Friday, May 17, 2002

As of May 15, 2002, Suzette Wright was appointed as Notary Public. She is located in Room 3412 and can be reached at (202)482-3809. Services for non-official documents will be $2.00, which is set by the District of Columbia Office of the Notary Commissions & Authentications Section. Please call to set up a time for these services. Thank you.

Clearance Process for Use of ITA Emblem/Department Seal

ITA offices preparing a request for permission to use the ITA emblem or the Department Seal are reminded that all requests are to be sent first to the Office of Organization and Management Support (OOMS). After review and clearance by OOMS, the request will be forwarded to the Assistant General Counsel for administration (AGC) and the Office of Chief Counsel for Technology (OCC/T) for clearance. Permission to use the ITA emblem only requires clearance by the AGC and OCC/T. Permission to use the Department Seal requires clearance by both the AGC and OCC/T and the Department's Office of Publications, Graphics Division. For more specific information and assistance, contact Jacqueline Hemphill at (202) 482-4011 or via e-mail at Jacqueline_Hemphill@ita.doc.gov.

Copier Maintenance

Robin Carpenter in the Office of Organization and Management Support coordinates the maintenance for all ITA's copiers in HQ. To ensure proper maintenance and efficient service, copier contacts need to provide the warranty performance periods, installation date, make, model and serial number and copier location. Upon arrival of your new equipment, please email Robin with the above information. If you have questions, please contact Robin Carpenter via e-mail or at (202)482-4989.

Procurement

Robin Carpenter, Procurement Liaison for ITA, works with National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Acquisition and Grants, Acquisition Management Division, to ensure that all ITA procurement requests (CD-435's) are executed efficiently and effectively. She is developing new tracking and follow-up procedures and would value any insights that you might have on making the process more transparent and efficient. Our review has indicated that reductions in processing time could be achieved if all procurers vigorously review all 435's before submission, identify the correct contact person, and include all required documentation (i.e., CD-492 Sole Source Justification, Statement of Work, vendor quotes, etc). If you have questions regarding procurement, please contact Robin Carpenter via e-mail or at (202)482-4989.

Open Season for the Thrift Savings Plan

The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) open season begins May 15, 2002 and will continue through July 31, 2002. Please confirm your TSP employee's contribution elections on your Statement of Earnings and Leave. Participants who wish to stop contributing may do so anytime by effecting an action through Employee Express. If the effective date of your termination of contributions is during an open season, you can start contributing again during the next TSP open season. If the effective date of your termination of contributions is outside an open season, you must wait until the second open season to begin contributing again. For additional information, please contact Vanessa Lewis at (202)482-8327 or Dottie Bowling at (202)482-3504.

FY 2003 Budget

Markup of the Appropriations Bills is expected to begin around mid-to-late May. For more information, contact Alan Zegas at (202)482-5739.

FY 2004 Budget

Program units should have base narratives delivered to OFM by May 17, 2002 and complete increase narratives and tables by May 24, 2002. For more information, contact Alan Zegas at (202)482-5739.

Trivia Question!!

 

Answer to Last Issue's Question:

Who is the Chief of Staff for Commerce Secretary Donald L. Evans?

Answer: The Chief of Staff is Phillip Bond, who is also the Under Secretary for Technology Administration.

Traveler's Corner

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

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

ITA Comings and Goings - 3/24/02 - 5/06/02

Arrivals - WELCOME!

ADMIN - Seth Young Raley, IA - Lilit Astvatsatrian, Fred W. Aziz, Ann Barnett-Dahl, Jessica A. Burdick, Jason M. Carver, Kristin L. Case, Stephen Wai Lam Cho, Yang Jin Chun, Amir Eftekhari, Jeffrey O. Frank, Scot T. Fullerton, Jonathan E. Herzog, Gregory Kalbaugh, Douglas M. Kirby, Shawn McMahon, Robin V. Moore, Brian Sheba, Adina Teodorescu, MAC - Carlos R. Busquets, Sanjana Khoobchandani, Tracy B. McKibben, Christopher L. Rosettie, TD - Rebecca Bernier, Twanna Duncan, Deborah Holl, Cary G. Justice, Donald H. Niewiaroski Jr., US - Clinton J. Campbell, William D. Corley, Heather Layman, USFCS - Roxanne Galloway

 

Departures

ADMIN - Richard M. Lefante, Mary V. Wilson, MAC - Richard Harding, TD - Ludene Eve Capone, USFCS - Cory D. Mitchell

 

Where Do I Find....

Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP) Open Season

The upcoming FLTCIP Open Season will run from July 1 through December 31, 2002. However, the first group that the Long Term Care (LTC) Partners will notify about the open season will be active Federal employees. They will encourage employees to sign up within the first sixty days after open season starts. However, in reality employees can sign up with LTC Partners through December 31, 2002. The LTC Partners and OPM would like to "stagger" the enrollments of the different groups of eligibles, (active, retired, and military), so that not everyone waits until the last minute on 12/31/2002 to enroll in FLTCIP. If you have questions contact Dottie Bowling on (202)482-3504 or Vanessa Lewis at (202)482-8327 or You can visit the Long Term Care Insurance page at http://www.opm.gov/insure/ltc, You can visit the LTC Partners page at http://www.ltcfeds.com, You can call LTC Partners, toll-free at 1-800-LTC-FEDS (1-800-582-3337).

The Yardstick: The Government Performance Coalition

Implementation of the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) requires fundamental changes in the management of federal programs. The Government Performance Coalition has created a series of on-line tools and useful links to assist Executive Branch employees and management to make critical changes in programs and management operations. Several well-known organizations are affiliated with this coalition. Members of the coalition frequently provide advice and assistance to the President, OMB and Congress on addressing major government management challenges and on approaches for implementing performance management in the Federal Government. For more information on the coalition, go to their Website at www.govresults.com/index.html.For additional information on performance improvement, contact Ed Meyer at (202)482-3304.