Principal Administrative Officers		Alternates
Linda Adams, NGHRI		Jackie Robinson, NEI
Eve Burrell, NICHD
Olive Childers, OD, OIR
Ana Ferreira, NINR
Carroll Hanson, NHLBI
Linda Mongelli, NIDDK
Katy Perry, NIAID
R.J. Ruff, NIMH
Brenda Sandler, NIAAA
John Savannah, ORS
Carol Smith, NINDS
Edie Smith, CIT
Vernary Taylor, NIDCD

Meeting of Principal Administrative Officers-Closed Session

Ms. Brenda Sandler called the meeting to order.

Ms. Olive Childers distributed a DRAFT of a chart containing intramural professional designations matched to OMB Reason Codes (IG, A-Commercial Core, B-Commercial Competitive, C-Commercial Exempt). The chart was developed by a group of intramural administrators in response to A-76 issues.

Report from Scientific Director's Meeting on 4/3/02-Ms. Olive Childers

• The Institute for Defense Analysis (IDA) is interested in outreach to the NIH research community for advice on biomedical issues through senior fellowships. The program would provide a bridge between NIH and the national defense agencies.
  
• Ms. Cyrena Simons presented proposed rent policies regarding swing space, space occupancy, rent start dates, forced moves, and Director's Reserve. Also discussed was the disparity between rent charges for on-campus and off-campus buildings. This topic is very important to the IAOG, so we have requested that Ms. Simons make a presentation to us.
  
• The NIH Library presented a proposal that NIH pay $10,000 for an institutional membership in BioMed Central so any NIH staff could publish an article in approximately 70 journals under its umbrella without paying the processing fee of $500 per paper. The journals are all electronic and freely available once published. In FY 2002 NCBI and NCI will share the cost of the membership.

Report from Executive officers Meeting on 4/2/02-Ms. Olive Childers

• Ms. Corliss Taylor presented the annual report on NIH Child Care. Issues discussed included the availability of 350 positions with a waiting list of 800, the lack of exclusive use by NIH of the childcare facility (staff at other government agencies have access), etc.
  
• Rental policies presented by Ms. Simons (see SD Meeting above).

Announcements

• Ms. Brenda Sandler invited the members of the Intramural AO Group (IAOG) to a memorial reception for Benedict J. Latteri (Dick), former acting deputy scientific director of the NIAAA Division of Intramural Clinical and Biological Research. Many of the IAOG knew Dick as the Chief Administrative Officer for the NIAAA intramural program who was a member of the IAO Group from its inception. The reception will be held on the NIH campus, in the Cloister (Bldg. 60) from 4:00 to 6:30 PM on Friday, May 3, 2002. The reception will feature the presentation of the first Benedict J. Latteri Award, to be given to a pre- or postdoctoral trainee who produced a significant publication within the past year. A distinguished committee will select the awardee. RSVP to trc@mail.nih.gov. Also on May 3, from 8:15 AM to 4:00 PM, there will be a scientific symposium on "Ion Channels and Synaptic Transmission" in Dick's honor in the Natcher Conference Center, Building 45.
  
• Ms. Oliver Childers mentioned the creation of the Office of Strategic Management Planning, OD, NIH, headed by Stephen Benowitz, and this office will concentrate on workforce planning and A-76 issues.
  
• Mr. Larry Chloupek announced that a subcommittee of the DES Facility accessibility Committee arranged for two short training sessions designed to inform the administrative and EEO communities about some key aspects of laboratory, office and building public space design that should be standard considerations so that the NIH facilities will readily accommodate the disabled.

  When and Where:

  Thursday, April 11 - 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Building. 31, Conference Room 6.

  Tuesday, April 23 - 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Building 31, Conference Room 10

Presentation - MEG

The NIH Information Technology Acquisition and Assessment Center (NITAAC) awarded a new 5-year contract for $350 million to the MedEquipment Group (MEG) of Integrated Concepts and Research Corporation (ICRC), an SBA 8(A) subsidiary of Koniag, Inc., which is an Alaska Native Corporation. Ms. Deborah Woodward of (MEG) discussed how MEG can provide medical and research equipment and the benefits of how this contract can help manage end of fiscal year purchases. MEG's attributes save time and money including, but not limited to the following:

• Receive one price from Meg who competes the order with multiple vendors, tracks and maintains files with all the necessary backup paperwork.
  
• Order from multiple vendors with one Record of Call or Visa transaction.
  
• Track orders from quote to delivery with one document number.
  
• Avoid sole source justifications (must do a "justification of need").
  
• Request quotes online from MEG's website and get fast turnaround response.
  
• No need for a synopsis in CBD because this is a delivery order award, allowing us to place an order against this contract with no wait and no competition.
  
• Buy products at or below GSA price.
  
• Satisfy 8A requirements, no drop-dead dates; speed of acquisition; approximately 5% of G&A and profit.

Meeting of Administrative Officers-Open Session

I. Telework

Alisa Green, a Program Specialist in OHRM, is the NIH Telework Coordinator. She discussed teleworking as it presently exists at NIH and the economies of scale in space savings and parking that it represents.

• Public Law 106-346, Section 359, dated October 23, 2000, instructs Federal agencies to review telecommuting policies, increase participation, and establish eligibility criteria. The law provides that 25% of an agency's eligible employees shall be participating in a telecommuting program this year, and an additional 25 percent each year to reach 100% within four years.
  
• The HHS policy on telework is in place and supercedes NIH policy. A manager must now reply in writing if an employee requests telecommuting and is not allowed to participate. An agreement must be signed by the employee and his/her manager.
  
• NIH requires monthly reports on the numbers of employees telecommuting. April 2000 = 173; March 2002 = 384.
  
• Three types of telework exist: 1) regular (2 days per week); 2) episodic (as needed); and 3) medical.
  
• An NIH pilot program with four Institutes participating started with 52 employees and ended with 48 participants.
  
• Problems include 1) eligibility-managers have different standards; 2) remote connectivity at NIH are so diversified; 3) security on home computers; 4) how telework affects other employees in the office.
  
• Handouts included 1) a DRAFT NIH Telework Agreement; 2) a list of Telework Resources; 3) GSA FACs; 4) HHS Telecomuting Program Policy; 5) Telework Laws; 6) Telecommuting Resources Web Sites; and 7) IC Telecommuting Coordinators.
  

II. ID Badges and Clinical Center Designations in NED

Ms. Linda Raye of the Clinical Center stated that employees who have patient care responsibilities now have a special designation on their ID badges. Ms. Raye introduced Ms. Terry Sutter from CIT, and she demonstrated in NED on the services tab the addition of the designations to be added to the badges of employees in the Clinical Center and ICs who "touch" patients. Administrative Officers must redo any badges for employees who have patient contact. Designations are numerous and include, but are not limited to, Physician, Nurse, Physician's Assistant, Escort, Social Worker, Technician, etc. This was the first notification that the IAOG received of this new addition to NED. Ms. Debbie Thompson of ORS is the coordinator of re-badging, and in Building 10 it will take place between May 1 and June 1, 2002.