EQUAL OPPORTUNITY DIRECTIVE NUMBER 2001-15

TO:              Bureau and Office Equal Opportunity Officers

FROM:        E. Melodee Stith
                    Director, Office for Equal Opportunity

SUBJECT:   Alternative Dispute Resolution Compliance Review--Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) regulations at 29 CFR 1614 require the Department of the Interior to provide complainants with access to Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) programs at the informal and the formal stages of Complaints Processing and Adjudication. Departmental ADR policies implementing EEOC and Departmental requirements have been in place (EOD-2001-13: ADR Monthly Reporting) and compel management's mandatory application of ADR systems for all complainants who wish to pursue alternative methods for reaching accords in cases of alleged employment discrimination (EOD-2000-16: Mandatory ADR Policy).

The EEOC will review the Department's ADR Program to ascertain our compliance with 29 CFR 1614, Management Directive-110 (MD-110), and our internal policies. Accordingly, the Office for Equal Opportunity will prepare the Department's comprehensive submission of data and information for use by EEOC officials in their compliance review and assessment the Department's ADR Program compliance.

Please submit the required and, if you wish, the optional information noted below to Richard E. Redmond by August 20, 2001. Your submissions must cover the period from October 1, 2000 through July 31, 2001.

If you have previously submitted these materials, you may certify that the information is current and re-submit it. However if your ADR Program has changed during the intervening months, please let us know that this is a new submission.

Required information:

• ADR policies, procedures, and forms used by your organization;
• Implementing instructions used by your organization;
• Performance standards for individuals responsible for ADR in your organization;
• Performance standards for all components of your organization;
• Cost analysis of contracting/outsourcing activities employed by your organization;

• Cost analysis of expenditures for Collateral and Full-time EEO Counselors.

• Narrative descriptions of your organization's "best practices" in ADR.
• Trend analyses to address: ADR processing times and costs for ADR applications; costs of ADR resolutions/settlements; attorneys' fees and costs associated with ADR.
• Summaries of other related information favorably illustrative of your ADR program.

Distribution:
Inquiries: Richard E. Redmond, ADR/AAI, Office for Equal Opportunity, 202-208-5183
Expiration: When superceded