Dec. 1 - AMS/GIPSA/FSA Reorganization Update

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service sent this bulletin at 12/01/2017 03:14 PM EST

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Reorg

Good day Stakeholder,

In keeping with Secretary Perdue's Nov. 13 letter to Congress, AMS will largely begin operating under the new organizational structure beginning Dec. 10. This means that affected employees joining the new Fair Trade Practices Program (FTPP), the Commodity Procurement Program (CPP), and Information Technology Service (ITS) will begin reporting to their respective Program areas on Dec. 10. In addition, we are finalizing the details of the operation for AMS’ Headquarters-based functions (e.g., Administrative Services, the Budget Office, Civil Rights, Public Affairs, and the Safety Office). We expect to complete the finishing touches for these functions in the next week and will communicate information for those employees in the very near future. We also have a special "One Team AMS" column that further outlines how different processes and actions will be handled so that everyone is one the same page

In the coming weeks, employees new to AMS will receive an email with directions on how to schedule appointments to update their expiring LincPass credentials. While LincPass updates will not affect whether employees will be paid, it will affect accessibility to various websites and documents.

Next week, we will also be sharing a preview of the first round of website updates with staff before they are made public. The initial updates are relatively small and primarily involve agency branding. We want everyone to have a chance to provide feedback on this step in the process of combining websites. During December, the web council will continue to plan the details of where and when other pages from the GIPSA and FSA websites will move into the AMS system. We appreciate the work of the program and IT staff involved in this project.

As always, thanks for all that you do!

Bruce Summers

Acting AMS Administrator

    Becoming One Team AMS

     

    Team AMS Square

    In terms of reporting for FTPP, CPP and ITS, affected employees will begin providing certain information (e.g., weekly report submissions, correspondence, press releases for clearance) through their respective Deputy Administrator offices as of Dec.10. And, once we have additional guidance on performance plans from the Department, affected employees would receive their performance plans through their new Program area. This shift in reporting is an important and exciting step in fully standing up these new or expanded AMS Programs.

    Administrative changes such as moving funds, changing accounting codes, and putting a coding structure in place to realign employees takes time and is currently an area of focus for the transition team. Until we complete these tasks, there will still be key administrative functions that need to continue to be processed through the existing/current servicing contacts of affected employees. For example, affected FSA, GIPSA and AMS employees should continue submitting and receiving WebTA approvals through their current supervisor under their current accounting codes. Once the transition team is able to implement the administrative changes, we will send another e-mail with additional information on what actions you will need to take.  

    Most importantly, “What Does this All Mean for You” if you are a FTPP, CPP or ITS employee affected by the transition?  

    A. Please begin submitting the following items through your supervisory chain to your new Deputy Administrator’s office as of Dec. 10:

    1. Correspondence on AMS letterhead
    2. Weekly Activity Report (WAR), Hot Issues, and Monthly report submissions
    3. Press releases for clearance
    4. Briefing, Info, Decision Memos and “e-memos” for the Deputy Administrator’s signature
    5. Rulemaking packages with new cover sheets reflecting the appropriate Deputy Administrator’s signature
    6. Office of General Counsel (OGC) list updates

    B. Please continue submitting the following items through current supervisory or resource management chain and accounting information until otherwise notified:

    1. WebTA
    2. Concur authorizations and vouchers
    3. SF-1164s for reimbursement
    4. SF-52 requests (e.g., for details, promotions, hiring)
    5. Agreements/contracts approvals
    6. Conference packages through CTAT 

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Q: Usually when an employee transfers to another Agency, certain leave categories (e.g.- Comp, Credit, Time-off Award) are paid or lost upon transfer. With FSA transferring to AMS, what will happen to FSA employees' leave categories? If any impact will occur to leave balances, will stakeholders be notified of impact and options well in advance of transition?

    A: If you transfer to another Agency within USDA, e.g., GIPSA to AMS or FSA to AMS earned CTOT will transfer with you. You must still use the CTOT within the 26 pay periods. The time for using the leave will not be extended because you transferred to another USDA Agency.

    Q: What happens to affected employee(s) on the Voluntary Leave Transfer Program when they transfer to AMS?

    A: The records for the individual employee(s) will be transferred to the AMS leave and comp staff.