[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 67 (Thursday, April 7, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20322-20323]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-07982]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
[Docket No.: 151222999-5999-01]
Office of Administration; Commerce Alternative Personnel System
AGENCY: Office of Administration, Office of Human Resources Management,
Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces the expansion of employee coverage under
the Commerce Alternative Personnel System, formerly the Department of
Commerce Personnel Management Demonstration Project, published in the
Federal Register on December 24, 1997. This coverage is extended to
include employees located in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), employed under the Office of the Chief
Information Officer (OCIO).
DATES: This notice expanding and modifying the Commerce Alternative
Personnel System is effective April 7, 2016.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Department of Commerce--Sandra
Thompson, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th and Constitution Avenue
NW., Room 51020, Washington, DC 20230, (202) 482-0056 or Valerie Smith
at (202) 482-0272.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Background
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) approved the Department of
Commerce (DoC) demonstration project for an alternative personnel
management system, and published the final plan in the Federal Register
on Wednesday, December 24, 1997 (62 FR 67434). The demonstration
project was designed to simplify current classification systems for
greater flexibility in classifying work and paying employees; establish
a performance management and rewards system for improving individual
and organizational performance; and improve recruiting and examining to
attract highly-qualified candidates. The purpose of the project was to
strengthen the contribution of human resources management and test
whether the same innovations conducted under the National Institute of
Standards and Technology alternative personnel management system would
produce similarly successful results in other DoC environments. The
project was implemented on March 29, 1998. The project plan has been
modified eight times to clarify certain DoC Demonstration Project
authorities, and
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to extend and expand the project: 64 FR 52810 (September 30, 1999); 68
FR 47948 (August 12, 2003); 68 FR 54505 (September 17, 2003); 70 FR
38732 (July 5, 2005); 71 FR 25615 (May 1, 2006); 71 FR 50950 (August
28, 2006); 74 FR 22728 (May 14, 2009); 80 FR 25 (January 2, 2015). With
the passage of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008, Public Law
110-161, on December 26, 2007, the project was made permanent (extended
indefinitely) and renamed the Commerce Alternative Personnel System
(CAPS).
CAPS provides for modifications to be made as experience is gained,
results are analyzed, and conclusions are reached on how the system is
working. This notice announces that the DoC expands CAPS to include
non-bargaining unit employees in NOAA, OCIO, in all duty locations, as
a participating organization. OCIO will convert employees to career
paths and occupational series already established under CAPS, requiring
no additional series to be added to accommodate the expansion.
The DoC will follow the CAPS plan as published in the Federal
Register on December 24, 1997, and subsequent modifications as listed
in the Background Section of this notice.
Kevin E. Mahoney,
Director for Human Resources Management and Chief Human Capital
Officer.
Table of Contents
I. Executive Summary
II. Basis for CAPS Expansion
III. Changes to the Project Plan
I. Executive Summary
CAPS is designed to (1) improve hiring and allow DoC to compete
more effectively for high-quality candidates through direct hiring,
selective use of higher entry salaries, and selective use of
recruitment incentives; (2) motivate and retain staff through higher
pay potential, pay-for-performance, more responsive personnel systems,
and selective use of retention incentives; (3) strengthen the manager's
role in personnel management through delegation of personnel
authorities; and (4) increase the efficiency of personnel systems
through the installation of a simpler and more flexible classification
system based on pay banding through reduction of guidelines, steps, and
paperwork in classification, hiring, and other personnel systems, and
through automation.
The current participating organizations include 7 offices of the
Chief Financial Officer/Assistant Secretary for Administration in the
Office of the Secretary; the Bureau of Economic Analysis; 2 units of
the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA):
the Institute for Telecommunications Science and the First Responder
Network Authority (an independent authority within NTIA); and 11 units
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: Office of
Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, National Marine Fisheries Service,
the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service,
National Weather Service -- Space Environment Center, National Ocean
Service, Program Planning and Integration Office, Office of the Under
Secretary, Marine and Aviation Operations, Office of the Chief
Administrative Officer, Office of the Chief Financial Officer, and the
Workforce Management Office.
This amendment modifies the December 24, 1997, Federal Register
notice. Specifically, it expands DoC CAPS to include NOAA, OCIO.
II. Basis for CAPS Expansion
A. Purpose
CAPS is designed to provide managers at the lowest organizational
level the authority, control, and flexibility to recruit, retain,
develop, recognize, and motivate its workforce, while ensuring adequate
accountability and oversight.
The expansion of coverage to include NOAA, OCIO, should improve
OCIO's ability to recruit and retain a high-quality workforce.
DoC's CAPS allows for modifications of procedures if no new waiver
from law or regulation is added. Given that this expansion and
modification is in accordance with existing law and regulation and CAPS
is a permanent alternative personnel system, the DoC is authorized to
make the changes described in this notice.
B. Participating Employees
Employee notification of this expansion will be accomplished by
providing a full set of briefings to employees and managers and
providing them electronic access to all CAPS policies and procedures,
including the nine previous Federal Register Notices. Employees will
also be provided a copy of this Federal Register notice upon approval.
Subsequent supervisor training and informational briefings for all
employees will be accomplished prior to the implementation date of the
expansion.
III. Changes to the Project Plan
The CAPS at DoC, published in the Federal Register on December 24,
1997 (62 FR 67434), is amended as follows:
1. The following organization will be added to the project plan,
Section II D--Participating Organizations
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office of
the Chief Information Officer (OCIO)
[FR Doc. 2016-07982 Filed 4-6-16; 8:45 am]
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