Yvonne et al.,

Here at the Department of Justice, we went through a streamlined A-76 for our Web Services staff. It was a streamlined study because of the small number of staff involved. I think any function or office having less than approximately 60 staff is eligible for a streamlined study. We had 10 fte as part of the study. We notified staff (not a pleasant experience) and went through the process of developing a Performance Work Statement and then the cost projections were done. As you're aware, a streamlined study is not a work analysis or a "most efficient organization" review, but is solely based on cost...and cost alone. We were very afraid that our staff (generally GS-13s and 14s) would be very expensive and that we would lose the competition to the private sector. We were surprised to learn at the end of study and during the cost comparison that our Federal costs were about 9.7 million while the private sector costs would be about 14.5 million. Obviously this is more than just personnel; it's also contractual assistance, space, IT, etc., etc., but we beat the private sector. As a result, our Federal employees stayed and it's back to business. One little caveat is that the Performance Work Statement can apply to the Federal employees even if they win the competition, so you might want to be careful about the Work Statement and the accompanying Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) which is where program evaluation kicks in. I've read that most Federal staffs do win the competitions.  

The good news is that our Federal employees stayed put; the bad news is that morale has plunged and I had to keep convincing other staff that they would not be next on the list. DOJ feels pretty strongly that libraries are inherently governmental because we support lawyers and their work, but IT functions are under real scrutiny.

Hope this helps...

Blane Dessy
DOJ
(202) 514-3148    

-----Original Message-----
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Sent: Tuesday, December 14, 2004 7:44 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Competitive Sourcing: A Catalyst for Change
Importance: Low


Dear Colleagues,

The Technical Information Center and Library at the MSHA Academy is a
specialized collection focusing on mine health and safety.  We are in the
middle of a streamlined A-76 study at the moment. We should hear by December
20th whether or not they have decided to keep us in-house or go to the MEO,
advertise etc. Does anyone have any suggestions? Advice?

This is a case where they are considering ALL library jobs including mine --
the librarian/director. This could possibly leave the Technical Information
Center and Library contract being managed by a federal employee with no
library education or training. Maybe this is typical -- I don't know.

I would like to hear any and all experiences. There is no way that I could
attend this session and I fear that it will be too late in the game to help
us.

Yvonne Farley
Director
Technical Information Center and Library
National Mine Safety and Health Academy
1301 Airport Road
Beaver, WV 25813
304-256-3531

-----Original Message-----
From: FEDLIB: Federal Librarians Discussion List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Publications FLICC
Sent: Monday, December 13, 2004 9:32 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Competitive Sourcing: A Catalyst for Change--FLICC Brown Bag

FLICC MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT MA2005-8

Brown Bag Series

Competitive Sourcing: A Catalyst for Change

Bring Your Lunch!

Join your colleagues for a discussion of the competitive sourcing
process including possible outcomes, how it may happen and what has to
be done. Experienced librarians from a number of federal agencies will
provide an overview of the process, introduce vocabulary, clarify
acronyms such as MEO, SOW, PWS and COTR, and share resources. There will
be opportunity for audience discussion and comments, and the program
will end with a question and answer session.

Date
Tuesday, January 11, 2005

Time
12:30 noon--3:00 p.m. (Registration begins at 12:00 noon)

Place
West Dining Room, Madison Building, Library of Congress, 101
Independence Avenue, S.E., Washington, D.C. Feel free to bring your
lunch to this session or purchase it at the Library of Congress
cafeteria (Madison Building, 6th Floor).

Metro
Capitol South (Orange and Blue lines)

Sponsor
FLICC Competitive Sourcing Working Group

Registration
Free--but advance registration is required. Visit the FLICC Educational
Programs Web site at http://www.loc.gov/flicc/feveform.html to register
online or call the FLICC office at (202) 707-4800. To view a PDF version
of this Meeting Announcement visit
http://www.loc.gov/flicc/ma/2005/ma0508.pdf.

Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at (202)
707-6362 TTY or [log in to unmask]

Information
Call FLICC (202) 707-4800; TTY (202) 707-4995

Cancellations
Please notify FLICC (202) 707-4800 if you are unable to attend to allow
those on the waiting list a chance to register.