1. Purpose. The purpose of this chapter is to describe the Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility (HIF) component; to explain its objectives, scope, and the responsibilities of those individuals using or managing the component; and to establish policies and procedures for the component’s use and operations.
2. Component Objective. The objective of the HIF Fee-for-Service component is to provide a mechanism without fiscal year constraints (1) for reimbursing the HIF for warehouse sales, rentals, repairs, and science support activities performed for Water Discipline programs, other USGS Disciplines, other DOI bureaus, and other Federal agencies (OFAs) and (2) for reimbursing the HIF for the sales and rentals activities of the Hydraulics Laboratory Facility Program performed for private industry, State and local governments, academia, OFAs, and international organizations.
3. Scope. The HIF is a Fee-for-Service component of the WCF and so operates on a full-cost-recovery basis. The HIF warehouse supports hydrological instrumentation hardware and software, as well as related supplies, for all Water offices, other USGS Disciplines, other DOI bureaus, and OFAs. These support services are provided on a reimbursement basis, with the price of each service/instrument/equipment calculated to cover all direct and indirect costs associated with those services (in compliance with Chapter 4. sec. 3.C, (1)–(3)). The Hydraulic Laboratory Facilities Program consists of a towing tank, jet tank and pipe flow facility, two tilting flumes, and a simulated flood-plain facility—all of which provide technical assistance to USGS offices, private concerns, State and local organizations, OFAs, and academia both nationally and internationally. Rental and sales rates are available on a per day, hour, or instrument basis.
4. Background. The Water Discipline gathers data for determining the location, amount, availability, and quality of the ground and surface water throughout the United States and its territories. Approximately 90 percent of the hydrologic instrumentation used by the Water Discipline is supported and/or serviced by the HIF. The HIF warehouses 900 different types of instrumentation—of which 100 types are rented, 750 types are sold, 50 types are sold and/or rented, and all types are repaired, calibrated, and/or tested. The HIF rents approximately 9,200 items, including various data loggers, data-collection platforms, sensors, and support equipment to the Water Discipline offices and OFAs.
Rental, sales, and repair costs are logged into the HIF Computerized Support System II (CSS II), and clients are billed according to the approved price schedule/fees. Regarding product descriptions and price schedules, an internal catalog in HIF-CSS II is available to USGS clients. This information is also accessible via Water’s One-Stop Shopping software to USGS and OFA clients. The actual rental, sales, and repair work are accomplished over a period of time, determined by the incoming workload and demand on the warehouse system. Workload and demand on the warehouse supply system fluctuate, with the busy season being between mid-April and early October. As a result, from July to September, procurements cannot be realized due to short timeframes, processing problems, and available funds. The HIF’s Hydraulic Laboratory Facilities Program is composed of two components—the hydraulic laboratory (which comprises a 3,250-square-meter indoor laboratory housing a 140-meter-long towing tank, live velocity jet tank, pipe flow facility, and two tilting flumes) and a 15.5-hectare simulation facility for large-scale hydraulic modeling and equipment testing. Calibration and testing work is billed directly to the client in accordance with applicable USGS regulations. The WCF component enables the HIF to balance the fees received for all services/support provided within the period in which the work was accomplished, without fiscal year restrictions.
A. The Associate Director for Water and the Chief, Office of Surface Water, are responsible for the following:
(1). Providing the Chief, HIF, and staff with guidance on component policies and procedures and periodically reviewing the HIF component for compliance with these policies and procedures.
(2). Providing internal reports and financial plans to the Bureau Budget Officer on the operation and financial condition of the component.
(3). Providing component oversight, including pricing schedule and other necessary documents.
B. The Chief, HIF (or designated individual), is responsible for the following:
(1). Complying with the policies and procedures of the components and notifying the Associate Director for Water of any discrepancies or problems.
(2). Certifying that component funds are available prior to the approval of an investment expenditure request.
(3). Reviewing and developing annual pricing schedules.
C. The Administrative Officer, HIF, is responsible for developing annual Bureau
operating budgets and work plans.
D. The Administrative Operations Specialist, HIF, is responsible for the following:
(1). Complying with the policies and procedures of the component.
(2). Preparing necessary financial reports.
(3). Maintaining all necessary documentation for the HIF component.
(4). Maintaining continuity between billing programs for the HIF.
(5). Overseeing documentation requirements related to income collection, including the internal voucher process.
(6). Following established guidelines related to Investment Plans for future
acquisition needs.
A. Pricing. The HIF operates on a full-cost-recovery basis. The rates are reviewed annually and cover all direct and indirect costs associated with purchase, repair, and maintenance of instrumentation hardware and software for warehouse rental and sales programs. The rental and sales rates in connection with the Hydraulics Laboratory Facilities activities are also reviewed annually and are adjusted in accordance with fluctuations in direct and indirect costs.
B. Billing and Collecting. Billing and collecting are accomplished monthly by using information from HIF-CSS II and FFS internal vouchers for the warehouse sales and rental programs. Water Discipline offices enter orders in HIF-CSS II and are charged electronically. Offices of other USGS Disciplines and other Federal agencies may use their Government bankcards for order payments or may transmit purchase orders, which HIF bills by using the IPAC (Intra-Governmental Payment and Collection) system. Because many types of customers incur charges with the Hydraulic Laboratory Facilities Program, each customer is billed in keeping with USGS regulations specific to that organization (that is, IPAC, DI-1040, Government bankcard).
C. Budget. The operational budget is dependent upon services/support required by the Water Discipline, OFAs, and other clients. The Chief, HIF, is responsible for projecting budget requirements and monitoring expenditures against the approved budget.