In this Issue

Features

Procurement Corner
Where Do I Find?

Secretarial Correspondence

The Department's Executive Secretariat has informed the ITA Secretariat that all correspondence for the Secretary's signature should remain as is, including the signature block on Secretarial responses, until further notice. After Secretary-designate Guiterrez is sworn in, the Executive Secretariat will provide guidance and instructions on how correspondence should be handled. If you have any questions, please contact the ITA Secretariat at 202-482-5101.

President's Budget

Office of Financial Management has completed the FY 2006 President's Budget, which has been submitted for printing. On February 7, the ITA President's Budget will be available on the CFO website at http://www.ita.doc.gov/adminon-line. If you have questions, please contact Melanie Hazlett at 202-482-1027.

FY 2005 First Quarter Performance Results

ITA's performance results for the first quarter of FY 2005 met or exceeded first quarter targets. Listed below are ITA's goals, measures and targets that were reported to the Department for the FY 2005 Quarterly Performance Report.

Expand the U.S. Exporter Base
Number of U.S. exporters entering a new market: Actual of 727 (First Quarter Target: 666)
Number of U.S. firms exporting for the first time: Actual of 114 (First Quarter Target: 98)
Number of export transactions made as a result of ITA involvement: Actual of 1,743 (First Quarter Target: 1,708)
Ensure Fair Competition in International Trade
Percentage of antidumping (AD)/countervailing duty (CVD) cases completed on time: Actual of 100% (First Quarter Target: 100%)
Number of market access and compliance cases initiated: Actual of 41 (First Quarter Target: 40)
Number of market access and compliance cases concluded: Actual of 40 (First Quarter Target: 25)

For additional information on quarterly results or on performance management in ITA, please contact Dondi Ojeda in the Office of Financial Management at 202-482-5204.

ITA Agreements

Guidance is now available online that provides general direction, legal authorities, other administrative references and instructions for the preparation of interagency and intra-agency agreements. The instructions will assist users to prepare MOUs, joint project agreements, reimbursable agreements, and provide sample agreement documents for preparers to follow. This guidance is easily accessible online on the CFO/Director of Administration homepage at http://ita.doc.gov/Adminon-line/index.htm. On the left menu bar click on ITA Guidance, then go to the alphabetical listing on the guidance page and click on ITA Agreements. For additional information on ITA Agreements, please contact Stephen Palmer, Office of Financial Management, at 202-482-5605.

Metrocheks

Metrocheks will be distributed to participating employees in Room B841B from February 1-3, 2005, according to the first letter of your last name, as follows:

A-E-February 1,8:30-12:00
F-L-February 1,12:00-3:30
M-R-February 2, 8:30-12:00
S-Z-February 2, 12:00-3:30

On February 3, Metrocheks are available for pickup in Room B841B by any participating employee. Those employees who are unable to pickup their Metrocheks during the designated times can go to the Department of Transportation (DOT) headquarters, located at 400 7^th Street, SW. Take the Metrorail to L'Enfant Plaza, exiting at 7^th and D. The Metrocheks pickup window is located on the Plaza Level, Southwest corner of DOT in Room 206. The office hours are Monday thru Friday, 8:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. with full coverage during lunch hours. If you have questions, please call Sharon Russell at 202-482-3267.

Learning Management System (LMS)

In cooperation with the Department, ITA's Office of Human Resources Management's Strategic Workforce Management Group (SWMG) recently launched the new Learning Management System (LMS) to aid in employee development. The LMS is a fully integrated training and development system that features online training, but also has the ability to maintain all training reports and data. The system allows users to monitor their training, register for online and instructor-led courses, and take online courses. This system also has the ability to assist managers in developing Individual Development Plans. Please take the time to see how this system can facilitate your personal and professional growth. If you have any questions, or would like more information on how to gain access to the system, please contact Tarik Pierce at 202-482-3571 or email Tarik_Pierce@ita.doc.gov.

Procurement Corner

Question: How does a Purchase Cardholder request a temporary increase to the card's monthly limit?
Answer: The Approving Official for the cardholder must send an email notification to the Agency Program Coordinator including the following information:

1. Cardholder name
2. Dollar amount of the monthly increase requested.
3. Justification of need for increase.
4. Goods or services the cardholder would like to purchase.
5. Number of cycles temporary increase is needed.

For additional information, please contact Robin Carpenter, Agency Program Coordinator, at 202-482-4989 or via email at mailto:Robin_Carpenter@ita.doc.govv.

Where Do I Find....

Employees can find their W-2 forms on the Employee Personal Page at the National Finance Center's (NFC) home page. Employees can print a copy of their 2004 W-2 form as well as information about their leave balances, health and life insurance, and retirement coverage. By the end of January, NFC expects that employees will be able to import their W-2 forms from the Employee Personal Page into TurboTax. Employees should access the Employee Personal Page (EPP) on the NFC home page (http://www.nfc.usda.gov/) and select "MY EPP" to obtain a PIN to view and print the W-2 forms. If you do not have a PIN number you can request it at that site and NFC will mail the PIN to you within 7 to 10 business days. If you have questions about the EPP, please contact Vanessa Lewis on 202-482-8327 or Dottie Bowling on 202-482-3504.