Directive

On April 17, 1996, President Clinton signed an Executive Order that encourages Federal Agencies to make an important contribution to education in America. Executive Order 12999, Educational Technology: Ensuring Opportunity for All Children in the Next Century, directs agencies--to the extent permitted by law and where appropriate--to transfer computers and related peripheral tools determined to be excess to the needs of the agency directly to schools and nonprofit educational organizations. The order also "...encourages Federal employees to volunteer their time and expertise to assist teachers and to connect classrooms."

A key feature of the order (see Section 2(d)), and one that should not be overlooked, is the requirement that Federal agencies keep track of the computer equipment transferred and report this to the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). The efficacy of the order can be evaluated accurately only if data are available from each participating Federal agency regarding the type of equipment transferred, the quantities involved, and the recipients.

This pamphlet provides a brief guide to implementing the Executive Order and includes the names of people to contact for further information. The complete text of the Executive Order is printed under this flap.

WHAT AGENCIES MUST DO

The order designates computers and peripheral equipment "a vital national resource" and calls upon agencies to "...protect and safeguard such equipment, particularly when declared excess or surplus, so that it may be recycled and transferred..." (Section 1 (a)). Federal agencies should:

submit an implementation plan by mid-October 1996 to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (Section 3(b)):
identify the agency contacts needed to assist eligible recipients;
publicize availability of educationally useful Federal equipment (Section 2(f)), particularly in Federal empowerment zones and enterprise communities (Section 2(b));
transfer equipment to eligible recipients under established agency procedures for property transfers-directly, whenever possible-(Section 2(a) and 2(c)(1);
request GSA assistance in arranging the transfer of excess equipment as appropriate (Section 2(c)(2));
report annually to GSA any transfers made (Section 2(d)).

As the provisions of the order become widely known, agencies may receive numerous inquiries on the availability of computers, equipment, and volunteers and will need to be prepared to handle these inquiries expeditiously.

GSA'S RESPONSIBILITIES

Although GSA has not been given any additional property management responsibilities by the order that it does not already have under the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949, the agency is eager to actively support this important initiative on behalf of America's schoolchildren. Therefore, GSA will:

provide Governmentwide leadership for fulfilling the requirements of the order;
set an example for other Federal agencies through its own actions as a provider of computer equipment to eligible recipients be balancing the needs of the Federal community with those of the educational community;
publicize and otherwise promote the order;
help other Federal agencies, to the extent possible, to identify eligible recipients and to arrange for their transferring of equipment;
help potential recipients, to the extent possible, to identify potential donors and acquire equipment; and
advise agencies on critical reporting requirements.

THE ROLE OF FEDERAL EXECUTIVE BOARD

As the Federal Government's top representatives in regional offices throughout the country, members of the Federal Executive Boards (FEBs) can take the lead in assisting agencies in implementing the order. This may include:

promoting the order and the inventory of excess computer equipment within their own agencies and in their outreach activities;
working with local computer recyclers to facilitate the upgrading of equipment;
promoting the availability of equipment through newspapers, community announcements, and the INTERNET; and
identifying appropriate schools and nonprofit organizations to receive the equipment.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Questions are bound to arise during implementation of any new or expanded program or policy. The questions below reflect those that other agencies have been asking GSA and the answers GSA has provided. The people listed under "For Additional Information" can provide further details.

HOW DOES THE ORDER RELATE TO THE EXISTING UTILIZATION AND DONATION PROGRAMS FOR FEDERAL PERSONAL PROPERTY?

Executive Order 12999 does not change or override the requirement of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949, as amended (the Property Act) for internal screening. Therefore, like other Government-owned property, computer equipment must first be offered to other activities within an agency before being determined excess to that agency. Once declared excess, computer equipment can be transferred directly to schools.

When an agency has determined that its excess computer equipment is not needed by either a school or another eligible recipient under the order, the equipment should be reported to GSA. The property is then available to the State Agencies for Surplus Property through the surplus property donation program. It should be noted that, at this point, schools can't be given preferential consideration by law because the Property Act requires donation to eligible recipients by fair and equitable means.

WHAT SHOULD AN AGENCY INCLUDE IN THE PLAN IT SUBMITS TO THE OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY (OSTP)?

The order requires agencies to submit an implementation plan to OSTP by mid-October. OSTP expects the plan to highlight agency initiatives and activities designed to meet the objectives of the order, particularly in the areas of computer transfers and employee volunteer efforts (Section 3). The plan could also include a description of the steps for accessing schools, the criteria for targeting schools by need, the means for identifying and tracking excess computers available for transfer, and the specific information to be reported to GSA. The plan submitted to OSTP need not be lengthy, but should be informative.

The order defines "educationally useful Federal equipment" as computers and related peripheral tools such as printers, modems, routers, and servers. This includes telecommunications equipment and research equipment as well. Computer software also is included where the transfer of licenses is permitted (Section 4(c)). Agencies need to check with each software vendor or licenser about permission to transfer specific software.

Your personal property manager, working with information technology staff in your agency and others, may arrange for computers to be transferred directly to schools in accordance with your agency policy. The authority for such direct transfers is found in the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980, as amended (15 U.S.C. 3710(i)).

The order encourages the use of computer recycling to repair and upgrade computers before they are transferred to schools and other eligible recipients. Some recyclers refurbish computers themselves; others teach students how to refurbish them for use in their own school districts. Many recyclers can also assist with teacher training, mentoring, and computer maintenance.

Federal Executive Boards may be able to help identify computer recyclers in their regions because they have been provided with a preliminary list of recycling organizations. In addition, Federal employees, particularly those in scientific fields, are frequently active in community computer organizations such as the newly founded Tech Corps. They can be very useful in identifying appropriate assistance.

Agencies will need to develop their own plans for identifying interested schools because there is not a national, centralized clearinghouse to help with this process. These plans should include methods for identifying potential recipients and criteria for ranking need. Agencies should also encourage their regional organizations to take the lead in responding to the order so that schools across the country are considered by some Federal organization somewhere.

One method found to be effective by some agencies for knowing the needs of particular schools is to establish partnership arrangements with schools. Agencies have contacted their local school districts to find local school partners for which they provide a variety of services that may include tutoring and installation and repair of equipment as well the transfer of computers and related equipment.

Agencies are particularly urged to create partnerships with empowerment zone and enterprise community schools. For more information on empowerment zone and enterprise community schools, see the contacts under "For Additional Information."

Another avenue that allows agencies to get computers to schools-and perhaps reduces the burden on the agency-is GSA's donation program. Although the donation program does not facilitate the direct transfer of computer equipment to schools, it does provide a mechanism by which schools can obtain computers through a system designed to ensure the fair and equitable distribution of Federal surplus property.

Departments and agencies are encouraged to consult with unions and other appropriate employee organizations to develop means by which employees may volunteer their time in support of the order.

The Federal personnel system provides considerable flexibility in scheduling leave and hours of work. Within mission constraints, agencies are encouraged to make use of these flexibilities to grant leave or approve Alternative Work Schedules so that employees may volunteer their time as provide in Section 3 of the order.

In certain circumstances, departments and agencies may use their authority to grant excused absences (administrative leave) for this purpose. Note, however, that an employee is not a "volunteer" if he or she is on salary while performing these services. Nevertheless, employees may be granted brief periods of excused absence when such functions are determined to be: (1) directly related to the agency's mission, (2) officially sponsored or sanctioned by the head of the agency, or (3) beneficial to the professional development or skills of the employee in his or her current position. Questions on these and related matters should be directed to the appropriate servicing personnel office.

HOW SHOULD MY AGENCY ACCOUNT FOR COMPUTERS THAT HAVE BEEN TRANSFERRED TO SCHOOLS?

Your agency's personal property managers should maintain records in accordance with internal agency procedures and should include computers transferred to schools in the annual report to GSA of personal property transferred to non-Federal recipients.

As a starting point, agencies are required by Section 5402 of the Information Technology Management Reform Act of 1996 to conduct a one-time inventory of computer equipment. When complete, this inventory then provides a database from which to identify equipment that is excess and available for transfer. Agencies need to integrate their processes for inventorying, transferring, and reporting excess computer equipment to minimize duplication of effort.

The importance of maintaining accurate records of equipment transferred to schools was described earlier, but bears repeating here. The order requires that Federal agencies keep track of their transfers and report them to GSA (Section 2(d)). The efficacy of the order can be evaluated accurately only if data are available from each participating Federal agency regarding the type of equipment transferred, the quantities involved, and who received it.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

For information on the empowerment zone/enterprise community (EZ/EC) schools, contact:

Dr. Aram Kailian
Special Assistant, Public Buildings Service
U.S. General Services Administration
18th & F. St. NW
Washington, DC 20405
Web Site Address: http://www.hud.fov/ezec/ezec.html

For information on any State's Dep`rtment of Education, contact:

For information on the content of the pl`ns required by the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), contact:

For information on Federal Executive Boards, contact:

With questions regarding GSA personal property policy, contact:

With questions regarding operational matters pertaining to personal property management, contact:

Ms. Deidre Huber
Director, Personal Property Management Division (FBP)
U.S. General Services Administration
Crystal Mall Building 4
1941 Jefferson Davis Highway
Arlington, VA 22202 Tel: 703-305-7240, Fax: 703-305-7728

For information regarding the Department of Defense School Donation Program, contact:

Defense Information Systems Agency
Office of the Chief Info. Officer
Educational Institutions Partnership Program
701 South Courthouse Road
Arlington, VA 22204-2199
Help Desk Number: 703-696-1904, DSN: 426-1904