Archived News

The NBC Takes Another Step Forward in ePAYROLL Consolidation

The NBC is nearing completion of the project to eliminate and replace the current Emergency Firefighter/Vendor Pay System (EFF/VP). The major portion of this system, which makes payments to non-federal firefighters and emergency workers for the Department of the Interior's four firefighting bureaus (National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Bureau of Indian Affairs) and the U S Department of Agriculture Forest Service, will be incorporated into the Federal Personal and Payroll System (FPPS). Payments to vendors will be made by the agencies' finance systems. Parallel processing for these new users of FPPS was scheduled for November 29 through December 10, 2004. The Personnel and Payroll Systems Division (PPSD) sent staff to Ogden, UT and Boise, ID the week of November 29, 2004 to assist with parallel processing from the two major payment centers. The "Go" decision took place during a conference call with the EFF Steering Committee on December 10, 2004. The project is on target for January 2005 implementation, as part of release 2.13 of FPPS. (December 2004)

NBC Welcomes New Director

The National Business Center welcomes Douglas J. Bourgeois as the new Director of the NBC. He assumes leadership of the NBC effective October 1, 2004. Doug comes to the NBC from the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) where he most recently served as its Chief Information Officer. Doug will be located at the DOI Main Interior Building in Washington, DC. For more information on Doug click on the About Doug Bourgeois link on left side of this page.

Doug replaces Tim Vigotsky who retired from Federal Service effective September 30, 2004.

Welcome Doug! (October 2004)

ALL IN THE FAMILY

The National Business Center is pleased to welcome two new members to our expanding family of valued customers and announce the expansion of service to one of our existing customers.

One of our new customers is the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), a new government corporation, which will provide U.S. foreign development assistance to countries that adopt pro-growth strategies for meeting political, social and economic challenges. The challenges of building a new government corporation were minimized by coming to the NBC for cross-servicing of administrative systems. The NBC began providing human resource services in February to help MCC bring on staff. FPPS/ePayroll Services were implemented in March, as were Oracle Federal Financial Services in April. In addition NBC currently provides accounting operations support, IT services, and systems support to the MCC. It has been an exciting time for both the MCC and NBC. Here is a picture from a NBC site visit by the MCC.

Another of our new customers is the Public Defender Service of the District of Columbia (PDS). PDS is a federally funded, independent agency of the District of Columbia. Its mission is to provide quality, zealous legal representation to the indigent people facing a loss of liberty in the District of Columbia. In May of this year the PDS signed an interagency agreement with the NBC, which specifies that the NBC will provide implementation and support services for Oracle Federal Financials. The PDS will take advantage of NBC's Oracle Shared Service Arrangement, which has been developed to meet the needs of small agencies with limited staff and budget. In addition to support for this core financial management COTS (commercial-off-the-shelf) application, the NBC will also be providing Accounting Operations Services. The interagency agreement also allows the NBC to provide supplemental on-demand Acquisition Services when requested by PDS.

The NBC is also pleased to announce an expansion of services provided to the African Development Foundation (ADF). ADF is a government corporation, which provides small grants directly to private organizations in Africa to carry out sustainable self-help development activities in an environmentally sound manner. ADF has also elected to take advantage of NBC's Shared Service Arrangement of Oracle Federal Financials implementation and support. The interagency agreement, which specified an implementation start date of April 2004, also includes Accounting Operations Services. These new services augment the personnel, payroll and related services that the NBC has been providing to ADF over the past few years, and the temporary human resources operational support services that we have providing for the last few months.

The National Business Center extends a welcome and thank you to our new customers the Millennium Challenge Corporation and the Public Defender Service of the District of Columbia; and a gracious thank you to the African Development Foundation for allowing us to strengthen and expand our business relationship with an existing valued customer.

For additional information on NBC products and services call the Customer Relations Management Office at 303-969-7181. (July 2004)

NBC signs Educational Partnership Agreement with the School for Educational Evolution and Development (SEED), on May 11, 2004, before the full assembly of students who attend the nation's first inner-city public boarding school. Chartered in 1997 by the DC Public Charter School Board, the SEED school officially opened its doors in 1998 to the first 40 students in a temporary academic and dormitory space at the Capital Children's Museum.

Today, the SEED school serves 305 students in grades seven through twelve, who occupy two dormitories on the recently completed campus located in Southeast Washington, DC. Students choose to enroll in this unique college preparatory boarding school program for a variety of reasons. Some come because they want SEED's rigorous school program that will push them towards college matriculation. Some enroll because their parents recognize that they are not thriving in a traditional public school environment, and others come because their families fear the negative influence of their neighborhoods or because they lack stability at home. Whatever their background, SEED students are united in their pursuit of academic excellence and the desire to become active, responsible citizens who will improve the quality of life for their families, their communities and themselves.

The academic program at SEED provides students a skills-focused, standards-based curriculum the first two years (grades seven and eight), followed by a college-preparatory curriculum the remaining four years. Students receive individualized attention to ensure they achieve their academic potential. Strong role models provide a nurturing environment 24 hours a day to achieve the schools mission to prepare the students academically and socially for success in college and in the professional world.

This new educational partnership will allow both the NBC and SEED school to explore avenues for joint programs, activities, and initiatives that enhance learning experiences and engage students in understanding the ongoing operations of their government. Students and faculty will have access to the DOI library as a research facility as well as opportunities to participate in programs and activities sponsored by the Division of Cultural Resources and Special Events and DOIU. Most importantly, the partnership provides the NBC an opportunity to foster student interest in American history, cultural and natural resources, conservation, public service, financial and business practices and give back to the community we serve. (June 2004)

"For the Cranes"

The new U.S. Department of the Interior Museum exhibit, "For the Cranes" opened Friday, May 7, 2004, in celebration of International Migratory Bird Day 2004, and continues through August 6, 2004.

"For the Cranes" features art by children in India for an International Crane Foundation-sponsored program alerting students to the significant threats facing 11 of 15 species of cranes. The ICF promotes the global understanding of crane conservation through this program, The Children's International Art Exchange. The United States and India are two of ten participating countries that host competitions, select works for exhibition and send them to other nations taking part in the exchange. The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Division of International Conservation provided assistance to the Indian Program.

India is home of the Sarus Crane, and until recently, winter home to the Siberian Crane. Many of the young artists live in Guwawhati-a small city in northeastern state of Assam. In this area, the Brahmaputra River flows through the foothills of the Himalayas. Using watercolors, tempera paints, crayons, and pastels, the students have created beautiful, sublime images. The children's art captures the beautiful essence of the crane and its relationship to the natural environment.

The Interior Museum is part of the NBC's Strategic Management of Human Capital Directorate, DOI University, Division of Cultural Resources and Events. For more information, contact the Interior Museum at 202-208-4743. (May 2004)

DOIU Launches 2004 Government-wide Forums

Judith Viorst, author of Grown Up Marriage, entertained and enlightened 70 Federal employees on Tuesday, February 10, at the American Institute of Architects building in Washington, DC. This Forum and five additional 2004 forums will be held in the Washington, DC, area. They are sponsored by thirteen Federal agencies and coordinated by the NBC's DOIU. On March 23, Ira Chaleff, author of Courageous Follower, will look at the dynamics of the leader-follower relationship. The event will take place at the National Press Club.

On Tuesday, February 24, Jim Loehr, author of The Power of Full Engagement kicked off the Denver Forums at the Pines at the Genesee Conference Center. The second in the three-part Denver Forum series to be held on April 21 will feature Riane Eisler, author of The Power of Partnership, speaking to a general audience in the morning and a smaller executive group in the afternoon. Fifteen Federal agencies sponsor the Denver series. New agencies may purchase subscriptions for these forums by calling Susan Leonard, Chief, NBC/DOIU Cultural Resources and Events on 202-208-2654. (March 2004)

Employee Created Murals Tour the United States

A series of murals measuring forty-feetwide are on display in the Art Hallway at the USGS National Center in Northern Virginia during the winter of 2004. The murals depict mission critical activities of the Interior Department and were created by teams of employees representing the bureaus of the Interior Department. The murals premiered in Washington, DC, at the Interior Museum in the fall of 2003 and traveled to Los Angeles for exhibit at the national conference, "Joint Ventures: Partners in Stewardship" in November.

The murals are the third in a four-part series entitled "Art, Collaboration & Conservation." The final installment of the series is titled "Art Can Serve as a Catalyst for Conservation." It opens in May 2004 in Washington, DC, at the Interior Museum and features the exhibit "For the Birds" and a family workshop.

The Interior Museum is part of the NBC's Strategic Management of Human Capital Directorate, DOI University, Division of Cultural Resources and Events. For more information, contact the Interior Museum at 202-208-4743. (February 2004)

Presidential Management Fellows Orientation

NBC's DOI University conducted a two and a half day orientation to the Department for the prestigious 2003 Presidential Management Fellows Program. During the orientation, held on December 16-18, 2003, thirteen fellows had the privilege of hearing from keynote speaker Deputy Secretary Steven Griles as well as Assistant Secretary Lynn Scarlett, the Bureau Directors, and many other members of the Department's executive management team. They also toured the historic Main Interior Building downtown, viewing the treasure trove of artifacts and murals within. The last day of the program began with a roadtrip to the Patuxent National Wildlife Refuge Center which showcases ties to DOI's Strategic Plan in resource protection, serving communities, and recreation. The ultimate highlight of the program was a meeting and photo opportunity with Secretary Gale Norton. For more information about the programs offered by DOI University, please visit their web site. (January 2004)