
Available information about government procurements includes, among other things,
the type of award (for example, a contract or a delivery order), the type of contract, and
the extent of competition
Recommended from our members
Transforming Government Acquisition Systems: Overview and Selected Issues
Report that begins with an overview of major online procurement systems that support certain acquisition processes, or contain data about agencies' procurements
Recommended from our members
Other Transaction (OT) Authority
An "other transaction" (OT) is a special vehicle used by federal agencies for obtaining or advancing research and development (R&D) or prototypes. Generally, the reason for creating OT authority is that the government needs to obtain leading-edge R&D (and prototypes) from commercial sources, but some companies (and other entities) are unwilling or unable to comply with the government's procurement regulations. Evaluating OTs and the use of OT authority is a challenging undertaking. This report describes the issue of OT authority as it relates to Congressional policymaking and regulatory actions
Recommended from our members
The Federal Activities Inventory Reform Act and Circular A-76
This report begins with a brief history of Circular A-76, a review of the its key components, and an assessment of the implementation of the circular. The section on FAIR (Federal Activities Inventory Reform Act) describes how it emerged from a series of compromises, explains the statute's key provisions, and reviews the implementation process, including guidance issued by OMB. The final section addresses recent initiatives, notably the President's competitive sourcing initiative and the Commercial Activities Panel
Recommended from our members
Circular A-76 Revision 2003: Selected Issues
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-76,1 which was first issued in 1966, provides guidance for federal agencies to use in determining who — government agency or private business — will perform commercial activities.2 Circular A-76 and the Circular No. A-76 Revised Supplemental Handbook have been modified over the years. The handbook expanded upon Circular A-76 policy and provided guidance for conducting cost comparisons. Key changes include the initial publication of the handbook in 1979; the incorporation of the language of government reinvention in 1996; and the implementation of the Federal Activities Inventory Reform Act (FAIR) of 1998 in 1999
- …