[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 88 (Wednesday, May 7, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26249-26252]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-10514]
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GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
[Notice-MX-2014-01; Docket No. 2014-0002; Sequence 18]
Announcement of Requirements and Registration for the ``Public
Sector Program Management--a Vision for the Future'' Ideation Challenge
AGENCY: Performance Improvement Council (PIC), General Services
Administration (GSA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Performance Improvement Council (PIC) located in the
General Services Administration (GSA) announces the ``Public Sector
Program Management--A Vision for the Future'' ideation challenge. GSA
is interested in initiating a public dialog on the future of program
management in the government context. The contest challenges the public
to look ahead 25 years and imagine how advances in technology and the
skill set of a new generation will drive the development of public
sector program management.
DATES: The challenge begins May 13, 2014 and ends May 27, 2014 (1:59
p.m. Eastern Daylight Time). Contestants must register and submit all
entries by the contest end date. Public voting for a ``Most Popular''
entry begins May 13, 2014 and extends through June 03, 2014 (1:59 p.m.
Eastern Daylight Time). GSA expects to announce winners in June, 2014.
GSA reserves the right to extend the registration and submission
period, and delay the award announcement, for any reason. The challenge
can be viewed at https://www.challenge.gov/.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bethany Blakey, Performance
Improvement Council, General Services Administration at 202-694-2981
and/or via email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Subject of the Competition: GSA designed this challenge to
generate a discussion about the coming state of program management in
the public sector. Planning, project management, financial management,
employee engagement, and reporting are among the key responsibilities
of today's public sector program managers. The approach to each of
these and so many others is defined, in part, by the state of existing
technology, access to data, and the ability of a skilled workforce to
take full advantage of those resources. Today's tools and resources
both enable and limit program managers' ability to deliver the best
service to the public, efficiently and within budget, while adjusting
to changes in political direction and mission focus.
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This contest challenges contestants to look beyond the current
state to imagine how new or emerging trends will transform the
government workplace and the practice of program management.
Contestants should describe where they think the field of public sector
program management will be in 25 years. Contestants may choose to
illustrate their visions with scenarios that reach ahead to the year
2039 or they may describe their visions in more general terms. The
challenge instructions encourage contestants to use their foresight and
be creative. Contestants need not address any particular management
issue or question. Instead, the rules give contestants the latitude to
develop and present their own visions.
The challenge instructions contain brief profiles of four
government program managers and some of the challenges they faced in
2014. These profiles appear at the bottom of this notice. They are an
entirely optional resource for the contestants' benefit. Contestants
are encouraged to use them if they find them helpful in focusing their
thoughts. However, entries need not refer to any of the themes
discussed in the profiles.
2. Contestant Eligibility: The challenge is open to U.S. citizens
and permanent legal residents age 18 and older at the time of
registration, and private entities such as corporations and nonprofit
organizations that are incorporated in and maintain a primary place of
business in the United States. Individuals entering as teams, and
individuals submitting entries on behalf of corporations or other
organizations, must meet the eligibility requirements of individual
contestants. All eligible individuals, teams, or other entities that
submit entries that adhere to the contest's rules are referred to as
``contestants'' below. The following individuals and entities are not
eligible to participate:
i. GSA employees and contractors, and members of their immediate
families (spouses, children, siblings, and parents).
ii. Other Federal Government employees, acting within the scope of
their employment.
iii. Entities involved with the production or execution of the
challenge, employees of such entities, and members of their immediate
families.
iv. Contest judges and individuals with a familial or financial
relationship with a contest judge.
v. Entities in which a contest judge is an employee, officer,
director, or agent.
vi. Other entities in which a contest judge has a personal or
financial interest.
Final determination of contestant eligibility rests with GSA.
3. Contestant Registration and Submission of Entries: Contestants
must register and submit their entries through the contest site's
``Submit Solution'' tab (accessible from https://www.challenge.gov/)
between May 13, 2014 and May 27, 2014 (1:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight
Time). Contestants will be prompted for the following registration
information when they submit their entries:
i. Contestant's name (or the team's name for team entries);
ii. Contestant's email address (teams must enter the team leader's
email address);
iii. The title of contestant's entry;
iv. External link to contestant's YouTube video entry, if
applicable; and
v. The text of contestant's submission.
If entering as a team, contestants must submit their team leader's
name in an attached text file titled ``Team Information'' (or something
similar) using the contest site's ``Additional Files'' option.
Registered contestants and team leaders will receive contest updates by
email.
Contestants must accept the following terms and conditions to
submit an entry:
i. Contestants warrant that they are the sole authors and copyright
holders of their entries, and that their entries do not infringe the
property or other rights of any other individual or entity as protected
by U.S. law.
ii. Contestants grant GSA the non-exclusive right to use, publish,
and reproduce their names and entries for educational and/or
promotional purposes, as well as the right to permit the same use by
any other agency of the Federal Government.
iii. Contestants must take care to avoid the suggestion or the
appearance of Government endorsement of their participation in this
contest, or of the content of their entries.
iv. GSA will discard entries and remove comments that violate U.S.
law.
v. At its sole discretion, GSA will discard entries and remove
comments that it finds indecent, in bad taste, or off topic, or embrace
or promote discrimination, hatred, or harm against any individual or
group.
vi. Once an entry is accepted by GSA and posted to the contest Web
site it may not be withdrawn by the contestant. Contestants may,
however, submit more than one entry.
vii. Registered contestants agree to assume any and all risks and
waive claims against the Federal Government and its related entities
(as defined in 15 U.S.C. 3719), except in the case of willful
misconduct, for any injury, death, damage, or loss of property,
revenue, or profits, whether direct, indirect, or consequential,
arising from their participation in this challenge, whether the injury,
death, damage, or loss arises through negligence or otherwise. In
addition, contestants agree to indemnify the Federal Government against
third party claims for damages arising from or related to competition
activities.
viii. Registered contestants are not required to obtain liability
insurance or demonstrate financial responsibility in order to
participate.
ix. Contest disputes arising from matters not addressed in these
rules shall be resolved by GSA.
Contestants may submit their entries as text, a combination of text
and graphics, or video. Entries must satisfy the following maximum and
minimum length requirements. GSA will discard entries that fall outside
of these bounds:
i. Text-only entries. 500-1,500 words, inclusive of title,
footnotes, endnotes, citations, and other references.
ii. Text entries with graphics. 500-1,500 words, inclusive of text
contained in graphics, titles, footnotes, endnotes, citations, and
references. Text entries containing graphics must be printable at full
size on no more than four single-sided 8\1/2\ x 11 inch sheets of paper
with one inch margins.
iii. Video entries. 2\1/2\-7\1/2\ minutes of video posted to
YouTube. Video entries must be supplemented with a separate document of
introductory text, not to exceed 100 words, and a full written
transcript. The introductory text will accompany the video's YouTube
link on the challenge Web site.
To be eligible for recognition as a contest winner, contestants
must submit their entries in English on the challenge site's ``Submit
Solution'' tab. Contestants may submit multiple entries.
For text-only entries: Contestants are strongly encouraged to
upload their entries as attachments using the site's ``Additional
Files'' option; however, contestants may type or paste their entries in
the ``Submission Text'' box.
For video entries: Contestants are strongly encouraged to upload
their videos' introductory text and transcripts using the site's
``Additional Files'' option; however, contestants may type or paste
their introductory text and/or transcripts in the ``Submission Text''
box.
For text entries with graphics: Contestants must submit text
entries with embedded graphics as attached
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files using the site's ``Additional Files'' option.
4. Selection of Winners: Entries will be evaluated by GSA's
Performance Improvement Council staff and the panel of judges named on
the contest Web site. GSA is solely responsible for the selection of
judges. Judging will take place in two rounds:
1. GSA's Performance Improvement Council staff will review all
entries and award points according to the Judging Criteria, listed
below. The ten entries with the most points will be selected as Round 1
finalists.
2. The panel of judges named on the contest site will select the
winning entries, based on the Judging Criteria, from Round 1 finalists.
GSA will recognize up to four entries as winners based on the
points awarded by the contest's judges. In addition, one entry will be
selected for recognition based on the votes cast by visitors to the
contest Web site.
i. ``Best Overall'' entry--Judges will select a best overall entry
according to the criteria outlined under Judging Criteria.
ii. ``Most Popular'' entry--The entry that receives the highest
average rating from among the five entries with the greatest number of
votes received from visitors to the contest Web site will be recognized
as the Most Popular.
iii. ``Most Original Vision''--Judges may select an entry not
recognized in another category as the most original based on the
criteria for ``originality'' outlined under Judging Criteria.
iv. ``Honorable Mention''--Judges may select up to two entries not
recognized in another category for honorable mention based on the same
criteria used to select the best overall entry.
Winning entries will be recognized on the contest and GSA Web
sites. GSA will invite contest winners to participate in a moderated
event about the future of program management, and may feature winning
entries in a follow-up contest. The contest will award no cash prizes.
Contestants conditionally selected for awards will be notified by
email using the contact information provided at registration. Final
determination of contest winners is subject to verification of
contestants' eligibility and compliance with all contest rules.
GSA reserves the right to cancel the contest before announcing winners.
5. Judging Criteria: The entry awarded the most points by contest
judges in the following categories will be named the ``Best Overall''
entry.
i. Originality: Judges will award up to 35 points for originality.
An original vision will see beyond or around the path defined by a
linear extension of current trends in technology, the scope and nature
of program managers' responsibilities, the workplace environment, or
the professional competencies of program managers. An original vision
will identify new or emerging trends that have the potential to
transform the field.
ii. Clarity: Judges will award up to 35 points to entries that
offer a clear and coherent vision of the future. Where originality
demands imagination, clarity calls for focus and structure. Contestants
will be awarded points for clarity to the extent that they offer a
coherent view of the future and a convincing argument for how we'll get
there.
iii. Presentation: Judges will award up to 30 points to entries for
readability and style. Because GSA hopes to feature winning entries on
its Web site and in other forums, judges will award the most points in
this category to well-written and engaging entries that are likely to
capture and hold the attention of a general audience.
6. Public Comment and Voting: GSA encourages visitors to the
contest Web site to review entries, offer comments, and vote for their
favorites. The comment and voting process offers the public an
opportunity to contribute to the dialog.
i. Entries received from eligible contestants will be posted to the
contest Web site after GSA determines that they comply with the
contest's Terms and Conditions. Once an entry is posted to the contest
Web site, Web site visitors will be able to view, comment on, and vote
for that entry.
ii. The voting period will extend one week beyond the deadline for
submission of entries in order to give visitors an opportunity to view,
comment, and vote on all posted entries.
iii. Visitors may cast up to one vote for each entry, including
their own.
iv. Visitors will vote by awarding up to 5 stars, with each star
representing one point.
7. Post-Challenge Activity: The General Services Administration
(GSA) and the Performance Improvement Council expect this challenge to
kick off an ongoing dialog about current trends and challenges in
public sector program management, what tomorrow promises, and how
today's managers can position themselves and their organizations for
future success. GSA will feature winning entries on both the challenge
homepage and on the GSA Web site. GSA will also invite contest winners
to participate in a moderated and recorded Google Hangout conversation,
and may highlight ideas from one or more winning entries in a follow-up
contest.
8. Optional Contestant Resource: ``Profiles of Public Sector
Program Managers--ca. 2014.''
Program managers in the public sector are a diverse group. They
confront an extraordinary range of challenges in mission areas as
diverse as regulatory compliance, basic research, service delivery, law
enforcement, and military preparedness, to name just a few. While many
are unique to a particular program mission, some challenges tend to be
shared by all program managers.
The following profiles offer a snapshot of the immediate challenges
faced by four government program managers. These challenges are defined
in part by the tools and resources available to address them. They are
defined, as well, by current expectations of what government can and
should do. As expectations change, and as technology and workplace
skills evolve, the nature of these challenges will change as well.
Profile 1--Regulatory Compliance
Trina is a program manager with a Federal Government regulatory
agency. She leads an office that writes policy, processes industry
applications for licenses, and tracks routine industry reporting in
support of the agency's industry compliance efforts. The office also
conducts inspections to ensure industry compliance with laws and
policy. In the 20 years that Trina has spent with the Government, the
work of her office has been transformed by historic advances in online
and data processing technologies. Although the agency's compliance
efforts are more effective than at any point in the past, Trina
recognizes the need to develop more sophisticated approaches to keep up
with a rapidly evolving industry and an increasingly complicated
regulatory environment.
Profile 2--Service Delivery
Henry manages a program that benefits low income households.
Removing barriers to participation by eligible households is central to
the program's purpose. At the same time the program is committed to
eliminating payments to ineligible recipients. Henry believes that
facilitating access to benefits and strengthening program integrity
need not compete against each other; greater understanding of the
factors that lead to improper certification for program benefits might
be useful in developing strategies to reach the unserved eligible
population. Henry has challenged his staff and program partners to draw
on their
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diversity of skills and perspectives to come up with ideas that advance
both goals simultaneously so that 25 years from now the present tension
between the two is replaced with a relationship of positive and mutual
reinforcement. Welcome to the team!
Profile 3--Grants Management
Ty oversees an office that awards and administers grants to
community-based social service organizations. As part of an ongoing
effort to maximize the agency's return on investment, Ty's office is
awarding more grants to organizations that promise innovative
approaches to service delivery. Many of those organizations are first-
time recipients of government grants. Although Ty and his staff are
encouraged by early signs of success, they recognize the need for
careful oversight and evaluation. They also recognize that new models
of service delivery may call for changes in the way that the office
collects and analyzes program data. Responding to these challenges is
critical to ensuring that management of the grant-making process does
not stand in the way of grantee-led program innovation.
Profile 4--Law Enforcement
Sami was recently hired by her city's chief of police to review the
organization's case prioritization approach. She is faced with the
dilemma of meeting higher expectations for successful criminal
prosecution/crime reduction/agility in response to emerging threats
without any increase in enforcement and civilian staff. She is expected
to do so in a more transparent manner and to further complicate things,
the budget is shrinking. Sami is reaching out to other law enforcement
agencies to learn what they are doing that she may be able to replicate
but she also believes that new, innovative approaches are necessary to
meet expectations in the long run. She is actually more concerned about
internal resistance to trying new approaches than she is about anything
else.
Authority: America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010, Section
105 (15 U.S.C. 3719).
Dated: April 24, 2014.
Kevin Donahue,
Executive Director, Performance Improvement Council, General Services
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2014-10514 Filed 5-6-14; 8:45 am]
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