NIH POLICY MANUAL

This chapter provides guidelines and procedures for the acquisition of temporary commercial conference space by an NIH Office of the Director (OD) Office or Institute/Center (IC) if suitable conference space managed by NIH Events Management Services is not available.  The NIH Events Management Services is organizationally located within the Division of Medical Arts (DMA), Events Management Branch (EMB).  Throughout the remainder of this chapter the Events Management Branch will continue to use the name recognized by the NIH community - NIH Events Management Services.

This chapter is being revised to (a) retitle the chapter; (b) retitle Form NIH 827-1, “Request for Acquisition of Temporary Commercial Conference Space”; and (c) add required sections for Records Retention and Management Controls.

2.  Filing Instructions: 

Remove:  NIH Manual 26101-17-1 dated 12/1/1992

Insert:  NIH Manual 26101-17-1 dated 8/21/08

 PLEASE NOTE: For information on:

• Content of this chapter, contact the issuing office listed above.



• NIH Manual System, contact the Office of Management Assessment, OM, on (301) 496-4606.
  
  
• On-line information, enter this URL:  http://www1.od.nih.gov/oma/manualchapters/

This chapter describes policies and procedures for the acquisition of temporary commercial conference space when conference space managed by NIH Events Management Services is not available.  Adherence to these policies and procedures will result in the effective and efficient use of conference space managed by NIH Events Management Services and decrease the use of appropriated funds for procuring commercial conference space.

B. Background:

1. Federal Travel Regulation Part: FTR 301-74 as it applies to:



1. Conferences sponsored and paid for by NIH appropriated funds when commercial conference space is to be used, including conferences scheduled through consultants or contractors.



2. Commercial conference space acquired as part of a "package deal" in which commercial conference space is provided by an establishment at no cost, contingent upon the acquisition of temporary lodging, meals, etc.



2. These regulations and guidelines do not apply to events such as conferences and meetings of advisory committees governed by the Federal Advisory Committee Act and conferences sponsored by non-NIH organizations for which NIH provides partial financial support. Such events are not subject to approval requirements by the NIH Events Management Services.

C. Policy:

1. Institutes and Centers (ICs) and the NIH Offices of the Director (OD) are required to use NIH, IC or other Government conference space whenever it is available and is adequate for meeting a conference’s requirements.  Rather than requesting commercial conference space, ICs should, whenever possible, adjust proposed conference dates to match available Government space.



2. When Government-controlled space has been sought but is unavailable, commercial conference space may be requested as follows:
   
   
   1. When conference participants consist primarily or totally of NIH employees, commercial conference space should be sought in the local area or within a 50 mile driving radius thereof. Costs to be paid by the Government are limited to commercial conference space and administrative services only.
   
   
   
   2. The primary consideration for requests for commercial conference space when the event is to be held outside the local area, and involves non-NIH participants should be the most convenient geographical location relative to the travel of the majority of conference participants whether they are NIH or non-NIH participants.
   
   
   
3. Proposed arrangements for commercial conference space must be the most economical and effective in terms of total cost to the Government for travel, per diem, lodging, conference space, and other associated costs of conference facilities and services.  ICs must complete form NIH 827-1, Request for Acquisition of Temporary Commercial Conference Space.  The request must provide cost comparisons supporting the request in addition to a justification for the need for commercial conference space.  The following are acceptable justifications:
   
   
   1. Recurring events which benefit the NIH mission by varying the location so that participants take turns in sharing travel related expenses.
   
   
   
   2. Events that precede or follow another major event and result in time and cost savings for the Government.
   
   
   
   3. Events comprised of additional evening or weekend sessions conducted before or after the main conference which utilizes NIH conference space.  For example, the use of commercial conference space by advisory council members for an evening or weekend session as part of the main council event; where the majority of participants are staying in a local hotel during the visit.
   
   
   
   4. Events that require resources that NIH Events Management Services is not able to provide.
   
   
   
4. Costs for commercial conference space or services for conferences held in NIH Events Management Services managed conference space can not be authorized in the NIH Business System via a Travel Order Authorization (Order), nor can such costs be claimed on a Travel Voucher in the NIH Business System.

D. References:

1. NIH Manual Chapter 1363, “NIH Events Management Services”: http://www1.od.nih.gov/oma/manualchapters/management/1363/



2. Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) Part 301-74 – Appendix E to Chapter 301—Suggested Guidance for Conference Planning. http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/channelView.do?pageTypeId=8199&channelId=-16524&specialContentType=FTR&file=FTR/Chapter301pAppE.html#wp1185528



3. NIH Manual Chapter 1743, "Keeping and Destroying Records," Appendix 1, NIH Records Control Schedule:  http://www1.od.nih.gov/oma/manualchapters/management/1743/



4. NIH Manual Chapter 1500, “Travel Policies and Procedures”: http://www1.od.nih.gov/oma/manualchapters/management/1500/



5. NIH Delegation of Authority, Acquisition # 27: Conference Support/Collection and Retention of Registration Fees under Contract: http://delegations.od.nih.gov/DOADetails.aspx?id=3021



6. NIH Delegation of Authority, Travel #03A: Local Travel and Per Diem at the Official Duty Station: http://delegations.od.nih.gov/DOADetails.aspx?id=1586



7. NIH Delegation of Authority, Travel  #17 Conference Planning Provisions: http://delegations.od.nih.gov/DOADetails.aspx?id=3022



8. HHS Strategic Sourcing Event Management Services BPA vendor list: http://intranet.hhs.gov/ssc/em/

E. Definitions:

1. Conference-  An assembly of individuals, interested in the subject area, whose attendance is by designation or invitation and the expenses incurred are paid by the sponsoring IC(s) and/or one or more NIH OD Offices.



2. Commercial Conference Space-  Commercially available conference space that is not under the control of an IC, NIH OD Office, NIH Events Management Services or another Federal Government organization.



3. IC/NIH OD Office Conference Space- Conference space assigned to and controlled by an IC or by an NIH OD Office which is defined as a room with a capacity of less than 50 persons and less than 500 sq. ft.



4. NIH Conference Space- Conference space managed by NIH Events Management Services, Division of Medical Arts, ORS.  



5. NIH Events Management Services-  The NIH office responsible for the operation of NIH conference space, and the provision of video production, and related technical services including but not limited to audiovisual support and NIH television operations.

F. Responsibilities:

1. NIH Events Management Services is responsible for determining the availability of NIH Conference Space and is the final reviewing and approving entity for requests for the use of commercial conference space.



2. Depending upon the method used to procure conference space, the Executive Officer (EO), delegated official and/or administrative officer is responsible, within their organization, for the initial review and approval of requests for commercial conference space.  They are also responsible for certifying that, pursuant to Federal Travel Regulation (FTR), the use of travel funds for conferences were reviewed and determined to be (1) consistent with the IC/NIH OD Office travel plans or (2) essential for the accomplishment of the IC/NIH OD Office’s mission.  The applicable Federal Travel Regulation policies with respect to conference planning are:
   
   
   1. Minimizing conference costs, including administrative costs, conference attendees’ travel costs and conference attendees’ time costs;
   
   
   
   2. Minimizing conference costs  by conducting official business by telephone, teleconference and video-conference; 
   
   
   
   3. Maximizing the use of Government-owned or Government provided conference facilities;
   
   
   
   4. Identifying opportunities to reduce costs in selecting a particular conference location and facility; and
   
   
   
   5. Developing and establishing internal policies to ensure these standards are met.
   
   
   
3. The IC/NIH OD Offices conference sponsors are responsible for coordinating the completion of documents cited in this chapter, for requesting the use of commercial conference space and for checking the availability of other Federal government conference facilities.

G. Procedures:

1. IC/NIH OD Office actions:
   
   
   1. Efforts should be taken by the conference sponsor to secure IC/NIH OD Office conference space. If this is not possible, the conference sponsor should contact NIH Events Management Services on (301) 496-6699 in advance of the scheduled conference (consult NIH Manual Chapter 1363 for applicable priorities for reservations); to ascertain the availability of NIH conference space for the event(s) scheduled date(s) and location.  The sponsor should provide primary and alternate dates, when feasible. If conference space is available, the procedures outlined in the NIH Manual Chapter 1363 shall be followed for reserving space.
   
   
   
   2. If NIH conference space is not available, the sponsor will receive an e-mail from NIH Events Management Services stating that suitable space is not available for the date(s) requested.   NIH Events Management Services will provide the requester the procedures for requesting commercial conference space which include:
      
      
      1. A copy of NIH Events Management Services e-mail that suitable space is not available; and
      
      
      
      2. Form NIH 827-1, “Request for Acquisition of Temporary Commercial Conference Space”
      
      
      
      3.  The conference sponsor completes Form NIH 827-1 which provides a cost comparison of three facilities that includes costs for lodging, conference and breakout rooms, light refreshment, and administrative services (travel).  This is required to ensure the most suitable facility has been selected at the most advantageous cost to the Federal government.  If the conference sponsor selects a vendor from the HHS Strategic Sourcing Event Management Services BPA vendor list, one cost proposal is acceptable. The vendor list is available at the following website: http://intranet.hhs.gov/ssc/em/
      
      
      

   3. The IC or NIH OD Office Fund Approving Official’s signature on the Form NIH 827-1, Part B, certifies the use of appropriated funds for travel, conference facilities, and support services outlined in the request. Upon completion the documents listed above should be sent to the NIH Events Management Services Program Official, Building 31/6C17, MSC 2380.
      
      The completed documents shall be prepared and submitted as soon as it is determined that NIH conference space is not available or that an acceptable justification as described in Section C.3 applies.

2. NIH Events Management Services action:

   1. The NIH Events Management Services will review the documents identified in 1.b. and approve/disapprove the request.  If suitable NIH Conference Space is available upon receipt of the documents, the request will be disapproved.  The IC or NIH OD Office sponsor will be notified of the decision within two working days of receipt of the documents.

   2. NIH Events Management Services will maintain a log of approved and disapproved requests for commercial conference space.

H. Records Retention and Disposal:

All records (e-mail and non-e-mail) pertaining to this chapter must be retained and disposed of under the authority of NIH Manual 1743, “Keeping and Destroying  Records, Appendix 1, NIH Records Control Schedule, Section 1100 – General Administration,  Item 1100 – M “General Administrative Files at IC and lower levels” (all items that apply).
 
NIH e-mail messages: NIH e-mail messages (messages, including attachments, that are created on the NIH computer systems or transmitted over the NIH networks) that are evidence of the activities of the agency or have informational value are considered Federal records.  These records must be maintained in accordance with current NIH Records Management guidelines. Contact your IC Records Officer for additional information.
 
All e-mail messages are considered Government property, and if requested for a legitimate Government purpose, must be provided to the requester. Employees' supervisors, the NIH staff conducting official reviews or investigations, and the Office of Inspector General may request access to or copies of the e-mail messages.
 
E-mail messages must also be provided to the Congressional Oversight Committees, if requested, and are subject to the Freedom of Information Act requests. Since most e-mail systems have back-up files that are retained for significant periods of time, e-mail messages and attachments are likely to be retrievable from a back-up file after they have been deleted from an individual's computer. The back-up files are subject to the same requests as the original messages.

I. Management Controls:

1. Office Responsible for Reviewing Management Controls relative to this Chapter: The Division of Medical Arts, ORS is responsible for the method used to ensure that management controls are implemented and working effectively.



2. Frequency of Review:  Ongoing review; annually.



3. Method of Review:  NIH Events Management Services maintains oversight and ensures effective implementation and compliance through the review of numerous resources, including but not limited to an ongoing comparison of costs between the acquisition of commercial conference space vs. the use of NIH Conference Space.  On an annual basis NIH Events Management Services, with the assistance of the NIH Office of Financial Management will conduct an audit between their log of approved/unapproved requests for commercial conference space and procurements listed under Object Code 232A.



4. Review reports are sent to:  The Director, DMA, ORS; the Associate Director, Program and Employee Service Cluster, ORS; the Associate Director for Research Services; and Deputy Director of Management, NIH.  Reports will indicate that management controls are in place and working effectively.  Issues of special concern will be brought to the immediate attention of the Associate Director for Research Services.

NIH