Assessment of Workload at Field Warranted Locations Date: Tue, 17 Feb 1998 17:26:04 -0500 To: "Alice A Sabatini, Administrative Officer, Reston, VA" From: "Alice A. Sabatini" In Reply Refer To: Mail Stop 442 February 17, 1998 MEMORANDUM To: Administrative Officers From: Alice A. Sabatini Division Administrative Officer Subject: Assessment of Workload at Field Warranted Locations REPLY REQUESTED BY MARCH 20, 1998 The Office of Acquisition and Federal Assistance (OAFA) is required to implement the new requirements in the Department of the Interior's Contracting Officers Warrant System (COWS) by March 1999. There are many new requirements in the COWS. The major changes that impact our WRD field operations include: * Warrants must be supported by workload data. * Contracting Officers must receive training on a recurring basis to maintain their warrant. Training is required every two years for $10,000 warrants and every 4 years for $5,000 warrants. In addition, the bureau has decided to limit the issuance of new warrants at the $5,000 level and to review all existing warrants at this level. It is believed that most needs previously serviced by this warrant level are now being met through the use of bankcards. The Chief, OAFA, has assured me that each WRD cost center that cannot support a warrant by workload can support a warrant by local service criteria. Specific information on local service criteria was distributed via email on September 30, 1997. A copy of that message is attached. A warrant will also be considered where the site is working on or has established a cross-servicing agreement with other USGS division offices. The OAFA has identified the following warrants that cannot be supported by workload based on the FY 1996 workload statistics submitted in January 1997. Some locations did not submit a response and must submit workload information now in order to maintain their warrant(s). If your office is on this listing, you must submit a request to retain your warrant based on the local service criteria by March 20, 1998. Your request should be sent to Nancy Hill at Mail Stop 442 or by email to njhill. We will review your request for completeness and forward it to OAFA for processing. Cost centers on this listing that have more than one warrant will need to forward all but one for cancellation. Cost centers that are not on this list were determined to have sufficient workload volume to support at least one warrant. During the spring and summer, the OAFA will be reviewing each cost center with multiple warrants to determine if the workload is sufficient to support all warrants. Where only one warrant exists, it will be reissued with little or no additional input required. We recommend that offices with only one warrant develop a formal "buddy" arrangement with another cost center for backup support in the absence of the contracting officer. This formal arrangement may be listed to partially fulfill the local service criteria. Offices must disclose this arrangement because the warrants issued under the new COWS will restrict the service area to the resident cost center and specific other offices where there are formal cross- servicing arrangements. Questions may be directed to me, Nancy Hill, or Susan McCullough in the OAFA. Attachments Attachment A Listing of Non-Supported Warrants The following offices may support one warrant by local service criteria and must render the other warrant(s) for cancellation. A response is required by March 20, 1998. Cost center Highest Warrant Number of Warrants Comment Northeast Region Indiana $10,000 2 Kentucky $10,000 2 Maine $ 5,000 1 No data submitted New Jersey $10,000 1 No data submitted Ohio $10,000 1 Delaware River Master $ 5,000 1 No data submitted Virginia $10,000 3 West Virginia $10,000 2 Southeast Region Regional office $10,000 2 Alabama $10,000 1 Florida-Tallahassee $10,000 2 Florida-Miami $10,000 2 Florida-Tampa $10,000 1 Florida-Jacksonville $ 5,000 1 No data submitted Sedimentary Inst. Project Vicksburg, MS $ 5,000 1 No data submitted North Carolina $10,000 1 Arden FO $ 5,000 1 No data submitted Winston-Salem FO $ 5,000 1 No data submitted Puerto Rico $10,000 2 Tennessee $10,000 2 Central Region Arkansas $10,000 3 Colorado-Pueblo $ 5,000 2 Colorado-Grand Junction $10,000 1 Iowa $10,000 2 Louisiana-Ruston $ 5,000 1 No data submitted Montana $10,000 2 New Mexico $10,000 2 North Dakota $10,000 2 South Dakota $10,000 2 Western Region Arizona $10,000 3 California-San Diego $ 5,000 1 No data submitted Nevada-Las Vegas $10,000 2 No data submitted Oregon $10,000 2 Utah $10,000 1 Washington $10,000 1 In Reply Refer To: Mail Stop 442 February 17, 1998 MEMORANDUM To: Administrative Officers From: Alice A. Sabatini Division Administrative Officer Subject: Assessment of Workload at Field Warranted Locations REPLY REQUESTED BY MARCH 20, 1998 The Office of Acquisition and Federal Assistance (OAFA) is required to implement the new requirements in the Department of the Interior's Contracting Officers Warrant System (COWS) by March 1999. There are many new requirements in the COWS. The major changes that impact our WRD field operations include: * Warrants must be supported by workload data. * Contracting Officers must receive training on a recurring basis to maintain their warrant. Training is required every two years for $10,000 warrants and every 4 years for $5,000 warrants. In addition, the bureau has decided to limit the issuance of new warrants at the $5,000 level and to review all existing warrants at this level. It is believed that most needs previously serviced by this warrant level are now being met through the use of bankcards. The Chief, OAFA, has assured me that each WRD cost center that cannot support a warrant by work-load can support a warrant by local service criteria. Specific information on local service criteria was distributed via email on September 30, 1997. A copy of that message is attached. A warrant will also be considered where the site is working on or has established a cross-servicing agreement with other USGS division offices. The OAFA has identified the following warrants that cannot be supported by workload based on the FY 1996 workload statistics submitted in January 1997. Some locations did not submit a response and must submit workload information now in order to maintain their warrant(s). If your office is on this listing, you must submit a request to retain your warrant based on the local service criteria by March 20, 1998. Your request should be sent to Nancy Hill at Mail Stop 442 or by email to njhill. We will review your request for completeness and forward it to OAFA for processing. Cost centers on this listing that have more than one warrant will need to forward all but one for cancellation. Cost centers that are not on this list were determined to have sufficient workload volume to support at least one warrant. During the spring and summer, the OAFA will be reviewing each cost center with multiple warrants to determine if the workload is sufficient to support all warrants. Where only one warrant exists, it will be reissued with little or no additional input required. We recommend that offices with only one warrant develop a formal "buddy" arrangement with another cost center for backup support in the absence of the contracting officer. This formal arrangement may be listed to partially fulfill the local service criteria. Offices must disclose this arrangement because the warrants issued under the new COWS will restrict the service area to the resident cost center and specific other offices where there are formal cross-servicing arrangements. Questions may be directed to me, Nancy Hill, or Susan McCullough in the OAFA. Attachments Attachment A Listing of Non-Supported Warrants The following offices may support one warrant by local service criteria and must render the other warrant(s) for cancellation. A response is required by March 20, 1998. Cost center Highest Warrant Number of Warrants Comment Northeast Region Indiana $10,000 2 Kentucky $10,000 2 Maine $ 5,000 1 No data submitted New Jersey $10,000 1 No data submitted Ohio $10,000 1 Delaware River Master $ 5,000 1 No data submitted Virginia $10,000 3 West Virginia $10,000 2 Southeast Region Regional office $10,000 2 Alabama $10,000 1 Florida-Tallahassee $10,000 2 Florida-Miami $10,000 2 Florida-Tampa $10,000 1 Florida-Jacksonville $ 5,000 1 No data submitted Sedimentary Inst. Project Vicksburg, MS $ 5,000 1 No data submitted North Carolina $10,000 1 Arden FO $ 5,000 1 No data submitted Winston-Salem FO $ 5,000 1 No data submitted Puerto Rico $10,000 2 Tennessee $10,000 2 Central Region Arkansas $10,000 3 Colorado-Pueblo $ 5,000 2 Colorado-Grand Junction $10,000 1 Iowa $10,000 2 Louisiana-Ruston $ 5,000 1 No data submitted Montana $10,000 2 New Mexico $10,000 2 North Dakota $10,000 2 South Dakota $10,000 2 Western Region Arizona $10,000 3 California-San Diego $ 5,000 1 No data submitted Nevada-Las Vegas $10,000 2 No data submitted Oregon $10,000 2 Utah $10,000 1 Washington $10,000 1