Professional development.

The National Security Personnel System (NSPS) is coming, and it's coming fast; the Department of the Navy is among the first organizations to be converted. In November 2003, after months in conference, President George W. Bush signed into law the 2004 National Defense Authorization Act, which contains the Defense Department's authority to establish the National Security Personnel System.

This legislation is designed to fix a lot of what was wrong with the old civilian personnel system--and there is every indication that it will do just that. After review, I am convinced that any hard-working, conscientious Department of Defense (DoD) civilian employee will benefit from this system in ways far better that he or she could have under the old system. The two key features that represent the most significant changes are pay banding and pay for performance.

Pay banding is the grouping together of similar jobs that were formerly separated by pay grade in the old Government Service system. For example, the lowest pay band is equivalent to grades GS-5 through GS-11 within a given career field--financial management, for instance. This means that candidates compete only once for an initial job somewhere within the pay band, and can be promoted through all the levels within the band without having to compete again.

I recall being at the mercy of a CPO classifier reviewing an "accretion of duties" action when my supervisor wanted to promote me. This action took months to process, caused great anxiety, and had no assurance of success. There were other times when my supervisor wished to promote me when the classifiers ruled that my job had to be publicly announced for competition, and I was in jeopardy of losing it to a stopper list candidate. I remember clearly just how absurd a way this seemed to treat the very individuals that supervisors wished to reward. This unpleasantness will no longer occur.

There are three pay bands in NSPS (below the Senior Executive Service level), equivalent to GS-5 to GS-11, GS-12/13, and GS-14/15. Employees may have to compete a total of only three times throughout their entire careers to rise through the equivalent of all the GS levels. Not only does this facilitate moving up the pay scales, but it also creates a great deal of flexibility for supervisors within an organization in assigning people to jobs.

In the future, it will be not only desirable but also necessary for high-performing employees to be multi-skilled within a career field. The prudent individual will start cross-training now to be prepared to take the most advantage of the flexibility of this new system.

A feature called pay for performance rewards highly motivated and hard-working individuals; people who do better work and produce more will be paid more from a pool of bonus dollars in each organization. Each year employees will be rated by their supervisors on a scale of 1 to 100. Employees who are rated below 50 will receive no bonus. Employees above 50 will receive a bonus based on how high their scores are. The higher a score, the greater the raise. Job performance rather than seniority as a primary factor will also be considered as a factor if there is a reduction in force.

There are other excellent features of NSPS. The DoD can now recruit new college graduates on an equal footing with private-sector companies, both through scholastic achievement hiring and on-the-spot hiring. Not only can the DoD offer jobs to college graduates without delay, but it can also offer starting salaries comparable to local pay scales for positions.

In fact, initial pay for all hiring will be set by supervisors in accordance with local economic conditions. This allows the DoD to pay the right amount of money for each type of worker it hires. Hiring will become easier for supervisors since the rule-of-three has been eliminated in favor of referral of all eligible candidates or a categorical ranking of candidates. Probationary periods can be as long as three years for more complex occupations. This kind of flexibility has been long needed by DoD managers.

Good things like veterans' preference (yes, I am a vet), due process for all employees, standards and principles consistent with merit system principles, and worker appeals under the Merit Systems Protection Board are retained under NSPS. Employees have the right to organize and bargain collectively, and the DoD has permanent authority to offer separation incentives known as Voluntary Separation Incentive Payments and Voluntary Early Retirements Authority for up to 25,000 employees per year in the event of future downsizing (not including base realignment and closure activities).

The NSPS will not be implemented overnight. In fact, the DoD may initially implement the system for up to only 300,000 employees until its performance management system and train ing have been certified by the Office of Personnel Management. DoD laboratories (already tinder pay banding) are excluded until 2008. The present plan calls for some of the DoD agencies and the Department of the Navy to be the first to be brought under the system. Fiscal resources will be preserved, since during implementation (FY 2004 to FY 2008) civilian pay dollars may not be less than would have been allocated under the old system.

In short, NSPS is a work in process. It has many features that will work for the benefit of managers within the Department of Defense, and can be used by ambitious and competent employees to their personal financial advantage. It represents a major step forward for the Department and should go a long way to improving management and rewarding the most deserving. To follow this initiative as it progresses, check the OSD Civilian Personnel Management Systems Web site at http://www.cpms. osd.mil/nsps/index.html

CDFM Certification Renewals Continue

The process of renewing CDFM certifications over two years old is ongoing. Be sure that the ASMC certification office has your latest mailing address. You will receive a letter stating that 24 months have passed since you were certified and asking you to affirm that you have earned the required 80 hours of continuing professional education (CPE).

If you have moved in the interim but did not update your address, you may not have received this letter. For convenience, both the letter and the form you need to complete and return to ASMC National Headquarters have been posted on the www.asmcertification.com Web site and can be downloaded. If you need to apply for an extension of time to complete your CPE, detailed instructions tell you how. We do not want any of you to lose your CDFM designation.

What's New?

As always, ASMC welcomes your professional development news. Send items to Mr. John Raines, Associate Director for Professional Development, ASMC National Headquarters, 2034 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite 145, Alexandria, VA 22314 or through e-mail at [e-mail]. The toll-free number is [phone].

See you next time!

The National Security Personnel System

"The bill [fiscal year 2004 National Defense Authorization Act] allows the Defense Department to set up a National Security Personnel System for the civilian workforce, and represents the most significant improvement to civilian personnel management since the Civil Service Reform Act of 25 years ago. These reforms will provide senior managers greater flexibility in managing our dedicated civil service, empower them to compete for high-quality talent, offer compensation competitive with the private sector, and reward outstanding service. It will build greater pride in the civilian workforce and attract a new generation of civilians to public service."

--Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld November 7, 2003

Sally Easterling began her government career 12 years ago with DFAS-Columbus and continued it in Charleston, South Carolina, in the payroll department. Then, after several years with the Defense Contract Audit Agency, she became a financial manager for the 726 AMS/FM at Rhein Main Air Base, Germany. A member of the Rhein Pfalz Chapter of ASMC, she is involved in volunteer work and enjoys traveling.