Federal Manager's Daily Report Friday, October 4, 2004 Published by FEDweek, the federal government's largest information resource with now over one million weekly readers to its electronic newsletters. *********************************************************** Federal Manager's Daily Report is a brand new FREE daily electronic report for all federal managers and supervisors featuring the day's top stories on management and workforce issues. Please pass this information on to your fellow colleagues. You can sign up for this free daily report at http://www.fedweek.com/subscribepopup.htm. *********************************************************** In Today's Issue: 1. Whistleblower Bill Allows Penalizing Supervisors 2. GSA Telecom Program Progressing, But Changes Needed, Says GAO 3. EEOC Picks Firm to Run Contact Center 4. Now, all Armed Forces News Readers Can Get Broadband DSL-Like Speed Over Your Phone Line at Home http://fedweek.sparklist.com/t/294955727/821891/148/0/ ***********************************************************
1. Whistleblower Bill Allows Penalizing Supervisors Legislation set for consideration in the House this week (HR-3281) would among other things give the Merit Systems Protection Board authority to take disciplinary actions against management officials deemed to have retaliated against whistleblowers. The language is in a general whistleblower reform bill designed to make it easier for employees to show that they suffered a job action for having made disclosures of fraud, waste, mismanagement or a danger to the public health and safety. Under the measure, MSPB could order penalties including removal, reduction in grade, debarment from federal employment of up to five years, suspension or reprimand, as well as a civil penalty of up to $1,000. MSPB would have to impose disciplinary action if it finds that the protected activity was the 'primary motivating factor" in the retaliatory action, unless the individual demonstrates by a preponderance of the evidence that he would have done the same in the absence of the whistleblowing. 2. GSA Telecom Program Progressing, But Changes Needed, Says GAO The General Services Administration is making progress in meeting four challenges to its Networx telecommunications services program, but in order to successfully move ahead it needs to implement transition management and performance measurement processes, and resolve 'agency concerns over the usability of billing data," the Government Accountability Office has said. GSA plans to offer comprehensive national and international network services through universal contracts, and specialized services through select contracts, and to award the contracts simultaneously. Initially it had planned to award universal contracts nine-months before select contracts, but that plan was deemed anti-competitive. In another adjustment to promote competition, it said the universal contracts now would only require a service provider to cover locations where federal agencies are located, as opposed to the entire country, allowing the entry of more providers. GSA has sought support from contractors to develop Networx transition plans, but it does not have procedures in place to incorporate lessons from past transitions, nor has it established a transition strategy, said GAO. However, it said GSA has worked with agencies to develop a 'service-level inventory as input into the requirements for the new contracts," and that it plans to work with agencies to build a detailed inventory of telecom services to be used during the transition. While GSA has plans to use performance measures to weight progress against goals, some of the measures remain in development and there is no strategy for using the measures to monitor ongoing progress, according to GAO-04-1085. It said GSA plans to implement performance measures that evaluate progress against the program's goals -- but that some of the measures are still under development, and it does not have a strategy for using the measures to monitor ongoing program performance. 'GSA has reduced the number of billing elements it will track and has begun a study designed to identify potential improvements in the billing process, but it lacks a strategy for addressing agency concerns about the usability of billing data," said GAO. It said that until GSA puts strategies in place to address these challenges, Networx is at risk of failing to deliver the operations and cost improvements outlined. 3. EEOC Picks Firm to Run Contact Center The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has awarded a two-year $4.9 million contract to Virginia-based Pearson Government Solutions to handle the over one million or more unsolicited inquires it receives each year, through a national contact center. Slated to open next spring, the national contact center 'will be invaluable to the Commission in identifying and responding to workplace trends and emerging patterns of employment discrimination," according to EEOC. It said more involved requests would be referred to its own staff for counseling, guidance and action, and that the contact center would allow it to focus more on 'charge intake, investigations, mediation, litigation, and outreach to employers and employees." It said the Lawrence, Kansas based center would monitor and track demographics, issues and concerns to help EEOC develop future policy. EEOC said its former director of field programs, Elizabeth Thornton, has come out of retirement to head the project. 4. Now, all Federal Manager's Daily Report Readers Can Get Broadband DSL-Like Speed Over Your Phone Line at Home http://fedweek.sparklist.com/t/294955727/821891/148/0/ Please continue reading for more details or go to http://fedweek.sparklist.com/t/294955727/821891/148/0/ A Few Facts: Over 50% of our readers who have called the toll -free information number 1-800 452-9201, signed up for this internet service, it's that good. On-line Signup is availible as well! You can get the fastest and most comprehensive internet accelerator on the market and unparalleled 24/7 customer service for only $13.40 per month--You'd pay more than twice that at AOL, Earthlink or any of the others. CNW has over 14,000 nationwide local access numbers to choose from compared to 7,000 Earthlinks and 4,000 AOL numbers. Use your telephone while on your dial up connection with CNW, you can't with the others. Plus you'll get Spam controls to help keep your inbox free of junk email IF you're in pursuit of a fast, reliable Internet connection, Computer Networks Inc. has partnered with Armed Forces News to provide Internet Services to our readers at a special low rate as low as $9.45 per month with no long term contracts to sign (like most other internet service providers require). Best Choice: Turbo Accelerator Internet Service is the new CNW Turbo Internet access version 3.1 is the fastest and most comprehensive Internet accelerator available today. CNW offers DSL like speed over 56k dial-up connection and fast downloads of e-mail and Web pages--all for only $13.40 per month! For more information or to sign up today, go to http://fedweek.sparklist.com/t/294955727/821891/148/0/ or call CNW toll-free at 1-800 452-9201. This is a special offer to all Armed Forces News readers only, just another value added benefit for being a Armed Forces News reader. FEDweek 11541 Nuckols Rd. Suite D Glen Allen, VA 23059 (804) 288-5321 Website: http://www.fedweek.com --- You are subscribed to armedforcesnews as [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe, send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
