| Comment Number: | OL-10508806 |
| Received: | 3/15/2005 10:51:16 AM |
| Subject: | Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Request for Comment |
| Title: | National Security Personnel System |
| CFR Citation: | 5 CFR Chapter XCIX and Part 9901 |
| No Attachments |
Comments:
Performance measurements for Contracting (procurement) employees. Currently, the performance measures in contracting are more subjective than objective. Thus, in some cases, managers rate employees on the relationships cultivated with supervisors or managers versus productivity or quality of work. To fairly implement objective performance measures, management must measure timeliness, complexity, productivity, and quality. It is easy to measure how long it takes a buyer to issue solicitations and contracts from the time the buyer receives the purchase request (PR). But, that doesn't take into account the complexity of the requirement (purchase) nor the quality of the contract or contract file. A buyer with less complex PRs will have a higher productivity rate than buyers with more complicated buys, such as higher dollar value, services, etc. Also, buyers can improve timeliness, by preparing shoddy contracts and contract files that require rework and modifications down the road. Further, if the program office supplies incomplete or inaccurate PRs and attachments, the time counts against the buyer to get it right. But, the program office should furnish quality information to the buyer, so the buyer, in turn, can provied a quality product (contract and file). In summary, how will DoD ensure that Contracting management objectively measures timeliness, productivity, complexity, and quality, as well as quality PR packages from the program offices and item managers? Not fairly measuring all of these will will result in unintended consequences. Also, a comprehensive objective measurement system would permit management to better allocate their human resources. Since that isn't the case right now, the workload is not equitably distributed. Some buyers work assiduously due to their heavy or complex workload, while others have a leisure workload, because management doesn't have the tools to adequately measure workload. Measurement Axioms: "Tell me how I will be measured and I will tell you how I will behave." "If you use illogical measures, don't complain about illogical behavior." Please improve our performance measuremnet system to make it both effective and fair.