[Federal Register: March 8, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 44)]
[Notices]
[Page 11074]

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OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

Science and Technology Laboratory Personnel Management
Demonstration Project, Department of the Army: the Aviation Research,
Development, and Engineering Center (AVRDEC).

AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.

ACTION: Notice to make a technical correction to the AVRDEC Federal
Register notice, Part V, Volume 62, Number 124, published on June 27,
1997, specifically, the definition of competitive area.

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SUMMARY: 5 U.S.C. 4703 authorizes the Office of Personnel Management
(OPM) to conduct demonstration projects that experiment with new and
different personnel management concepts to determine whether such
changes in personnel policy or procedures would result in improved
Federal personnel management.
    Public Law 103-337, October 5, 1994, permits the Department of
Defense (DoD), with the approval of OPM, to carry out personnel
demonstration projects at DoD Science and Technology (S&T) Reinvention
Laboratories. This notice makes a technical correction to the AVRDEC
Personnel Management Demonstration Project.

DATES: This demonstration project may be implemented at the U.S. Army
Aviation Research Development, and Engineering Center beginning on
March 8, 1999.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: AVRDEC: Mr. David E. Knepper, U.S.
Army Aviation and Missile Command, Attn: AMSAM-AR-ZS, Building 5681,
Redstone Arsenal, AL 35898-5000, phone 256-313-4895. OPM: Ms. Joan
Jorgenson, U.S. Office of Personnel Management, 1900 E Street N.W.,
Room 7460, Washington, DC 20415, phone 202-606-1315.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Background

    OPM has approved Science and Technology Laboratory Personnel
Management Demonstration Projects and published the AVRDEC final plan
in the Federal Register on Friday, June 27, 1997, Volume 62, Number
124, Part V. The AVRDEC demonstration project involved simplified job
classification, paybanding, performance-based compensation systems,
employee development provisions, and modified reduction-in-force
procedures.

2. Overview

    The Aviation Research, Development, and Engineering Center
published its final project plan on June 27, 1997. The final plan
incorporated changes made as a result of specific comments received
from individuals during the public comment period. The comments were
addressed in the final publication of the Federal Register. Any
resulting changes to the plan were incorporated into that same
document.
    One commentor stated that the initial plan appeared to limit
competitive areas to occupational families in all geographic areas. The
commentor was concerned that the reduced number of employees in a
particular occupational family would result in smaller competitive
levels and lead to more separations from that occupational family if
reduction-in-force (RIF) occurred in AVRDEC. Project managers agreed
with the commentor and replied that a change would be made to Section
III, Paragraph F: Revised Reduction-in-Force (RIF) Procedures,
introductory paragraph, to clarify the meaning of the subsequent
paragraph, Competitive Areas. This paragraph stated that positions
included in the demonstration project at a specific geographic location
will be considered a separate competitive area. Because of an
oversight, however, the plan was published without making the
correction.

    Dated: March 2, 1999.

    Office of Personnel Management.
Janice R. Lachance,
Director.

I. Executive Summary

    The Department of the Army established the AVRDEC Personnel
Management Demonstration Project to be generally similar to the system
in use at the Navy Personnel Demonstration Project known as China Lake.
The project was built upon the concepts of linking performance to pay
for all covered positions, simplified paperwork in the processing of
classification, revised its reduction-in-force procedures and proposed
other innovative interventions; emphasizing partnerships among
management, employees, and unions, and delegating other authorities to
line managers.

II. Introduction

Purpose

    The purpose of this notice is to make a technical correction to the
definition of competitive area. The correction is hereby made to the
Federal Register, Part V, Science and Technology Reinvention Laboratory
Personnel Demonstration Project at the Aviation Research, Development,
and Engineering Center (AVRDEC); Notice, Volume 62, Number 124, Friday,
June 27, 1997; page 34920, column one, under F. Revised Reduction-in-
Force (RIF) Procedures, Introduction. Lines 1-12 are corrected to read:

    Modifications include limiting competitive area, as defined
below, and increasing the emphasis on performance in the RIF
process. Retention criteria are in the following order: tenure,
veterans' preference, service credit adjusted by a sum of the last
three performance ratings. Current reduction-in-force regulations/
procedures have been adjusted in the context of the occupational
family and the payband classification system.

    All other provisions of the approved AVRDEC Personnel Management
Demonstration Project will apply. Employee notification will be made by
delivery of copies of the amendment to union officials, to AVRDEC
employees included in the project, and by posting on the Internet.

[FR Doc. 99-5581 Filed 3-5-99; 8:45 am]
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