In this Issue

Features

Travelers Corner
Where Do I Find

Copying Classified Documents

You may not make copies of classified documents on your office copier. If you need to make copies of documents that have National Security Classifications of “Confidential” or “Secret,” you must go to the Communications Center, room 6832, and use the secure copier there. That is the only copier in ITA that is cleared for copying classified material. If you have any questions, please contact Security Program Manager Kurt Arneson at (202)482-3633 or Rita Steele at (202)482-0397.

How To Prepare a Statement of Work (SOW)

"Through the Maze" (OOMS 35) provides guidance on how to prepare a SOW, an essential step to procure commercial services. The SOW should accompany your C. Request action that addresses the product or service you want to purchase. An example of a SOW is now attached to the "Through the Maze" guidance providing the requester the language that should be included. If you have questions on how to prepare a SOW, please contact Robin Carpenter at (202)482-4989 or via email at Robin.Carpenter@mail.doc.gov.

What is the ITA Strategic Planning Leadership Team (SPLT)?

Purpose: The ITA SPLT is the management team responsible for ITA strategic planning, corporate-wide performance improvement and implementation of key ITA program transformation initiatives. The SPLT serves as a forum for addressing policy, program, resource, and management issues of concern to ITA. It is composed of senior ITA leadership from each ITA program unit. The SPLT is an action body responsible for implementing management, program and administrative improvement strategies.

Mission: The SPLT mission is to ensure the effective management and oversight of key management, program, resource and administrative agenda items, including those identified under the President's Management Agenda. The SPLT serves to integrate ITA's long-term strategic plans with ITA's program and management operations.

Membership: The SPLT is chaired by ITA's Deputy Under-Secretary, Michelle O'Neill. Permanent members of the SPLT include senior principals from each ITA program unit who have voting authority and are responsible for key program unit planning decisions made by the SPLT. Ad-hoc members include staff responsible for subject matter areas specifically relevant to each meeting and staff necessary to support SPLT driven initiatives. The SPLT consists of the following permanent members:

Michelle O'Neill	(SPLT Chairperson) Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade
R.J. Donovan	Director, ITA Policy Coordination
Charles Skuba	Director, ITA Public Affairs
David M. Robinson	ITA CFO and Director of Administration
Jim Donahue	Deputy CFO
Mary Ann McFate	Director, OOMS
Ron Glaser	Director, OHRM
Renee Macklin	Chief Information Officer
Paul Christy	Deputy CIO
Vacant	US&FCS Deputy Director General
David Fulton	US&FCS Planning and Resource Management
Rebecca Bernier	MAS Chief of Staff
Robert Pearson	MAS Planning and Resource Management
Stephen Jacobs	MAC Executive Director
Tyler Shields	MAC Planning and Resource Management
Ronald Lorentzen	IA Director for Policy and Analysis
Rob Goodyear	IA Planning and Resource Management
Pat Kirwan	Director, TPCC Secretariat
John Larsen	TPCC Secretariat
Ed Meyer	SPLT Secretariat

If you would like additional information on the SPLT, please contact Ed Meyer, ITA SPLT Secretariat at (202)482-3304 or via e-mail at ed.meyer@mail.doc.gov.

President’s Management Agenda (PMA)

A key priority in the President’s Management Agenda (PMA) is the focus on performance and results. This includes identifying goals and objectives through strategic plans, measuring and reporting program results and tracking performance metrics. Employees in ITA can gain access to ITA-wide performance results by requesting access to ITA’s performance tracking and reporting software, pbViews. This software is used to collect and report ITA-wide performance metrics. The Office of Financial Management (OFM) would like to remind its customers that pbViews is available online to ITA employees at their request. In order to gain access to pbViews, ITA employees must obtain a system password and ID from the system administrator, Dondi Ojeda. If you are interested in obtaining access to ITA’s performance tracking system or ITA Performance Data or want to find out more about pbViews in general, please contact Dondi Ojeda via email at Dondi.Ojeda@mail.doc.gov or by phone at (202)482-5204.

Accrual of Annual and Sick Leave

An employee may use annual leave for vacations, rest and relaxation, and personal business or emergencies. An employee has a right to take annual leave, subject to the right of the supervisor to schedule time at which annual leave may be taken. Full-time employees, with less than three (3) years of service, earn four (4) hours for each biweekly pay period. Employees, on a full-time schedule, who have three (3) years of service but less than 15 years of service, earn six (6) hours each pay period, except for the last pay period of the leave year when they earn 10 hours. Full-time employees with 15 years or more of service earn eight (8) hours per pay period. For more information, go to OPM’s website at http://www.opm.gov/oca/leave/HTML/annual.asp and click on Accrual Rates.

An employee may use sick leave for: personal medical needs; care of a family member; care of a family member with a serious health condition; and adoption related purposes. An employee must request sick leave within such time limits as the agency may require. An agency may require employees to request advance approval for sick leave for their own or a family member’s medical, dental, optical examination or treatment. Full-time employees earn four (4) for each biweekly pay period. For more information, go to OPM’s website at http://www.opm.gov/oca/leave/HTML/sicklv.asp. . If you have any questions, please call Naomi Sanchez at (202)482-0654 or via email at Naomi.Sanchez@mail.doc.gov.

Traveler's Corner

Question: As a traveler on official business, am I required to pay applicable lodging taxes?

Answer: Yes, you are required to pay applicable lodging taxes, unless exempted by the State or local jurisdiction.

If you have questions, please call your travel contact or Sharon Russell at (202)482-3267.

Where Do I Find... Information on Within Grade Increases?

Information on within grade increases (WGI) for Federal employees, who are covered by the General Schedule (GS) pay plan, is available on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) website. Go to http://www.opm.gov/oca/pay/html/wgifact.asp to find out the eligibility requirements for earning a WGI. The website also provides information on the required waiting periods for advancement from one step to the next. For example, advancement to the steps 2, 3, and 4, requires 52 weeks of creditable service at the next lower step; advancement to steps 5, 6, and 7, requires 104 weeks of creditable service in the next lower step; and advancement to steps 8, 9, and 10, requires 156 weeks creditable service in the next lower step. If you have any questions, please call Phyllis Daniels at (202)482-3077 or via email Phyllis.Daniels@mail.doc.gov .