The Office of Personnel Management published final
regulations for the federal IT exchange program in the
August 15 Federal Register.
The regulations implement provisions of the e-government
act of 2002 that allow for the temporary placement of
federal IT managers in the private sector for training
and development, or vice versa, to promote the
interchange of skills and competencies.
Under the program employees can be appointed between
three and 15 months.
Effective September 14, the rules clarify key terms set
forth in the proposed regulation issued in January, and
incorporate other changes.
The new rule specifies “private sector organization”
as a “profit-making business entity registered in the
Central Contractor Registration Database,” which
generally rules out academic institutions and
non-profits; appointments to these institutions are
already covered under the Intergovernmental Personnel
Act Program.
Only “exceptional employees” are eligible and the final
rule defines that as “an employee who is rated at the
highest levels of the applicable performance appraisal
system.”
OPM also defined eligibility criteria for IT management
as, “the planning, organizing, staffing, directing,
integrating, or controlling of IT as defined by Office
of Management and Budget Circular A-130.”
