1 Contracts Administration
The Division of Business Operations is responsible for all Office of Performance and Technology (PROTECH) contracts administration. As of December 2005 the Division of Business Operations is managing over 70 contracts.
Contract Administration involves those activities performed by government officials after a contract has been awarded to determine how well the government and the contractor performed to meet the requirements of the contract. It encompasses all dealings between the government and the contractor from the time the contract is awarded until the work has been completed and accepted or the contract terminated, payment has been made, and disputes have been resolved. As such, contract administration constitutes that primary part of the procurement process that assures the government gets what it paid for.
In contract administration, the focus is on obtaining supplies and services, of requisite quality, on time, and within budget. While the legal requirements of the contract are determinative of the proper course of action of government officials in administering a contract, the exercise of skill and judgment is often required in order to protect effectively the public interest.
The specific nature and extent of contract administration varies from contract to contract. It can range from the minimum acceptance of a delivery and payment to the contractor to extensive involvement by program, audit and procurement officials throughout the contract term. Factors influencing the degree of contract administration include the nature of the work, the type of contract, and the experience and commitment of the personnel involved. Contract administration starts with developing clear, concise performance based statements of work to the extent possible, and preparing a contract administration plan that cost effectively measures the contractor's performance and provides documentation to pay accordingly.
1.1 Contract Planning
1.2 Orders Against Contracts/Agreements
1.2.1 Contract Modification and Options
1.3 Quality Assurance
1.4 Payment and Accounting
1.5 Contract Close-Out
2 Capital Planning
The goal of capital planning is to make the best use of available funds to achieve strategic goals and objectives. Through Capital Planing and Investment Control (CPIC) process, the Office of Performance and Technology (PROTECH), Division of Business Operations (DBO) will manage the Employment and Training Administrations Information Technology portfolio of capital assets to achieve performance goals with the lowest life-cycle costs and least risk.
The Division of Business Operations uses a variety of Capital Planning tools and processes. Foremost among them is the Office of Management and Budget Exhibit 300 and Exhibit 53 budget documents. The DBO works with the DOL Office of the Chief Information Officer to complete and submit ETA's Capital Planning documents to OMB. The DBO works meets with the DOL Office of the Chief Information Officer on a quarterly basis to review ETA capital planning documents and ETA's progress in meeting the Presidents Management Agenda (PMA). The PROTECH Division of Business Operations manages ETA's E-Gov Scorecard. The DBO prepares reports and written responses to the DOL Office of the Chief Information Officer which are used by OMB to assess ETA's compliance with the PMA.
2.1OMB Exhibit 300 & Exhibit 53 Preparation
2.2 Electronic-Government
2.2.1 Presidents Management Agenda (PMA)
2.2.2 E-Gov Scorecard Support
2.3 Quarterly Capital Planning Reviews
2.3.1 DOL'S Capital Planning Subcommittee Member
3 Procurement & Acquisitions Management
The PROTECH Procurement Team is Managed by Gordon Washington. During the 2005 performance period, the PROTECH Performance Team processed and tracked over 686 e-procurement transactions; including the processing of transactions with a dollar value of approximately 49 million dollars in both goods and contract services.
3.1 E-Procurement
3.2 Acquisition and Inventory Control
3.3 Procurement Planning
3.3.1 Forecasting
3.3.2 Determination of Need
3.4 Monitoring and Problem Solving
3.5 Property Management
4 Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) Coordination
The Office of Performance and Technology (PROTECH) Division of Business Operations (DBO) manages the Employment and Training Administrations Paperwork Reduction Act activities. The purpose of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) is to:
(1) minimize the paperwork burden for individuals, small businesses, educational and nonprofit institutions, Federal contractors, State, local and tribal governments, and other persons resulting from the collection of information by or for the Federal Government;
(2) ensure the greatest possible public benefit from and maximize the utility of information created, collected, maintained, used, shared and disseminated by or for the Federal Government;
(3) coordinate, integrate, and to the extent practicable and appropriate, make uniform Federal information resources management policies and practices as a means to improve the productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness of Government programs, including the reduction of information collection burdens on the public and the improvement of service delivery to the public;
(4) improve the quality and use of Federal information to strengthen decisionmaking, accountability, and openness in Government and society;
(5) minimize the cost to the Federal Government of the creation, collection, maintenance, use, dissemination, and disposition of information;
(6) strengthen the partnership between the Federal Government and State, local, and tribal governments by minimizing the burden and maximizing the utility of information created, collected, maintained, used, disseminated, and retained by or for the Federal Government;
(7) provide for the dissemination of public information on a timely basis, on equitable terms, and in a manner that promotes the utility of the information to the public and makes effective use of information technology;
(8) ensure that the creation, collection, maintenance, use, dissemination, and disposition of information by or for the Federal Government is consistent with applicable laws, including laws relating to--
(A) privacy and confidentiality, including section 552a of title 5;
(B) security of information, including the Computer Security Act of 1987 (Public Law 100-235); and
(C) access to information, including section 552 of title 5;
(9) ensure the integrity, quality, and utility of the Federal statistical system;
(10) ensure that information technology is acquired, used, and managed to improve performance of agency missions, including the reduction of information collection burdens on the public; and
(11) improve the responsibility and accountability of the Office of Management and Budget and all other Federal agencies to Congress and to the public for implementing the information collection review process, information resources management, and related policies and guidelines established under this subchapter.
4.1 Coordination of ETA Paperwork Reduction Act Collections
4.2 PRA Training and Guidance Document Development
4.3 OMB PRA Coordination
5 Budget Administration
The Presidents Management Agenda includes a mandate for federal managers to practice sound financial management and align investments with sound business cases. The Office of Performance and Technology (PROTECH) has an operating budget in excess of forty million dollars. The Division of Business Operations (DBO) budget supports over one hundred and fifty contractors. The DBO Budget Team is responsible for overseeing the formulation and execution of the Office of Performance and Technologies annual operating budget. This budget provides direct support to six Regional Offices including fund allocations for telecommunications and computer hardware and software procurement and support.
5.1 Budget Formulation
5.2 Budget Execution
6 Enterprise Architecture
Enterprise Architecture (EA) is a management methodology that integrates technology, budget and business processes. EA is a Federal requirement mandated under A-130, The 2002 E-Gov Act and other Federal Information Technology Laws.
On February 6, 2002 the development of a Federal Enterprise Architecture (FEA) commenced. Led by OMB, the purpose of this effort is to identify opportunities to simplify processes and unify work across the agencies and within the lines of business of the Federal government. The outcome of this effort will be a more citizen- centered, customer-focused government that maximizes technology investments to better achieve mission outcomes.
There are five components or "Reference Models" in the Federal Enterprise Architecture:
1. Business Reference Model (BRM)
2. Service Reference Model (SRM)
3. Performance Reference Model (PRM)
4. Technical Reference Model (TRM)
5. Data Reference Model (DRM)
The PROTECH Division of Business Operations manages ETA's Enterprise Architecture Activities. The Division of Business Operations represents ETA during Departmental Enterprise Architecture Sub-Committee meetings and participates in the development of EA governance, policy and guidance artifacts.
6.1 Federal Enterprise Architecture Support (FEA)
6.1.1 Development of ETA Baseline Enterprise Architecture
6.1.2 Development of ETA Enterprise Architecture Transition Plan
6.1.3 Development of ETA Target Enterprise Architecture
7 Customer Consulting
The Division of Business Operations meets with internal and external ETA stakeholders to define customer project, budget and acquisition needs.
7.1 Project Scope Development
7.2 Project Budget Development
