OPM develops exchange program for IT managers

The Office of Personnel Management on Thursday solicited public comments on a program that would allow federal information technology managers to temporarily switch roles with their private sector counterparts.

OPM posted a proposed rule in the Jan. 15, 2004 Federal Register, seeking input on the development of an exchange program where career IT managers at federal agencies could accept temporary assignments at private companies as long as they promised to return to their government posts. The program, called the "Information Technology Exchange" and authorized by the 2002 E-Government Act, is intended to "improve the competency of the federal workforce in using IT to deliver government information and services," OPM's notice stated.

Such an exchange could help address a shortage of skilled federal IT project managers, said George Molaski, former chief information officer of the Transportation Department.

"This is a way of bringing in private sector talent to address critical short-term [IT] management needs," said David McClure, vice president of e-government at the Council for Excellence in Government. Company managers will also bring agencies a fresh perspective on technology management, he added, furthering innovation and creativity.

The program has a much broader purpose as well, Molaski said: To enhance the skills of information technology managers in both sectors. Federal employees participating in the exchange would gain much broader, richer, management experience and could receive training in new techniques, McClure said.

Managers at private companies would likely be eager to participate in the exchange, Molaski said, because they would gain a better understanding of how the government operates. "Where else can you send somebody in to help integrate [IT systems from] 22 different agencies?" he noted. Molaski is now president and chief executive officer of E-Associates LLC, a technology consulting company in Falls Church, Va.

But agencies could have a hard time implementing the program effectively if they do not receive adequate guidance, Molaski said.

The exchange would be open to federal managers with "exceptional" performance records in GS-11 level or higher positions. Members of the Senior Executive Service and certain interns, including Presidential Management Fellows, also would be eligible. In turn, agencies would accept managers from private companies.

Assignments under the exchange program could last from three months to a year, and could be extended in three-month increments for an additional year. Federal managers could not spend more than a total of six years working on an exchange assignment.

The E-Government Act leaves open the question of whether program participants would report to supervisors at their temporary workplace or to their permanent bosses. But before leaving on assignment, managers would have to sign an agreement specifying a supervisor and performance expectations. The agreement also would require the managers to return to their regular work upon completing the assignment, and to stay for at least as long as they had spent on the exchange.

Comments on the exchange program are due by March 15, and can be sent via e-mail to employ@opm.gov or via fax (202) 606-2329. Written comments can be mailed to: