Archive
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Document Name: Chapter 7: Research and Academic Community
Date: 12/04/95
Owner: National Performance Review
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Agricultural Research Service
National Agricultural Library
Ensures and enhances access to agricultural information for a better quality of life.
Staff:
* At NAL you will find a knowledgeable and courteous staff who are dedicated to effectively meeting your information needs.
Access:
* We will provide multiple points of access, including telephone, fax, mail, the Internet, and other personal and electronic means.
* When you request documents on-site, we will retrieve and deliver them within 20 minutes of request. Requests submitted through fax, e-mail, mail, telephone, or Ariel (electronic delivery) will be filed within two days if items are on our shelves; within four days if items are not immediately available. We will respond to you within three days of receipt of request if your request cannot be filled.
* We will respond to or acknowledge receipt of requests for information requiring library research within five work days, most within three work days of receipt.
* NAL will offer a variety of convenient delivery methods--electronic, traditional postal, or express mail. We will provide high-quality photocopies, duplicated microforms, or loans of library materials to meet your needs. Options for delivery will include Ariel, fax, mail, or express mail.
* We will make information accessible through AGRICOLA, NAL's bibliographic database, and ISIS, our on-line public access catalog. We will strive to provide information that is current and thoroughly covers agriculture and related subjects.
* Access to NAL in person will be available 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except federal holidays, at the Washington, D.C., Reference Center and NAL's Beltsville, Maryland, location.
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Animal Care
Ensures humane care and treatment of warm-blooded animals that are raised, bought, sold, or transported for research, exhibition, or pet purposes at the wholesale level. Prevents inhumane, pain-producing practices on horses at shows, sales, and exhibitions.
Our commitment to service:
* We recognize that providing quality service to our customers is essential to ensuring the professional performance of our mission, goals, and responsibilities. Educating our customers about our services and regulatory authorities is a component of our animal care activities.
* We value your comments and will use them to measure our performance and improve service delivery. Communication of information and ideas provides for mutual understanding and a shared commitment toward achieving common goals.
What you can expect from us--In serving our customers, we pledge to:
* Carry out compliance activities in a professional and objective manner.
* Conduct animal care inspections in accordance with laws and regulations.
* Be respectful of individuals in the performance of our duties and responsibilities.
* Respond to information requests accurately and clearly.
We value your comments and will use them to measure our performance and improve service delivery. Communication of information and ideas provides for mutual understanding and a shared commitment toward achieving common goals.
Biotechnology, Biologics, and Environmental Protection
Protects plant and animal health and the environment.
What you can expect from us:
* Fair and impartial treatment: We treat all our customers--public interest organizations, small firms, large firms, and the public--in a fair, impartial manner.
* Responsiveness: We will answer your correspondence in 30 days or less, with interim responses being provided for complex issues. We will meet or beat prescribed time limits for issuing permits, notifications, and petitions.
* A proactive approach: We strive to find solutions to issues before they become problems. We continually review and update our internal procedures and regulations so that we remain regulatory leaders in the programs we administer.
* Accessibility and openness: Whenever practical, we use meetings, electronic means, and notice and comment procedures to obtain your views, which we use to make program improvements.
* An entrepreneurial approach: We strive to be creative and cost efficient. We constantly seek close coordination and cooperation with other domestic and international organizations with whom we share jurisdiction. We try to be the "best in the business" in what we do.
International Services
Facilitates international trade in animal and plant products and helps to ensure an abundant food supply through helping to prevent agricultural pests and diseases from entering the United States.
We promise you, our customers:
* Professional and courteous treatment: Our employees are knowledgeable and responsive. Your concerns are important to us, and you will be treated in a professional, courteous, and efficient manner.
* Clarity in explaining our position: We will answer your questions in a clear and concise manner. We will explain how decisions were made and convey this information in understandable language.
* Program responses: Our program designs use the latest scientific methodologies. We promise to deliver our services with minimal disruption to the normal daily operations of our customers.
* Transparency and consistency in our regulatory processes: We promise to be consistent and transparent in the enforcement of our regulations.
National Biological Control Institute
Promotes, facilitates, and provides leadership in the use of live natural enemies to reduce populations of pest species.
When you contact us, we will be:
* Courteous and respectful: Your views and needs are important to us, and you can expect professional treatment, objectivity, and confidentiality. You will be assisted by a polite, responsive, and knowledgeable staff.
* Fair: Our services will be objective, irrespective of your race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, and marital or family status.
* Clear: We will explain to you what we do, how our programs work, and how you can get our help. If our information is hard to understand, tell us and we will try to make it easier to understand.
* Accessible: We are available to talk to individuals, organizations, and school groups about our services. Contact us by letter, phone, or fax, or through our bulletin board system.
* Ethical: We strive to meet the highest scientific and ethical standards to deliver our products and services to you.
* Entrepreneurial: We will customize solutions to your pest problems through building partnerships, leveraging resources, focusing our efforts, and promoting innovation. If we cannot meet your needs, we will try to put you in touch with someone who can.
* Efficient: Based on your requests, we have assembled several information packets, which are normally provided on the same day as your request. If research is needed to help with your need, we estimate how long it will take. If obstacles are met that delay our response, we will tell you and try to offer alternatives.
* Open: We work for you and continually seek your views, listen to your needs, and take appropriate action based on them. If you are not satisfied with any aspect of our service, tell us so we can correct the problem. If we make a mistake, we will tell you and correct it.
Plant Protection and Quarantine
Protects the health of U.S. plant and animal resources and facilitates their movement in the global marketplace.
We will serve international travelers and carriers by:
* Providing professional and courteous treatment.
* Providing expeditious inspection to the majority of all international travelers within five minutes of luggage claim.
* Answering travelers' questions or concerns before they leave the inspection area.
* Working with other federal inspection agencies, the transportation industry, and facility owners to provide the best in customer service.
We will serve cargo customers and carriers by:
* Providing professional and courteous treatment.
* Providing accurate and complete responses to requests for information within three days.
* Scheduling inspections of perishable cargo within three hours of availability and inspections of other regulated cargo within 24 hours of availability.
* Notifying customers of cargo holds and releases within one hour of inspection.
* Identifying intercepted organisms within four hours at ports where an identifier is stationed and 24 hours at all other ports.
* Communicating "no action required" or "action required" with options and/or our decision rendered within one hour of interception or identification of an organism.
Economic Agencies
Economic Research Service, World Agricultural Outlook Board, and National Agricultural Statistics Service
Provide information and analyses for improving the performance of agriculture and the well-being of rural America.
We will:
* Respond to each customer in a courteous and helpful manner.
* Accurately direct you to the person or agency with the information you need.
* Provide complete, accurate information about our programs, products, and services in plain language.
* Make it easy to find and order reports.
* Deliver promised information promptly.
* Explain why, when we cannot meet your request.
* Deliver services without discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, and marital or family status.
Service you can expect from the ERS-NASS sales desk:
* Your call will be answered promptly and courteously by a knowledgeable operator. Occasionally, the volume of calls may require that your call be placed on hold for a short time, but we won't forget you.
* If you are calling for the first time, the operator will ask for your name and address and will give you a customer ID number to expedite your next order.
* Orders for monographs, electronic data products, and single copies of periodicals will be mailed first-class within five working days.
* Payment choices include MasterCard or Visa, or check or money order (U.S. funds only).
* You will receive two renewal notices before subscriptions expire.
* ERS-NASS operators can answer your questions regarding the current status of your account, including payment, issues due, billing, and other questions. Errors will be corrected promptly.
* You can request expedited shipment of your order via Federal Express at your expense.
Commerce (Department)
Bureau of Economic Analysis
Provides economic data on the U.S. economy and its position in the global market.
BEA's customer service standards spell out what you, the customer, can expect:
* BEA staff will respond to customer correspondence within five business days.
* BEA staff will return customer phone calls within one business day.
* BEA will ship off-the-shelf products within three business days.
* BEA will meet its published annual calendar of news release dates. Any changes in these dates will be announced as far in advance as possible.
* BEA will provide access to news releases on the Economic Bulletin Board (EBB), EBB fax, and recorded telephone messages at the time of release.
Bureau of the Census
Data Users Services Division
Provides a variety of products and services based on Census data.
* Phone calls: We will answer phone calls to the standard Customer Services telephone number (301-763-4100) within one minute after the introductory message ends.
* Shipping orders: We will ship items for off-the-shelf orders within one working day.
* Custom orders: We will ship orders for custom products as stated by the customer service representative.
* Courtesy: Our telephone reference staff will be courteous, knowledgeable, and businesslike.
* Guarantee: We guarantee that you will be happy with our product or you can return it for a full refund within 30 days.
* Complaints and questions: Customers phoning or faxing a complaint or inquiry will receive an initial response within three hours. All problems will be resolved within one working day.
Economics and Statistics Administration
STAT-USA
Produces, distributes, and assists other government agencies in producing world-class business, economic, and government information resources that U.S. businesses and the public can use to make intelligent and informed decisions.
Files on the Economic Bulletin Board (EBB) and STAT-USA/Fax:
* We will post all files with official release times on the EBB and STAT-USA/Fax within 30 minutes of receipt from the originating agency.
Order fulfillment:
* We will ship in-stock CD-ROM orders within one business day after we accept the order.
* If we do not ship your order within one business day of acceptance, we will, upon request, provide you with a free CD-ROM or extend your order by one month.
* Users who order a new EBB or STAT-USA/Fax subscription with a valid credit card over the phone will receive a user ID for immediate access during that phone call.
* STAT-USA/Internet subscriptions will be valid within four hours of the phone call.
Technical assistance:
* All technical assistance calls will be resolved within four business hours. If the problem requires more time to resolve, we will keep you posted of our progress.
* If you forget your EBB or STAT-USA/Internet passwords, please give us 24 hours to identify it. We will call the owner of the account back with the information.
* We will do our best to answer your questions. If we do not know the answer, we will direct you to someone who does.
Billing:
* For our EBB subscription service, we will include renewal charges in your trimester bill. You will have 30 days after the date of the first bill to return payment to us. If you cannot return payment to us within this time period, we reserve the right to deactivate your account. However, please contact us if you need additional time, and we can extend the grace period.
* For all other subscription services, you will receive a reminder to renew the subscription roughly 45 days in advance of the subscription expiration date. If we do not receive payment from you, we will stop the subscription.
* All billing and fulfillment problems will be resolved within two business days. Billing and fulfillment personnel will be available for direct phone support between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. EDT each business day.
You can expect us to:
* Give you our name when we answer the phone or write to you.
* Be polite, considerate, open, and honest.
* Give you accurate information about our products and services.
* Apologize if we get things wrong, explain what happened, and make things right.
* Deliver our services fairly and to the same high standards to all our clients, regardless of sex, race, disability, religion, and age.
National Institute of Standards and Technology
National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program
Provides world-class accreditation services in the testing and marketing services market.
Our commitment to you:
* As an accredited laboratory, you will receive a certificate of accreditation that attests to the fact that you have been assessed to the requirements of ISO Guide 25, an internationally recognized guide to the determination of competency of testing and calibration laboratories.
* You will also be certified as having met the relevant requirements of ISO 9002 as a supplier of test or calibration results.
* You will also receive a scope of accreditation that lists all of the test methods or calibration capabilities, including best measurement uncertainties, for which you have been accredited.
* We will make every attempt to improve the quality of our services to you on a continuous basis.
* We welcome your input as to ways in which we can better serve you through any of the communication modes that are listed in our brochure.
* We will work to obtain international recognition of the NVLAP program so that tests or calibrations performed in your laboratories will be recognized in the international marketplace.
Standard Reference Materials
Develops and distributes Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) for use in the control of production processes and in measurement assurance programs.
* We will deliver SRMs to you within 24 hours of order upon request.
* Your call to order SRMs will be answered within 30 seconds.
* We will work with our customers to ensure that SRMs:
-- permit you to attain more accurate measurements;
-- serve as an industrywide standard for commerce; and
-- are highly characterized materials useful to science, industry, and government.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Aeronautical Charts and Related Data
Provides aeronautical chart products and services.
We promise:
* To provide you with products with no defects.
* To work closely with the Federal Aviation Administration and the Defense Mapping Agency, through the Interagency Air Cartographic Committee, to maintain and develop aeronautical chart specifications for your existing and emerging charting needs.
* To preserve our perfect record of meeting all print cycles and to continue to meet our high-quality printed image standards of +.003 accuracy.
* To deliver aeronautical and nautical products to you who are our domestic customers within two weeks of receiving your order.
* To ensure we have appropriate stock quantities of products, while minimizing costly condemnation of obsolete products.
* To reply to your inquiries in a timely manner by:
-- responding, the same business day, to your telephone inquiries about obtaining our products;
-- responding to your recorded messages on our 24-hour toll-free customer service lines within three working days; and
-- responding to written correspondence (other than orders for products) within three weeks.
* To promote our understanding of your needs and your awareness of our products and services by:
-- continuing to hold a workshop for NOS Chart Agents approximately every 18 months;
-- actively participating in a wide variety of conferences, committees, and workshops;
-- marketing our products and services at air shows and technical conferences;
-- conducting professional surveys as needed; and
-- continuing our outreach program to aviation schools, flying clubs, and the general public.
* To always be polite, considerate, and honest, and to ensure that our products and services meet or exceed your expectations.
* To apologize to you when things go wrong, explain what happened, and do our very best to correct the problem promptly.
Geodetic Data and Related Products
Provides geodetic data, aerial photographs, applications software, and related publications and services.
We will be:
* Working closely with the Federal Geodetic Control Subcommittee of the Federal Geographic Data Committee to develop standards and specifications to guide you in conducting geodetic and photogrammetric surveys.
* Using the highest standards of quality, service, and integrity to improve our responsiveness to user requests. We will investigate, evaluate, and pursue, where feasible, the newest developments in surveying technology, database systems, and telecommunications, as well as programs for the transfer of technology, to enable our customers to accomplish their missions in a more efficient and cost-effective manner.
* Delivering geodetic data products to our domestic customers within one week of receiving your order.
* Ensuring that we have appropriate stock quantities of products.
* Responding the same business day to your telephone requests for our products.
* Responding to your telephone messages within one working day.
* Supporting professional workshops on geodetic surveying and related activities nationwide through cooperative arrangements with universities, professional societies, and state license boards.
* Participating in a wide variety of conferences, committees, and technical workshops.
* Continuing our outreach program to schools, professional societies, and the general public.
* Being polite, considerate, and honest, and ensuring that our products and services meet or exceed your expectations.
* Doing our best to correct a problem promptly if things go wrong.
Grants Management
Awards grants and cooperative agreements for a variety of scientific and environmental projects.
* Applicant notification: Applicants for NOAA grants and cooperative agreements will be notified within two weeks after receipt of the application by the Grants Management Division.
* Application processing: Complete fundable applications approved by program offices with funds available will be processed and awarded within 60 days after receipt by the Grants Management Division.
* Simplified requirements: Application paperwork and budget justification requirements will be kept to a minimum.
* Responsive communications: Responses to written communications from grantees requesting approval for budget revisions, etc., will be mailed within one month after receipt. Requests for information by telephone or by electronic mail will be answered within 24 hours.
* Recipient training: Annual workshops will be conducted, providing opportunities for NOAA program staff, applicants, and recipients to exchange information and upgrade grants and cooperative agreement administration skills.
* Timely close-out: Within 90 days after an award expires and unexpended funds are returned to NOAA, a close-out letter will be issued.
National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service
Gathers and distributes the nation's environmental satellite and oceanographic data.
We will serve you in the area of data quality by:
* Addressing the accuracy of measurements and the probability that any observation is consistent with this accuracy.
We will serve you in the area of data continuity by:
* Addressing the compatibility between past and present data relative to a homogeneous and continuous record.
* Improving climate and ocean prediction through access to NOAA's quality databases.
* Improving business decisions using NOAA's national and international data holdings.
We will serve you in the area of customer service by:
* Hosting workshops and data advisory groups twice a year.
* Hosting user-based demonstrations and validations twice a year.
* Improving access to data and information via on-line services, as opposed to telephone requests; will improve response time by one day to two weeks.
* Providing response to standard customer orders in fewer than 14 working days and rush orders in fewer than five working days.
Space Environment Laboratory
Reduces adverse effects of solar-terrestrial disturbances on human activities.
We continually strive to improve our forecasts by constantly assimilating data to:
* Continuously monitor, analyze, and forecast the environment between the sun and Earth providing forecasts once a day, updated every three hours, and continuous real-time data and nowcasts.
* Conduct research in solar-terrestrial physics, developing techniques for forecasting solar and geophysical disturbances. On average, 30 new techniques per year have been implemented.
* Improve the timeliness and accuracy of SEL's data by using new instruments and observing techniques. Incremental increases are marked every solar cycle.
* Take a leading role in advocating and designing new data systems that will fly on government satellites, including three types of sensors on GOES, one on TIROS, the future Solar X-ray Imager on GOES, and vital satellite instrumentation at the L1 position.
* For every manned space flight, provide mission support to protect astronauts from changes in the solar environment.
National Technical Information Service
FedWorldTM On-Line System
Acts as an information clearinghouse.
* Your access to FedWorldTM will continue to be provided at no charge.
* Products you order by credit card for downloading will be delivered within 30 seconds.
* Your calls to the Help Desk will be answered by a person, not a recording, 24 hours a day.
* We will continue to make information accessible in whatever electronic formats meet your needs and expectations.
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
Promotes the use of telecommunications and information technologies in the public and nonprofit sectors.
* National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will make all publicly available information accessible as hard copy and through free-of-charge electronic services.
* Information will be made available electronically at the same time it is released in print.
* All information posted electronically will be timely and accurate.
* NTIA staff will assist you with any problems or questions you may have with use of our electronic services.
* NTIA will monitor usage of its electronic delivery services to ensure that they are reliably available and capacity is sufficient to minimize delivery time to you.
Patent and Trademark Office
Examines and issues patents and trademarks.
* We will treat our customers with courtesy each time they contact us and, if appropriate, will direct them promptly to the proper office or person.
* If an employee being called is not available, the employee will return the call by the next business day or, if requested by the caller, an alternate point of contact will be provided.
* We will ensure that our written communications clearly set forth the technical, procedural, and legal position of patent examiners and trademark examining attorneys.
* Our correspondence with customers will be legible and of good print quality.
* We will widely disseminate information about changes in practice and procedures to ensure that both employees and our customers know about changes prior to their effective date.
* We will respond to status letters within 30 days from the date received.
Patent standards:
* We will deliver facsimile transmission of properly addressed papers marked "Informal" or "Draft" to the examiner within one business day. Facsimile transmissions of properly addressed formal amendments after final rejection will be matched with the appropriate files and delivered to the examiner within three business days of receipt.
* We will correctly generate and mail a notice indicating the application number, date of filing, and the title of invention for complete, standard applications. These notices will be mailed within 19 calendar days of receipt of the application.
* We will conduct a thorough search of relevant U.S. patents, foreign patent literature, and non-patent literature contained in our search files and, where appropriate, a reasonable search of other non-patent literature during the patent examination process.
Trademark standards:
* We will correctly generate and mail filing notices within 30 days of receipt with a goal of reducing the processing time to 14 days by September 30, 1995.
* We will examine new applications and provide a written first communication regarding registration within three months of the filing date.
* We will make a determination of the registrability of trademarks within 13 months of receipt of the application in the PTO.
* We will issue correct Notices of Abandonment within 45 days of the date the file was abandoned.
* We will issue correct Notices of Publishment within 30 days of the date the file is approved.
* We will mail correct certificates of registration within seven days of the date of registration.
Education (Department)
Bilingual Education and Minority Languages
Provides financial assistance, direction, leadership, and technical assistance to students with limited proficiency in English.
* Everyone requesting information will be treated with courtesy and professionalism.
* Requests for information will be addressed within 48 hours.
* E-mail messages will be returned within 24 hours.
* Each program officer will be able to answer questions about all BEML programs and Departmental initiatives.
* Each support staff member will be able to provide relevant information on funding opportunities assistance and will be able to direct requests to relevant BEML program staff and/or other Department principal offices.
* When a staffer is absent, he/she will have a designated backup knowledgeable of projects and programs.
* All complaints or problems with our primary customers will be brought to the attention of the Director, logged, tracked and brought to closure within 30 days regardless of the eventual "process-owner."
Civil Rights Complaint Resolution
Processes complaints of discrimination in our schools.
In carrying out our work, we are committed to treating all parties with respect and fairness. These are our commitments to you of customer service:
* The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) work will be of the highest quality. All complaints of discrimination will be appropriately resolved under the antidiscrimination laws and OCR policies and procedures.
* The Office for Civil Rights will work efficiently. Complaints of discrimination will be resolved in a timely manner, in all but exceptional cases within 180 days.
* The Office for Civil Rights will make it easy to communicate with us. Telephone calls will be promptly answered. Correspondence will be acknowledged within seven days, and answered within 30 days.
* The Office for Civil Rights will be clear. Our correspondence to you will be easy to understand, even if you are not a lawyer or are not familiar with OCR policies and procedures.
* The Office for Civil Rights will listen. We will work to understand your concerns, give those concerns due consideration, and take appropriate action, all in a prompt and friendly manner.
Educational Research and Improvement
Provides financial assistance and technical assistance in educational research and development programs.
In sponsoring educational research, development, and dissemination to improve education:
* We service our customers well.
-- Our products and services are based on the best available research and exemplary practice and are current, relevant, and of high quality.
-- We engage in a process of continuous improvement in the provision of products and services.
-- We give accurate, dependable, and useful responses to all reasonable inquiries.
* We listen to our customers and use their input responsibly.
-- We solicit customer knowledge, needs, and perspectives on a regular basis to help improve our products and services.
-- We systematically incorporate customer knowledge, needs, and perspectives in the planning and decisionmaking that guide our work.
* We treat our customers with respect.
-- We are courteous, congenial, and helpful in our relations with customers.
-- We respond to written correspondence in a reasonable period of time, usually 10 days, and provide an appropriate interim response if more time is needed.
-- We return electronic and phone messages within a reasonable period of time, usually three days.
-- We respond to phone requests for single copies of publications or other products within two days. Mailed requests for single copies and all bulk orders are filled within three days.
Elementary and Secondary Education
Provides direction, leadership, and technical assistance and awards, disburses, and monitors grants, contracts and cooperative agreements to support education to elementary and secondary students.
* Once you have signed off on an assurance (in a grant application) during a fiscal year, you will not have to sign off on the same assurance in that fiscal year.
* All formula and noncompetitive grant applications will be reviewed and processed within 30 calendar days from date of receipt in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE).
* When you request technical assistance, we will schedule technical assistance either by telephone within 48 hours or written response within 72 hours.
* We will conduct monitoring reviews for at least 25 percent of OESE programs during each fiscal year.
* When you submit a written request for (published) generic materials, we will fulfill your request within three working days from the date of OESE receipt.
* Your request for information requiring a decision on policy and/or regulatory issues will be responded to within 10 working days of OESE receipt.
* When you call OESE, your call will be answered by a person or voice mail within three rings.
* When you leave a message on voice mail or with an OESE employee, your call will be returned within two working days.
* When a call is received by an OESE employee, you will not be forwarded more than once for a specific inquiry.
* When you interact with an OESE employee, you will walk away with a positive image that starts with "I can" and not "I can't."
Office of the Secretary
Ensures equal access to education and promotes education excellence nationally.
If you contact us with an inquiry about the Department of Education or ask for other information:
* We will answer your written inquiry within 15 working days.
* If you telephone us, you will speak to a knowledgeable person who will answer your question or refer it properly. You will receive no more than two referrals.
* We will answer phone calls promptly, within three rings, and return all voice-mail messages within 48 hours.
* We will respond to your e-mail messages within 48 hours.
* If you have a personal appointment with a Department employee, you will not be kept waiting.
If you request one of our publications or documents:
* Requests for single copies of publications by telephone will be sent within 48 hours.
* Requests for single copies by mail and all bulk orders will be filled within 72 hours.
* Publications and documents will be made available in alternative formats on request.
* We will give you the option to receive information in electronic form where possible.
If you contact us about a complaint:
* We will respond to written complaints within 15 working days.
* If you telephone us with a complaint, we will advise you on the telephone or refer your complaint to the proper source.
If you are a prospective grant applicant or existing grantee, or if you are a prospective or current recipient of student financial assistance:
* We will disseminate timely and accurate information on grant opportunities and provide clear guidelines for grant proposals and criteria for selection.
* We will disseminate timely and accurate information on student financial aid application procedures and program provisions.
* We will acknowledge receipt of requests for administrative actions and other inquiries within 48 hours.
* Final response on administrative actions will be completed in 30 calendar days.
* Grant award documents will clearly identify which requests should be referred to the grant specialist or program specialist and which grantee actions do not require prior approval.
* We will provide timely, accurate, and dependable technical assistance.
* We will provide information that explains the final funding decision.
* We will institute sensible reporting requirements and, when conducting monitoring and site visits, perform exit interviews and make final monitoring reports available within 30 days.
Goals 2000: Educate America Act
The Goals 2000 Act, which focuses the nation's attention on challenging academic and occupational standards, was passed with input from a wide range of bipartisan supporters including state governors and legislators, educators, researchers, policymakers, and parents. To be considered for funding, states complete only a short, simple grant application.
* We respond in writing to all applications within 15 days.
This act is a cornerstone of the department's improvement agenda. The Act establishes the National Education Goals for the year 2000.
They are as follows:
* School readiness: All children in America will start school ready to learn.
* School completion: The high school graduation rate will increase to at least 90 percent.
* Student achievement and citizenship: All students will leave grades 4, 8, and 12 having demonstrated competency over challenging subject matter, including English, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts, history, and geography; and every school in America will ensure that all students learn to use their minds well, so they may be prepared for responsible citizenship, further learning, and productive employment in our nation's economy.
* Mathematics and science: The nation's students will be first in the world in mathematics and science achievement.
* Adult literacy and lifelong learning: Every adult American will be literate and will possess the knowledge and skills necessary to compete in a global economy and exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
* Safe, disciplined, and drug-free schools: Every school in the United States will be free of drugs, violence, and the unauthorized presence of firearms and alcohol, and will offer a disciplined environment conducive to learning.
* Teacher education and professional development: The nation's teaching force will have access to programs for the continued improvement of its professional skills and the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to instruct and prepare all American students for the next century.
* Parental participation: Every school will promote partnerships that will increase parental involvement and participation in promoting the social, emotional, and academic growth of children.
Postsecondary Education
Provides financial assistance (loans) and technical assistance for students enrolled in postsecondary education; supports institutions in the development of student services, college housing and facilities, and innovative instructional programs; and provides direction, leadership, and technical assistance.
Customer support:
* All inquiries coming into the customer support unit are logged and tracked through a call management database and are researched, responded to, and closed within three working days.
* All Student Financial Assistance Programs publications are edited and loaded onto the electronic bulletin board systems within one working day of receipt.
Public inquiries:
* Our Public Inquiry Service will have sufficient staff and phone lines to ensure that the average call wait time will be 35 seconds or less.
* Letters that do not require casework are required to be answered within 12 working days of receipt. Letters requiring casework research are answered within 20 working days.
Direct loans and central processing system:
* We will answer at least 90 percent of telephone calls immediately, call back customers leaving a voice message within one hour, and continue to respond through on-site visits and other support as requested.
Direct Loan Servicing Center:
* Incoming calls to the servicing center are responded to immediately 95 percent of the time. Incoming mail is responded to within five days.
Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
Provides financial assistance, direction, leadership, contract advice, and technical assistance to improve education for children with disabilities and rehabilitation and independence of disabled adults.
Improving our customer relations:
* We will include our customers, partners, and stakeholders in strategic planning for the organization.
* We will be courteous and treat our customers with respect every time they contact us.
* We will measure customer satisfaction with our programs and services through the use of customer surveys, focus groups, public comment periods, public hearings, and meetings with customer representatives. We will focus special attention on traditionally underserved groups.
* We will use information and feedback we receive from customers to continually improve our services and make our programs more customer-focused. We will obtain feedback through regularly scheduled events where our customers know that they will have an opportunity to provide feedback to us.
Supporting customer service:
* We will empower our staff to make decisions at lower levels of the organization to achieve customer satisfaction, thus reducing runaround time for customers.
* We will develop individuals and positions with direct responsibility for assisting customers and managing the customer service process.
* We will implement training, accountability, and quality assurance procedures to facilitate a culture in which customer service is valued by the organization and employee.
* We will make information resources readily available to our staff, so that every employee can: (1) respond quickly and accurately to general inquiries, and (2) make accurate and prompt referrals regarding more specific inquiries.
Obtaining customer input:
* We will make information about all Department of Education programs and services available to our customers by participating fully in the Education Department's one-stop information referral service.
* We will establish and maintain customer access to on-line information services about our services and programs.
* Our voice-mail systems will provide the option of speaking to an operator at any time.
* Routine inquiries, whether written, phone, or electronic, will be responded to within five working days. For complex inquiries requiring additional time, customers will receive
an interim response projecting the time to resolution.
* We will respond to phone requests for single copies of publications and other available products within 48 hours. Requests for single copies by mil and all bulk orders will be filled within 72 hours.
* We will see customers within 10 minutes of the scheduled time of an appointment.
Making the grant process more accessible:
* We will disseminate timely information about grant opportunities and make application packages readily available without another call.
* Grant application packages will be easy to read and understand and will be provided in accessible formats.
* We will state clear guidelines for proposals and criteria for selection for all grant and contract competitions.
* We will conduct fair reviews of proposals.
* We will notify grant applicants of decisions within six months of the receipt of the proposal.
* We will provide information that explains the final funding decision for the proposal.
Making our monitoring activities more customer-focused:
* In monitoring site visits, we will provide an idea of our findings in exit interviews on the last day of the visit.
* We will make final monitoring reports available within 30 days.
Vocational and Adult Education
Provides financial and technical assistance to students, adult learners, and employers who provide vocational and adult education.
* Customers will be treated with courtesy and professionalism.
* Customers communicating with the Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE) will receive individual attention and prompt service.
-- all phone and voice-mail messages will be returned within 24 hours.
-- correspondence will be closed out within two weeks.
* Customers receiving grants from OVAE can expect an efficient and effective process for the administration of funds. For instance:
-- state plans will be reviewed within 30 days after receipt.
-- peer reviews will be fair and timely.
* Customers will be provided with technical assistance that is timely, dependable, and accurate to improve the quality of education.
* Customers will have easy access to information compiled and maintained by OVAE through the use of technology.
* Customers will have adequate opportunity to provide input as to their needs as well as opportunity to provide feedback on OVAE's information and services.
Energy (Department)
Economic Productivity Business Line
Office of Research and Development Management
Develops integrated program plans that improve partnerships in a measurable way; works with public and private business networks to reach small businesses; streamlines the partnership process by reducing cycle time, cutting red tape, and being more responsive to customer needs and expectations.
* Effective immediately, Cooperative Research and Development Agreements will be processed in less than 16 weeks on average.
* Effective immediately, we will devote no less than 15 percent of the department's research and development resources toward partnerships with the private sector.
* Increase grants to minority education; increase contracts with small, minority, and women-owned businesses.
Energy Information Administration
Seeks to be a leader in providing high-quality, policy-independent energy information to government, industry, and the public, in a manner that promotes sound policymaking, efficient markets, and public understanding.
* Provide service through knowledgeable employees who will treat you with courtesy, dignity, and respect every time you do business with EIA.
* Follow standard statistical practices to ensure the accuracy and reliability of our data, and we will document everything we publish.
* Provide you with our best estimate of the time needed to complete your request and fully explain any delays.
* Offer options to service.
* Resolve customer needs through single-point contact whenever possible.
* Distribute our information in a format that fits your needs as resources allow.
* Provide instructions for accessing electronic information.
* Respond to written inquiries within five business days.
* Answer each customer telephone call within one business day, providing the requested information whenever possible.
* Write and speak in language that you can understand--free of government jargon, acronyms, and technical terms.
* Include a contact name and telephone number on every document and letter.
* Deliver services without discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, marital or family status, and organization size or name.
Office of Science Education and Technical Information
Educates young scientists.
* Educate young scientists.
* Increase access to a usage of Department of Energy science information by 30 percent by end of 1995.
* Diversify America's workforce.
Science and Technology Business Line
Office of Energy Research
Ensures the development of new technologies that reduce costs, improve products and services, and advance the research capabilities of the nation.
* Improve response to customer applications by acknowledgement in writing within 30 days of receipt.
* Extend utilization of scientific/technical merit review for all accepted proposals. Each proposal will be reviewed by at least three qualified reviewers.
* Reduce the time for determination of awards by October 1996. Solicited applications will be decided within one year; unsolicited applications will be decided within six months.
Environmental Protection Agency
Research and Demonstration Grants
Provides financial support primarily to academic and not-for-profit research institutions that are expanding the understanding of the world around us.
EPA will finalize these draft standards after consulting with our customers in the coming year:
* We will acknowledge receipt of proposals and applications within three weeks. The acknowledgment will include a record number for use in tracking the proposals and applications.
* We will respond to telephone inquiries within 24 hours in a courteous manner.
* We will conduct administrative and legal reviews and issue assistance agreements within 60 days from the date of receipt in the grants management office of a complete request for funding.
* We will incorporate the terms and conditions of the Federal Demonstration Project into research grants.
* For active grants, we will process complete requests and issue administrative amendments within four weeks.
Health and Human Services (Department)
Public Health Service
National Library of Medicine
Assists in the advancement of medicine and public health by serving as an information resource for research, clinical care, and education.
Our goal is to provide services according to these standards.
If you call the Library using our 1-800 number:
* Staff will be available to assist you during business hours. Our business hours will be prominently posted and noted in our brochures and through other information sources.
If you write or fax us:
* You will be sent a response to your request within 10 working days after we receive your letter.
If you contact us via electronic mail:
* You will be sent a response within five working days after we receive your request.
* If we cannot provide a full response within these timeframes, you will receive from us a confirmation that we received your request, with an estimate of the delay before we can provide the full reply.
If you visit the Library:
* You will receive information on how to use our holdings from staff at our Information Desk. Staff will be available to assist you during business hours.
Housing and Urban Development (Department)
Policy Development and Research
Stimulates community development through grants and loans to states, localities, and nonprofit organizations.
* PD&R will publish and mail to all organizations on the PD&R database a list of topics and research issues that constitute the current research agenda.
* PD&R will utilize the full range of contracting mechanisms to allow participation by all types of organizations in HUD research. PD&R will target a portion of its contracting to organizations that have not traditionally participated in HUD research, including small and minority and women-owned businesses.
* PD&R will continue to clarify and simplify its Requests for Proposals and hold pre-proposal conferences whenever necessary.
* PD&R staff will keep abreast of the latest analytical techniques and research methodologies.
Interior (Department)
Bureau of Mines
Provides information on minerals for use in assessing U.S. economic and defense needs.
* You will be treated with courtesy every time you contact us.
* We will provide you with all the information you need, or obtain the information for you, with a minimum number of referrals to other organizations.
* When you call our public inquiries number for service, you will reach us on the first call.
* We will answer your requests as quickly as possible. If we cannot give you the information you need at the time you call, we will do so within one working day or call you back to let you know the progress we are making on your request.
* When you write to us requesting general information materials, we will mail them to you within one working day. When you write and ask for more specific technical information, we will respond within five working days with either the information you need or a postcard acknowledging receipt of your request and reporting the status of our response.
* We will provide you with easy access to our information. You can talk to us from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST.
* We will make our information available electronically (the Internet, CD-ROM, Mines FAXBACK) and give you the instructions and information you need to take advantage of these sources.
National Biological Survey
Provides biological and ecological information to both the public and private sectors.
* Research Information Bulletins edited and prepared for distribution within 60 days of submission of the draft manuscript.
* Immediate electronic access to Research Information Bulletins that have already been edited and prepared for distribution.
* Literature searches completed and sent to clients within five days of receipt of their request.
* Research findings are tested for scientific quality through peer review by other qualified scientists before publication.
* 80 percent or more of our products rated by clients at or above level 3 on the following satisfaction scale:
4. Very satisfied
3. Satisfied
2. Dissatisfied
1. Very dissatisfied
* These products will be accompanied by "Client Response" sheets inviting clients to voluntarily rate and comment on them. Results will be monitored and used in pursuit of constant improvement.
* Our long-term goal is to achieve an average client satisfaction rating very near level 4--"very satisfied."
U.S. Geological Survey
Minerals Information Offices
Provides earth science information and products, with a focus on mineral resources.
* Each customer will be treated with dignity, respect, and courtesy.
* Each request will be researched using all means available to provide the highest quality response.
* Each request will be analyzed to determine what data are available that best suit each customer's needs. A plan will be developed to deliver the response in the format that best suits those needs.
* Requests will be filled immediately, if possible; if not possible, a time for the reply will be established.
* Opportunities for additional service will be explored with each customer, as needed.
National Earthquake Information Center
Serves as a national resource and information center for earthquakes that occur worldwide.
* We will provide information 24 hours a day on the location and magnitude of significant earthquakes in the United States and around the world.
* Rapid reports will be issued for earthquakes that register at least magnitude 4.5 or greater in the United States, any felt and damaging earthquakes, or earthquakes of magnitude 6.5 elsewhere or when damage has occurred. This information will be provided within 20 to 30 minutes of the time of the event.
* You will be treated with courtesy every time you contact us.
* We will provide you with information about other USGS products, services, and other sources of information if possible.
* Orders for CD-ROMs, software products, publications, maps, and posters will be processed within five working days of receipt. Under special circumstances, such as after a major damaging earthquake, a time for the reply will be established.
Reston Earth Science Information Center
Provides earth science information and products for the public.
* We will treat each customer with courtesy and respect.
* We will provide quick, thorough, and responsive access to product information and ordering including the 1-800 number and electronic ordering.
* We will eliminate processes, procedures, and rules that are roadblocks to success.
* There will be no unreconcilable mistakes allowed in the handling of the customer's accounts or money.
Technology Information Center and Microcomputer Training Center in Denver, Colorado
Offers classes in how to use the USGS databases.
Before class:
* Between 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., we will take your registration information by phone and immediately register you in the first available class.
* You may leave a message at any other time and you will be called back within one working day.
* You will be sent a confirmation letter within one day of your registration listing class prerequisites, date, time, and location.
During class:
* Classes will begin on time.
* The latest version of the software will be loaded and ready to go, and all sample files will be loaded.
* You will receive either comprehensive notes for the class or a textbook to take with you.
After class:
* We will answer questions on the subjects we teach.
Our commitment to you:
* We will help you as soon as possible.
* We will not keep you waiting unnecessarily.
* If a staff person cannot answer the phone personally, your call will be returned the same day.
Washington Administrative Service Center
Supports the information systems needs of other Interior bureaus and other federal agencies as the lead Interior organization.
We will:
* Provide fully integrated systems to process the administrative workload and to attain the maximum effectiveness from our staff.
* Implement a Customer Service Level Agreement (CSLA) between the WASC and its customers.
* CSLAs will be customized to meet the technical support services required by each customer.
* CSLAs will measure, monitor, analyze, and project current and future hardware, software, telecommunications, and user assistance.
* Annual reviews of each CSLA will be scheduled between both parties to discuss and modify the document.
* A complaint process will be established to resolve problems.
* The WASC will advise the customer of the status of its problem within 24 hours of initial contact.
* The WASC will maintain a hotline number for emergency situations.
* WASC technical staff will be on call around the clock.
Justice (Department)
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Uniform Crime Reports Program
Provides information on crime in the United States.
* The Crime in the U.S. report will be published in the fall of each year.
* Report updates will be published semiannually in April and October of each year.
* If you are a member of the public, you may obtain copies of these reports for a fee by contacting the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office.
* To receive customized reports, you may contact our program staff, which will facilitate a response to your inquiry as soon as possible in written or electronic form.
When fully operational, the National Incident-Based Reporting System program will provide the following services:
* Data on 22 crime categories made up of 46 specific crimes will be collected (current system collects data on only eight crime categories).
* Information on every crime will be collected separately (current system uses a summary report, which reports only the worst crime in a multiple-offense situation).
* Age, sex, race, ethnicity, etc., will be reported for victims and witnesses of all crimes, which will allow for better analysis (current system reports this information only on certain crimes).
* System will provide the ability to quantify drug seizures in relationship to drug arrest (currently not available).
* Information will address such issues as hate crimes, white-collar crime, domestic violence, abuse of the elderly, etc. (currently not available in summary system).
Labor (Department)
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Develops and provides labor statistical data.
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) pledges the following to our customers:
* We will let you know in advance when we will release our data. We will meet our release dates as published.
* We will be available when you need us. Electronic access and 24 hour recorded messages are available for your most requested information. Information specialists are available during business hours.
* We will distribute data in the form that fits your needs as resources allow. Available formats include telephone; recorded messages; microfiche; fax; diskette and magnetic tape; Internet; TDD; and new releases, reports, bulletins, brochures, and flyers.
* We will provide you with the name and phone number of a person who can meet your data needs. Our Customer Service Guide includes the names of BLS subject matter specialists. If you ask something we cannot answer, BLS will refer you to someone who can. We want to make your information search as fast and direct as possible.
* We will help you to understand the uses and limits of our products. Call us with any questions you have.
* We want to meet your needs. If you have comments on our specific products, please call with your suggestions.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission to Planet Earth Enterprise
Provides the data and interactive modeling foundation for long-term environment and climatic monitoring and prediction.
In July 1994, the prototype of EOSDIS, Version 0, became available with some operational elements. The fully operational EOSDIS will:
* Fill 95 percent of all user requests to the system within 72 hours.
* Provide for continuous production of geophysical and biophysical data products flowing from the Earth Observing System by the year 2004.
Space Science Enterprise
Creates new scientific knowledge by exploring the solar system and the universe beyond and by studying the space environment and its effects.
* Establishes a nine-month time standard for processing science grants (three months for proposal preparation, four months review and notification, and two months to disburse funding).
National Archives and Records Administration
Ensures, for the citizen and the public servant, for the President and Congress and the courts, ready access to essential evidence.
* We will treat all of our customers with courtesy.
* We will meet or beat our established deadlines for providing customer service.
* We will provide high-quality service by knowledgeable staff.
* We will provide informational products to meet our customers' needs.
If you call or visit one of our facilities:
* You will find NARA staff and volunteers available in all offices to assist you during posted business hours. Our business hours will be prominently posted at all sites and noted in our brochures and through other information sources.
If you come to do research at one of our facilities:
* You will receive the records you request for use in our research rooms within one hour of your request or, in research rooms that have pull schedules, within one hour of the next pull time. If a delay is encountered, you will be notified of the problem and given an indication of when the records will be available.
* You will receive the information or assistance you need on how to use our self-service holdings within 15 minutes of signing into a research room.
* In Federal Records Centers, the records you requested will be waiting for you at your appointed time.
If you write to us about our holdings:
* You will be sent a response to your written request about our holdings within 10 work days after we receive your letter. If we cannot provide a full response within that time, we will tell you that we have received your request and tell you how long we expect it will take before we can provide a full reply.
If you attend one of our workshops:
* You will find the instructor to be professional, knowledgeable, and helpful. Upon completion of a workshop, you will have the information to help you understand the principles discussed and apply them confidently to issues within your area of interest.
If you need information about the National Archives:
* You can obtain timely and up-to-date information about NARA, its services, and holdings through the Internet and other on-line services, our fax-on-demand service, through printed publications, or by contacting one of our offices.
If you need information about government rules and announcements:
* You will be provided with timely information on a daily basis through the Federal Register, published in print and in electronic form by the Government Printing Office, on the following:
-- presidential proclamations and executive orders,
-- proposed rules and final regulations,
-- public meetings, and
-- federal grants.
If things go wrong:
* If our service has not matched our values and standards for customer service, we want to know so that we can do something about it and get it right the next time. Our local complaints and suggestions procedures are as follows. You may:
-- Discuss the problem with the person who served you.
-- Use our suggestion/complaint comment form (NA Form 14045). You can mail it or drop it in the box provided. Or you can simply write us a letter. If you request a reply, we will provide a response within seven working days.
-- Speak or write to the supervisor in charge. If we cannot solve your problem immediately, we will provide a response within seven working days.
-- If you are still not satisfied that we have handled your complaint or provided the service we promised, you can write to the Assistant Archivist for the office with which you have been dealing.
National Endowment for the Humanities
An independent grantmaking agency established by Congress to support research, education, and public programs in the humanities.
In assisting you as a prospective grant applicant, you can expect us to:
* Respond courteously and quickly to your requests for information about our grant programs.
* Be able to describe the programs that best suit your needs.
* Provide application instructions and forms that are clear and easy for you to use.
* Offer prompt and thoughtful advice and guidance in preparing your application.
* Explain accurately the procedures that would be used to evaluate your application and when you could expect a decision.
In assisting you as a grant applicant, you can expect us to:
* Ensure that the evaluation of your application is fair, expeditious, and informed by the expert judgments of your peers.
* Notify you promptly of the decision on your application.
* Provide substantive reasons for the decision reached on your application.
* Give you helpful advice, if you are unsuccessful, on revising or resubmitting your application.
In assisting you as a grantee, you can expect us to:
* Provide you with an award document that is clear and easy to understand and that sets forth sensible reporting requirements.
* Provide the names of our staff members who will serve as contacts for your reports and for any assistance you may need.
* Answer promptly and satisfactorily all requests for information on NEH policies and procedures.
* Read and acknowledge promptly your reports on grant activities.
* Maintain a professional, helpful relationship with you as you carry your project to completion.
National Science Foundation
Provides science and engineering policy information.
NSF commits itself to the following standards:
* We will produce data that are relevant to the needs of the various policy and research communities.
* We will publish and meet an annual calendar of publication dates for the results of regular NSF surveys.
* We will make data available over the Internet before its release in printed form.
Grantmaking
Funds the most meritorious projects in its research and science, mathematics, and engineering education programs.
For making grants, NSF is committed to nine major standards:
* We will disseminate information about NSF programs, policies, and practices as widely as practicable among potential grantees.
-- We will provide electronic versions of information on NSF programs, policies, and practices and will make this information accessible on-line through a variety of methods.
-- Requests for publications from the NSF Information Desk will be acted on in two days, and individuals making the requests will be given instructions on how to access the same information in electronic formats as appropriate.
* At the NSF Information Desk, we will handle 90 percent of all incoming telephone calls within 15 seconds. The Information Desk will immediately provide accurate responses to requests for information.
* We will make program announcements and solicitations available to relevant individuals and organizations at least three months prior to the proposal deadline or target date.
* We will specify clearly the guidelines for content and preparation of proposals, the process by which they will be reviewed and selected for funding, and any special award requirements. In our program announcements, we will also provide information to help potential applicants gauge their chances for obtaining funding.
* We will be able to tell applicants whether their proposals have been declined or recommended for funding within six months for 95 percent of proposals, unless the program announcement or solicitation states otherwise. We will provide an explanation when this standard cannot be met. (The six months will start at the deadline or target date for submission of proposals or, if no target date is specified, from delivery of the proposal to NSF.)
* We will give applicants a chance to challenge the fairness of the review of their proposals by asking for formal reconsideration. Within 30 days of their request for reconsideration, we will tell them the results in writing or explain why more time is needed.
* For 95 percent of the grants our research divisions recommend making to academic institutions, our grants office will make the awards within 30 days after the division makes its recommendation.
* We will provide information that explains our decision at the time of declination or award.
* We will provide clear and appropriate responses to requests for clarification of award terms and conditions and for administrative or technical advice related to the award activity within a week of receiving the request.
Transportation (Department)
Research and Special Programs Administration
University Research Grants
Advances U.S. expertise and technology in the many disciplines involved in transportation by supporting research at America's institutions of higher learning.
Our commitment to you:
* We will answer your phone calls no later than the close of the next business day.
* We will answer your letters no later than 15 business days after receipt.
* We will publish all competitive research grant opportunities in the Federal Information Exchange (FEDIX) on the Internet at fedix.fie.com or through the World Wide Web at http://www.dot.gov.
* We will simplify your grant administration tasks by awarding university research grants directly to the grantee and not through third parties, whenever possible.
* We will require technical progress reports on new university grants no more frequently than semiannually.
* We will grant you a waiver under the Ooffice of Management and Budget grant administration standards, or will provide you with a reason for denying it, within 15 business days of receiving your request.
* We will accept, as part of your grant application, photocopies of valid certifications on file with any DOT office.
* We will connect you with DOT's technical experts during your research.
* We will use existing quality controls, such as academic accreditation and peer review mechanisms, when we evaluate your research.
* We will provide transportation data products for use in teaching and research.
U.S. Institute of Peace
Strengthens the nation's capabilities to promote the peaceful resolution of international conflicts.
We will:
* Answer all requests and inquiries in a timely, informed, and courteous manner.
* Provide clearly written applications for Institute competitions (i.e., grants, fellowships, educational institutes, and the National Peace Essay Contest); disseminate the applications widely; and allow adequate time for their completion and submission.
* Honor the timeframes for selection processes, which are printed in the application materials.
* Accurately publicize selection criteria and processes in the application materials.
* Conduct a fair and reasonable review of all application submissions for the aforementioned competitions.
* Provide advance notice, with complete and accurate information, of upcoming public events and record the results of selected Institute activities, making them available as quickly as possible.
* Provide information about library holdings and services in response to requests received electronically, via phone, fax, or mail, and by appointment-only visitors.
* Disseminate event information, research reports, and other complimentary products through a variety of media, including print, facsimile, radio, video, and the Internet.
* Develop and maintain an on-line presence on the Internet, offering general program and event information and complimentary materials.
* Review periodically our performance against these standards of service in an effort to maintain a responsive and responsible level of attention to our customers, clients, and patrons.