Benefits » Monetary Awards » Distinguished Performance Award
The Laboratory recognizes employees or groups of employees (both small teams and large teams) who have distinguished themselves by their outstanding contributions and performance in support of the Laboratory's programmatic efforts. Outstanding, sustained performance in the fields of science, technology, management, and administration are also recognized under this program.
The DPA is coordinated by HR’s Service Awards office. Guidelines and call for nomination are issued annually in mid-February.
Nominees must be regular or limited-term employees of the Laboratory. Contract workers may be included in any of the team awards, but they are not eligible for an individual award, nor can they receive the monetary component of the small team award.
Supervisors and peers alike may submit nominations for individual or team awards.
Competition for these awards is intense, and a carefully prepared nomination package can significantly enhance the probability of success. The guidelines for submitting a nomination package follow.
Small teams may be multi-divisional and/or multidisciplinary. Individuals or small teams must meet the following criteria and must have made an outstanding and unique contribution that:
Large teams may be multi-divisional and/or multidisciplinary. A large team must meet the following criteria:
Complete the appropriate nomination form, which:
Endorsement letters from coworkers, management, or customers can add significantly to a successful package. The endorsements must be limited to no more than two pages each and should explain the impact of the distinguished performance from the viewpoint of the endorser, rather than merely repeating the text of the nomination letter.
Do not include examples of work products unless they clearly exhibit the distinguished nature of the performance.
Provide sufficient information to allow Q-cleared screening committee members to make an informed decision based on the same criteria submitted for unclassified nominations.
Unclassified nominations: Submit each original nomination along with nine double-sided copies of all material on 3-hole punched paper. Do not bind the nominations.
Verify all organizations and the spelling of all names before you send the package to the Director's Office. Once the nomination package reaches the Director's Office, it is final: you may not add or delete names after you submit the package. Please ensure that you have a complete list of employees to be included in the award prior to sending the nomination.
Forward unclassified nominations no later than 5:00 p.m. on the deadline date to:
Distinguished Performance Awards
Service Awards Office
MS P286
Classified nominations: Include enough information so Q-cleared members of the screening committee can make an informed decision based on the same criteria required for unclassified nominations. The classified nomination package includes the original and two copies on 3-hole punched paper. Do not bind the copies.
Forward classified nominations no later than 5:00 p.m. on the deadline date to:
Distinguished Performance Awards
Johnny Roybal
IRM-RMMSO, MS A150
A committee of Laboratory employees (representing a cross-section of organizations, classification, gender, and ethnicity) will screen and present the nominations for each type of awards to the Laboratory Director.
After final selection, the Director will notify the recipients and make an announcement via The NewsBulletin.