Federal Manager's Daily Report

The Senate version of the annual DoD authorization bill (S-2943) would affect many DoD management practices, including making permanent the long-running Civilian Acquisition Workforce Personnel Demonstration Project.

That project, operating since 1999 on a series of temporary extensions, involves flexible hiring authorities, pay banding, occupational grouping and other features common to demonstration projects. A Senate report says those policies “have become essential within the acquisition cadre of workforce management tools.”

It also would make permanent several temporary hiring authorities for DoD research and engineering laboratories, along with setting a new policy allowing enhanced pay for certain positions in those labs.

Other changes include: removing restrictions on managing civilian personnel on the basis of full-time equivalent positions and end-strength; direct hire authority for financial management experts, highly qualified post-secondary students and recent graduates, wage grade employees, and certain scientific and engineering positions in test and evaluation facilities; a pilot program of year-long sabbaticals for up to 300 civilian employees each year; a reduction in SES positions at DoD of 25 percent; a new general exchange program allowing for rotations of employees between DoD and private industry; and making permanent an existing exchange program involving certain IT positions.