Management
Park Service updates management policies
Proposed policy includes strict guidelines for approving construction projects.
Management
USDA scraps plan to close field offices
Proposal to close more than 700 Farm Service Agency offices had run into widespread opposition on Capitol Hill.
Defense
Pentagon to house business programs in central agency
Various departmentwide initiatives would be included in agency’s portfolio.
Management
Getting ahead: Secrets to climbing the government ladder
The most successful civil servants tend to be people who successfully navigate the tricky terrain where political appointees and career officials meet.
Management
Postal panel backs overhaul bill
In letter to lawmakers, Postal Rate Commission rejects criticism of legislation by agency's Board of Governors.
Management
Commerce opens Katrina contracting center
Web site, call center aimed at connecting small and minority-owned businesses to agencies involved in reconstruction effort.
Management
Davis-Bacon dispute highlights long-running debate over contractor wages
One of President Bush's first steps in response to Hurricane Katrina was to suspend the law that governs the wages of workers who construct federal facilities.
Defense
Air Force chief vows crackdown on cost overruns
In tight budget environment, agency will look for ways to cut back.
Management
Most agencies meet first ‘strategic sourcing’ deadline
Initiative requires analyzing three types of major purchases to find ways to cut better deals.
Management
Implementation cited as biggest obstacle to personnel reforms
Many policies already in place are underused, observers say.
Management
Social Capital
In emergency situations, informal relationships can be as critical as formal ones.
Management
Contractor health care measure remains in Defense spending bill
Language prevents Pentagon from granting contractors an advantage in public-private job competitions if they pay less in employee health premiums than the government does.
Defense
In one Louisiana parish, flexibility trumps bureaucracy
The experience of Plaquemines Parish, La., after Katrina points to a new, more fluid way to organize relief operations.
Management
Unions in face-off to represent Customs, Border employees
U.S. Customs and Border Protection workers will choose between National Treasury Employees Union and American Federation of Government Employees.
Management
Labor issues rules for contractors on collecting job applicant data
New regulations clarify how government classifies job applicants who apply for jobs over the Internet.
Defense
Panel approves Bush pick for Immigration, Customs bureau
Democrats had vowed to opposed Julie Myers' nomination, saying she was unqualified, but only two showed up for vote.
Management
Energy unit paid contractor award fees despite poor performance
Agency lacked clear evaluation plan, inspector general report says.
Management
Judge rejects DHS attempt at revising personnel rules
Rules still don’t go far enough in protecting collective bargaining rights, federal judge rules.
Management
EPA completes first long-term competitive sourcing plan
Inconsistencies in job inventories didn’t stop agency from finishing strategy.
Defense