Dear Colleagues:

On behalf of the Extramural MEO Transition Team, I would like to update you on progress towards implementing the Division of Extramural Activities Support (DEAS). As always, we encourage you to visit the MEO web site at http://extramuralmeo.nih.gov for the latest vacancy listings, FAQs and other information.

STAFFING UPDATE

Management Tier
The three top DEAS management tiers--director, hub managers, and supervisors--are expected to be largely staffed by the end of April. DEAS Director Mary Frances Deutsch has been on board since March 22 (see announcement at http://extramuralmeo.nih.gov/news-director-031504.asp) and is actively working on transition activities. Candidates for the hub manager positions have been interviewed, and most of the GS-11/12 supervisors have been selected. NIH is currently advertising for two more GS-11/12 supervisors.

GS-9/11/12 Positions
Interviews are under way for the GS-9/11/12 workload and quality control specialists.

GS-8 Positions
Review panels will evaluate applications for the GS-8 task leader positions in April, and send their recommendations to the DEAS leadership for final selections. Information on whether an applicant indicated a willingness to accept a downgrade will not be shared with the review panels or the selecting officials; thus, that information will not influence the selections. The task leader selections will be announced as soon as the placement process for those positions is completed.

Reassignment of Grades 2-7 Staff
In-scope employees in grades 2-7 will be reassigned to DEAS at their current grade. The placement process for these employees has been simplified. Instead of applying through QuickHire, employees will complete a brief e-mail questionnaire about their current position and work schedule and their preferences for location, hub and position in DEAS. Employees will be encouraged to attach a resume (optional, but recommended). The NIH Office of Human Resources (OHR) expects to send out the questionnaire within the next month.

OHR will also send an e-mail to in-scope employees in grades 8 and above who were not placed in DEAS (because they either didn't apply or weren't selected) asking if they are interested in accepting a position in DEAS at a lower grade.

External Hires
The GS-4/5/6 positions open to all sources are now being advertised (see vacancy announcements at http://extramuralmeo.nih.gov). NIH contractors and student employees who work in extramural support and are interested in joining the federal service should consider applying for these positions. (In-scope students will be reassigned to temporary appointments in DEAS unless they obtain permanent positions under the GS-4/5/6 announcement).

It is important to remember that external hires will complement, not replace, NIH employees eligible for the GS-4/5/6 positions. The reason for advertising externally is because we anticipate needing more DEAS employees at those grades than are available among the NIH staff. The external positions are being advertised now, before NIH staff in grades 7 and below are reassigned, to allow for the longer time involved in recruiting from all sources.

UPDATE ON STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES

The services that DEAS will provide are spelled out in the Performance Work Statement (PWS) for extramural support services at NIH (http://www.nih.gov/od/olao/oa/contracts/GrantsMgmt2/C-5.pdf). But the PWS does not prescribe the "how to" for performing those services. The job of developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the tasks in the PWS went to the Best Practices subcommittee of the Extramural MEO Transition Team. The Best Practices group formed three work groups to draft SOPs for grants management, review, and program support services.

The draft SOPs were circulated to the Institutes and Centers (ICs) for comment, and are now being revised based on the IC input. The revised SOPs will go to the Extramural Program Management Committee (EPMC) for review in mid-April, and from there will go to the Extramural Activities Working Group (EAWG), which advises the NIH director on extramural policy, for final approval.

UPDATE ON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) SYSTEMS

An IT subcommittee of the Extramural MEO Transition Team has been exploring the IT needs of DEAS and the various systems available to meet those needs. The subcommittee is reviewing different systems for tracking and managing workloads, including those currently used by the ICs. The IT group will identify a system with the features and flexibility to accommodate DEAS and its customers, and forward its recommendation to the leadership of DEAS and the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) for a final decision. The OER has established a 12-week timeframe for installation of the new system.

DEAS IS ESTABLISHED AS NIH ORGANIZATION

DEAS was officially established in March as a division within the new Office of Administrative Operations in the NIH Office of Extramural Research. (DEAS will not be fully operational for some months yet; an exact date has not been established.) According to its functional statement, DEAS will 1) plan, direct, coordinate and conduct support for grants management, peer review and scientific program management functions at NIH, 2) carry out the work requirements in the Performance Work Statement for extramural support services, 3) analyze workload data and identify areas for improving efficiency and effectiveness and for using economies of scale associated with consolidating similar activities, and 4) introduce standardized best practices and re-engineer business practices to increase workforce productivity.

DEAS has three branches, or hubs, each of which will serve a particular group of customers. Hub A will provide extramural support services to NCI (including Frederick), NEI, NIDCD, NIDA, NIAAA, NIMH, NINDS, NCMHD and NICHD. Hub B will serve NHLBI, NIAID, NIDDK, NCCAM, NCRR, NIAMS, NIBIB and NINR. Hub C will serve CSR, NHGRI, NIA, NIGMS, NIDCR, OD, FIC, NIEHS, and NLM.