Federal Personnel

Special Authorities Under the Demonstration Project at Commerce Gao ID: GGD-92-124BR July 13, 1992

The Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is participating in a personnel demonstration project designed to enhance the agency's ability to recruit and retain highly qualified personnel. GAO compared the personnel management authorities available under the demonstration project with those available to NIST under other personnel laws and rules, particularly the Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act of 1990. While a number of authorities used by NIST under the demonstration project are already available under other personnel rules, the demonstration project does provide NIST with special authorities in such areas as pay banding and pay-for-performance.

GAO found that: (1) FEPCA should not significantly affect the demonstration project, since FEPCA did not cover many of the authorities available under the project; (2) the authorities available to NIST are available to other agencies; (3) special NIST pay-banding and pay-for-performance systems are authorities offering greater grade and pay-setting flexibility than the General Schedule system; and (4) the NIST demonstration project allows comparison to private-sector compensation levels, but NIST has not used this authority.



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