Wednesday, August 21, 2002

General Services Administration (GSA) has updated and enhanced their online purchasing tool, "E-buy". "E-buy" allows agencies to obtain bids from vendors for any product and service sold through GSA Advantage, the on-line catalog for items in the GSA schedule. "E-buy" can:

1. Automatically fulfill the procurement requirement to obtain three bids or a sole source justification for any purchase above the $2,500 micro-purchase threshold.
2. Make it easier for agencies to buy services and big shipments of products through GSA Advantage.
3. Allow offices to submit statements of work online through E-buy, eliminating the need to use faxes or telephone calls.

You can access E-buy from the GSA Advantage website: https://www.gsaadvantage.gov/advgsa/main_pages/start_page.jsp.

You must register to obtain a user id and password. ITA-OOMS is already using a similar GSA service for space bills and records. If you have questions, please contact Robin Carpenter at (202)482-4989 or via e-mail, Robin_Carpenter@ita.doc.gov.

Performance Appraisal-End Of Year Activities

On August 8, all employees were sent an e-mail regarding the performance appraisal activities which should take place at the end of the fiscal year. The ITA Workforce Development Division will hold a refresher Training Session on the ITA Two-level Performance Appraisal System on Wednesday, September 4th, from 10 am to 12 noon, in Room 6800 HCHB. There is no cost for the training session, however, "call-in" registration is required. Please call the Workforce Development Division at (202)482-3947 to reserve a space.

Split Pay Period

For the last few years, ITA has required its timekeepers to split payroll costs manually for pay periods that are partly in the old fiscal year (FY) and partly in the new fiscal year. This year, timekeepers will not have to manually divide the pay period. The National Finance Center (NFC) will split each ITA employee's payroll costs for pay period 19 (September 22-October 5, 2002) by prorating the costs between the two fiscal years. NFC will apply approximately 60% of the costs to Budget Fiscal Year (BFY) 2002, and the remaining 40% to BFY 2003. The NFC will ensure that split payroll costs are posted to the current BFY. For more information, contact Michael Gendron at (202)482-8364.

COOL Enhancement

The COOL (Commerce Opportunities On-Line) system now has a new application format incorporating suggestions made by COOL users. A major change has been implemented in the way COOL applicants answer the questions asked in the application. The questions replace the KSAs (Knowledge, Skills and Abilities) used before on-line applications were developed. Prior to the COOL enhancement, applicants were asked to reference an experience block that best demonstrated the knowledge required to answer the question "yes." A new enhancement has been added with a drop-down text box. This drop-down box allows the applicant to answer the question directly, illustrating his/her experience and accomplishment in the area. The box contains space for 1500 characters (approximately 15 - 20 lines of text), allowing adequate space to demonstrate one's accomplishments. Applicants may be asked to either cite the most relevant experience block or fill in the drop down text block described above, or both. This new enhancement will be of benefit to both applicants and selecting officials. If you have any questions, please call the COOL Help Desk at 1(800)470-8896.

FY 2003 Budget

The Senate version of the FY 2003 Appropriations Bill includes funding for ITA at the FY 2002 level plus an increase to cover the 4.1% pay raise starting in January. The House is in recess, but will probably take up the Commerce Appropriations Bill in September. For more information, contact Alan Zegas at (202)482-5739.

FY 2004 Budget

Production of the FY 2004 OMB Budget submission is ongoing. For more information, contact Alan Zegas at (202)482-5739.

Traveler's Corner

Question: Can an ITA employee solicit payment for travel, subsistence, and related travel expenses from a non-Federal source?

Answer: An ITA employee is prohibited from soliciting payment for travel, subsistence and related travel expenses from a non-Federal source but may accept a travel gift if it is offered by a non-Federal source and is approved by the program Deputy Assistant Secretary. If you have questions, please call your travel contact or Sharon Russell at (202)482-3267.

Where Do I Find....

Where do I find a list of the exemptions that can be used to withhold documents in whole or in part under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)? The list of FOIA exemptions can be found at http://www.ita.doc.gov/ooms/exempt.htm. For more information contact Linda Bell at (202)482-3032.

ITA Yardstick..ITA Performance Goals and related Activities

Did you know that ITA has performance goals that relate to our activities, financial reporting and much of what everyone does? In previous articles, we told you about the ITA Strategic Plan that describes the means and strategies being used in achieving ITA's mission. Now, let's summarize the seven ITA performance goals that capture information on how ITA programs are carried out in support of our mission.

PERFORMANCE GOAL 1: Increase Trade Opportunities for U.S. Firms

PERFORMANCE GOAL 2: Broaden And Deepen U.S. Exports Base

PERFORMANCE GOAL 3: Ensure Fair Competition In International Trade

PERFORMANCE GOAL 4: Advance The United States' International Commercial And Strategic Interests

PERFORMANCE GOAL 5: Improve Customer Satisfaction

PERFORMANCE GOAL 6: Ensure Excellent Management Of Resources

PERFORMANCE GOAL 7: Improve U.S. Competitive Advantage Through Global E-Commerce

 

We have incorporated training on activities related to performance goals into our training on the Accounting Classification Code (ACC) Lookup Menu to ensure that all financial documents contain not only the correct accounting classification codes but also explain the proper use of performance goals as a part of the ACC code structure. If you would like to register for a class, please call Colita Shelton at (202)482-3789 or email your request to colita_shelton@ita.doc.gov