ITA Development Assignments Needed 

The Department of Commerce Office of Human Resources is currently accepting developmental assignment descriptions for the Aspiring Leadership Development Program (ALDP).  The ALDP is an intensive two-year program designed to develop future Commerce leaders by providing assessment, experiential learning, and individual development activities and opportunities.  The assignment should last 30 days and develop one or more of the following competencies:  Communication, Continual Learning, Customer Service, Flexibility, Problem Solving, and Team Building.  If you would like to receive a development assignment template, please contact Carin Otero at (202)482-1445 or by email at COtero1@doc.gov.  Assignments must follow the template instructions in order to qualify for submission.

White Pages - Delete User Request

The new electronic Delete User Request form in the White Pages is now available.  The electronic Delete User Request form allows ITA employees to submit an electronic request to have users no longer employed by ITA removed from the White Pages.  This form, combined with the New User Request form, should allow for greater accuracy in the White Pages.  This form can be submitted by any employee to the help desk, and the help desk will contact the individuals supervisor, or the form submitter, to confirm that the employee is no longer working in ITA.  The user's White Pages account and all system accounts will then be disabled for 30 days after the effective date and completely removed from all systems on the 30th day.   If you have questions or comments please contact Seth Raley at (202)482-3756, or Seth.Raley@mail.doc.gov.

FY2005 Budget  

On December 8, 2005 the President signed the Omnibus Spending Bill into law.  This law, Public Law 108-447 included funding for the nine remaining appropriation bills, one of which was for the Department of Commerce.  ITA received a total appropriation of $401.5 million for ITA, $8 million of this amount is to be derived from the collection of fees.  For additional information on the FY 2005 appropriation contact your program unit budget analyst or Ed Meyer at (202)482-3304.  

FSAFEDS Notice

Due to the overwhelming response in the last few days of the FSAFEDS Open Season, some employees experienced long waits on the phone or otherwise were unable to successfully enroll for the 2005 Plan Year.  The FSAFEDS are extending the web-based enrollment capability at http://www.fsafeds.com/ for a few days to enable those employees who were unable to enroll timely to enroll in the Program.  Employees who are unable to enroll via the web in the next few days should call 1(877)372-3337 and benefits counselors will assist employees with a belated enrollment.  FSAFEDS apologize for the inconvenience. If you have questions about the program, please call Vanessa Lewis at (202)482-8327.

Employee Personal Page/Employee Self Service in lieu of Employee Express

This is to remind all ITA employees that, effective December 31, 2004, the Department of Commerce (DOC) will discontinue the use of Employee Express (EEX) as the online system for employees to process certain payroll/personnel transactions such as open season changes to health benefits, change of addresses, etc.  The DOC will replace the EEX with the National Finance Center's (NFC) Employee Personal Page/Employee Self Service (EPP/ESS), effective January 1, 2005.  The EPP/ESS is a "one-stop-shop" that offers everything EEX does and more.  In addition to the activities that may be accomplished through EEX, such as updating Federal and State tax information, and direct deposit account and financial allotment changes, EPP/ESS will provide the ability for employees to view and print Earning and Leave Statements, benefits data, and W-2 forms.  Beginning January 1, 2005, all Commerce employees must use EPP/ESS.  The NFC has sent PIN letters to employees who currently do not have access to EPP/ESS.  For more information and to view a demonstration of how EPP/ESS works, visit the NFC homepage at http://www.nfc.usda.gov/ and select "My EPP."  If you have questions, please contact Vanessa Lewis at (202)482-8327 or Dottie Bowling at (202)482-3504.

Purchase Card Corner

Question: How do I Certify a Citibank Statement?

Answer: The Cardholder must:  (a) Review all transactions for accuracy. Report accountable property to the servicing property office, DOI/NBC, Judy Lombardi at (303)969-7780 x2535. (b) Describe each item listed on the purchase card log. (c) Attach any mandatory approvals to the statement. (d) Indicate the object class and accounting code for each transaction on the purchase card log. Attach sales slips, or shipping receipts to the statement for EACH transaction. (e) Attach the purchase card log. (f) Certify the statement by signing it. (g) Forward the statement and all supporting documentation to the Approving Official within 5 workdays after receipt. (h) Upon approval by the Approving Official, retain copies of the statement and supporting documentation for your files. (i) Once the Approving Official has signed the statement, forward the original statement and all supporting documentation (purchase card log, receipts, etc.) to the following:

Gerri Richie

Products and Services

Mail Stop D-2761

7301 W Mansfield Ave.

Denver, CO 80235-2230

(303)969-7780 x2998(voice) or (303)969-7075 (fax)

 Where Do I Find....An index of all the services provided by CFO/Director of Administration Organization?

The Index of Services is organized alphabetically by function and list the services provided by the three offices of the CFO/DOA---the Office of Financial Management, Office of Human Resources, and Office of Organization and Management Support.  You can go to http://www.ita.doc.gov/Adminon-line/IndexofServices.htm and find the contact person associated with each function.  If you have questions, please contact Lynna Cobrall at (202)482-3031.