U.S. Office of Personnel Management - Ensuring the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce

Interview with HHS' Pat Pearson
July 2006

Pat Pearson, Program Manager HHS PSC

HR LOB:  What are the unique services your agency provides to external agencies? 
Ms. Pearson:  HHS offers an extensive line of unique products and services available to both its internal (HHS) customers and external customers including our Human Resource Management System called Capital HR.  While our e-Payroll partner is the Defense Finance and Accounting System (DFAS), we can build interfaces to other e-Payroll providers.  We are offering more than Phase 1 OPM Mandatory Targeted Requirements through a cafeteria-style service offering based on the needs of customers.  Examples include automated HR tools such as e-Induction, QuickHire, QuickClassification, and e-WITS, a workforce information tracking and accountability system currently under development.  We also offer consulting services and deployment preparation services related to e-Official Personnel Folder (purging, scanning, development of implementation guidance, sharing of lessons learned, and change management consulting).  E-OPF allows employees to access their personnel files online.  HHS is the largest agency to implement this interface and one of the first in the government to deploy e-OPF agency-wide.  PSC offers Business Process Reengineering and Change Management consulting services to minimize the impact on your organization, and we offer personalized, flexible attention in an environment of collaboration and partnership.

HR LOB:  What are your key successes in the last few years?
Ms. Pearson:  We transformed our HR Program by successfully consolidating over 40 individual HR offices into five consolidated HR Centers, and successfully stood up the Program Support Center and built business to almost 600 million annually and 55 distinct business lines.  We are one of only three federal agencies to pilot with the Partnership for Public Service on the “Fixing the Hiring Process—Extreme Hiring Makeover” initiative.  HHS has maintained a green score in Human Capital since 2004, and we have operationalized all of the e-Gov initiatives.  We have also implemented an agency-wide four-level Performance Management Appraisal System, an Emerging Leader Program, an SES Candidate Development Program, and have established HHS University to develop future leaders, improve core competencies, and achieve succession planning goals.  HHS University is also being offered under our HR LOB services.

HR LOB:  What are your challenges in the coming years?
Ms. Pearson:  One major challenge is the level playing field between federal and private SSCs.  OMB says the private sector will be engaged, and private vendors enjoy more flexibility than federal providers.  There are delays associated with engagement of private sector, and we understand the RFP seeking commercial SSCs has not yet been issued. This limits HHS’ ability to secure external customers in the near term.