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National Partnership for Reinventing Government
(formerly National Performance Review)
REINVENTION
An Information Sheet for Federal Communicators, Managers, Workers, and Their Partners--Pass It On
The General Accounting Office issued a report on June 12 assessing the status of the reinventing government action items that agencies have reported to the National Performance Review as completed.
On September 7, 1995, Vice President Gore reported to the President in his book, Common Sense Government, that agencies had completed 380 of the National Performance Review's 1, 203 action items. These items implement NPR's original 384 recommendations in 1993 to make the government "work better and cost less." GAO verified that 294 action items, or 77 percent, were completed. It also determined that 66 action items, or 17 percent, were not completed but that, for all but one of them, they were either partially implemented or some action had been taken to begin implementation. GAO was unable to determine if 20 of the action items, or 5 percent, had been implemented because there wasn't enough information available.
NPR Project Director Bob Stone told the GAO, "It is a valuable report that shows the significant accomplishments of the many federal agencies reviewed." To get a free copy of the report, Management Reform, Completion Status of Agency Actions Under the National Performance Review (GAO/GGD-96-94), call GAO at (202) 512-6000 or fax your request to (301) 258-4066. The TDD number is (301) 413-0006.
If your organization has fewer employees, you'll find yourself with more space, furniture, and equipment than you need. What you usually do is transfer the property to a warehouse to be excessed, and turn the space back to GSA. It's the traditional approach, but it's also expensive and time consuming. It may not be the best solution as agencies face the task of governing in a balanced-budget world.
After downsizing, the Chicago Office of Personnel Management came up with another solution for 5,000 square feet of fully-equipped contemporary office space that it didn't need anymore. Working with the help of the Chicago Federal Executive Board, OPM advertised for a new federal tenant. The Internal Revenue Service responded, and now an IRS staff that had been in private rental space has moved to OPM's space. Plus, the two agencies have signed an agreement to share resources, including a telephone system, reception services, and a conference room. Everybody wins, especially the taxpayer.
For more information, contact Tom Ristow at (312) 353-0387.
A 3-day technology conference in Washington, DC, July 9-11, will demonstrate how technology can save you time and money, improve quality, and revolutionize the way public employment and training services are provided to America's workers and employers.
The conference features technology exhibits by leading edge private sector companies and hands-on demonstrations of state-of-the-art public workforce development systems. JETT*CON will have workshops, seminars, and panels of experts on six critical technology tracks: Internet, Operations, Access, Labor Exchange, Training, and Quality.
The Conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill, 400 New Jersey Avenue, NW. The 3-day registration fee is $100, but federal employees with I.D. may attend exhibits, system showcases, and panels FREE from noon- 6:30 p.m. on July 9 only.
JETT*CON is co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration, the National Alliance of Business, and a coalition of national organizations. For more information, contact Saralee Todd at (202) 219-6871.
If you're on the Internet, go right now to NPR's home page (http://www.npr.gov, then go to "News Room") to read the latest issue of NPR's newsletter, Reinvention Roundtable , Vol. 3, No. 1. You'll find out that the U.S. Army is the federal government's biggest user of the IMPAC credit card. This card, in the hands of nonprocurement staff, is saving the Army millions of dollars in administrative costs for small (micro) purchases and people are getting the supplies and services they need quicker. Read "Working on the Change Gang" to find out how a small group of change agents is motivating hundreds of people at the Department of Energy to make pledges to the President and the American people that will save taxpayers millions--maybe billions--of dollars in the next few years.
You'll also find "Ten Things You Can Do Now That You Couldn't Do--or Didn't Do--Before Reinvention." For example, you can survey your customers without getting advance clearance from the Office of Management and Budget as long as your agency has an umbrella agreement with OMB. Depending on your agreement, you may have to send copies of your survey to OMB a week or so before you go to the public. Also, you can get rid of time and attendance sign-in sheets, and you don't have to submit receipts for most travel expenses under $75. Read the story to get details and find out the other seven items.
If you're on the hard copy distribution list, you'll also see that we goofed royally in one story. We mislocated Milwaukee when we highlighted Veterans Affairs Medical Centers in Milwaukee, (it's in WISCONSIN, not Minnesota) and Iron Mountain, MI. These centers won Hammer Awards for their achievements in telepathology, a breakthrough technology that allows doctors to make a diagnosis via closed circuit television, not the Internet as we said in the Roundtable. We've corrected our mistakes on our home page.
Reinvention Roundtable is a hard copy, two-color, 12-page newsletter, complete with photographs and illustrations. The primary audience is federal employees. To get on the hard copy distribution list, send your name and mailing address to Roundtable at fax (202) 632-0390 or email: pat.wood@npr.gsa.gov.
To subscribe to Reinvention Express by email, send an email message to:Listproc@etc.fed.gov with this message:
SUBSCRIBE EXPRESS-L FIRSTNAME LASTNAME. (Put three spaces: after the word "SUBSCRIBE," after "EXPRESS-L," and after your FIRSTNAME.) For fax distribution, send your name, organization, fax and phone number to Pat Wood, National Performance Review, 750-17th St., NW, Washington, DC 20006, (202) 632-0223; FAX: (202) 632-0390; email: pat.wood@npr.gsa.gov. The Express is also on the Internet at http://www.npr.gov.