Current Projects
Forest Service-MEO Assessment

Client/Funder:
U. S. Forest Service (Department of Agriculture) (posted 9/16/05)

Purpose and Scope:

The United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service (Forest Service) completed an A-76 study of its information technology (IT) infrastructure functions in 2004. These functions—computers, networks, and voice and radio communications—support Forest Service headquarters operations and field operations located throughout the nation. The Government proposal was selected as the winning bidder and its Most Efficient Organization (MEO) received a 5-year, $295 million contract. The contract was awarded in July 2004 and transition to the contract and associated operations began in October 2004 with the signing of a Letter of Obligation (LOO). Actual implementation was begun in February 2005. The new MEO has been underway since that time. The Forest Service has asked the Academy to conduct an independent assessment of the MEO, including a full review of the overall A-76 process and its’ implementation with respect to:

1. MEO performance
2. Letter of Obligation administration
3. operational effectiveness of the MEO
4. customer service responsiveness of the new organization
5. flexibility in responding to changes in the management situation
6. management understanding and support for new methods and management
7. organizational acceptance of the new work environment
8. functional effectiveness of the resulting IT infrastructure

This review must meet the annual review requirements under Circular A-76.

The Academy will address the eight areas listed above in two phases. One will emphasize the new management environment and responsiveness of the MEO to that environment—essentially items 4 through 8 above. These phases represent operational effectiveness areas of specific interest to Forest Service management officials, which may influence how the LOO is administered in coming years. This phase of the work will be emphasized during the initial four months of the study. Using a combination of individual interviews and focus groups, the Academy team will obtain perspectives on issues impacting the management environment, and management’s understanding of and the organization’s acceptance of changes resulting from the introduction of the MEO approach.

The second area will focus on MEO performance under its LOO and involve items 1 through 4 above. It will essentially represent the A-76 required one year assessment. This work will start by reviewing available reports that contain data on MEO performance and provide perspectives on achievements and deficiencies in MEO operations. However, field work will not begin until the management environment work discussed earlier is well under way.

Center:

Academy Studies

Project Director:

Bruce McDowell

Project Status:

Ongoing

Panel:

Franklin S. Reeder, Chair*—President, The Reeder Group. Former Director, Office of Administration, The White House. Former positions with the U.S. Office of Management and Budget: Deputy Associate Director for Veterans Affairs and Personnel; Assistant Director for General Management and Deputy Assistant Director; Chief, Information Policy Branch and Deputy Chief; Policy Analyst; Chief, Systems Development Branch. Former Deputy Director, House Information Systems, and Committee Staff, Committee on House Administration, U.S. House of Representatives. Former positions with the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Department of Defense focusing on information technology and systems.

Panel Members

Sharon S. Dawes*—Positions with the University at Albany, State University of New York: Director, Center for Technology in Government; Associate Professor, Department of Public Administration and Policy; Adjunct Professor, Information Science Doctoral Program. Former positions with the Rockefeller Institute of Government: Executive Director, Forum for Information Resource Management, State of New York; Executive Fellow and Study Director, New York in the Year 2000. Former positions with the New York State Department of Social Services: Associate Commissioner, Division of Income Maintenance; Assistant Director of Management Planning; Project Management Specialist; Data Manager.

Nancy A. Potok*—Acting Director, Economics, Labor and Population Department, National Opinion Research; Acting Vice President and Director, New Immigrant Survey, National Opinion Research Center. Former Principal Associate Director and Chief Financial Officer, Associate Director for Administration/Controller, Bureau of the Census; Deputy Assistant Director for Finance and Budget, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts; Budget Examiner, Office of Management and Budget; Presidential Management Intern, U.S. Department of Transportation; Staff, Senate Transportation Appropriation Subcommittee.

Patrick J. Kelly— President, PJ Kelly Consulting; Former U.S. Forest Service positions including Assistant Director, National Fire and Aviation Program; Regional Aviation Officer, Pacific Northwest Region; Air Center Manager, Redmond, Oregon. (added 10/18/2005)

Statement of Disclosure of Patrick J. Kelly-Patrick J. Kelly states that: The following information is offered in support of my declaration of potential conflict of interest for position of panelist in support of the Assessment of Information Technology Infrastructure project.

I believe that I can perform the duties of a panelist without conflict of interest. I previously served as a NAPA panelist on a series of Wildfire Management Panels, 2002-2004. I retired from the USDA Forest Service December 31, 1999. Since then I have been engaged by the Forest Service as an emergency employee on an occasional basis (2000-2004); and as a consultant and contractor (2001-to date). These employment and consulting and contracting engagements have included a wide variety of assignments involving the preparation for and management of a wide variety of emergencies including wildfires, animal diseases, hurricanes, tornados, floods and other incidents. I have led a series of review teams examining the underlying causes of large, costly wildfires. I was a member of the Secretary of Agriculture's Independent Large Wildfire Cost Review panel in 2004.

I have a contract with the Southern Region USDA Forest Service for training and consulting services in wildfire and emergency management. I have bids pending with the USDA Forest Service National Headquarters for International Forestry Consulting Services and for Wildfire Management Consulting. I have been requested by the Forest Service to be a panelist on the Secretary's Independent Large Wildfire Cost Review Panel 2005. I may bid other contracts from the Forest Service and from other agencies and institutions in the next 6 months.

I believe that I have an excellent grasp of the overall mission of the Forest Service and the role that Information Technology Infrastructure support contributes to or constrains the accomplishment of the agency's many missions. I have no financial interest in any component of the Information Technology Infrastructure. I believe that I can perform the duties of a panelist without conflict of interest.

* Academy Fellow


Meetings:

Meeting 1: December 19, 2005 (posted 10/31/05)
Meeting 2: January 20, 2006 (posted 10/31/05)
Meeting 3: March 24, 2005 (posted 10/31/05)