Engaging Contract Workers Best Practices for Government Agencies
Strategies for the total workforce
Jun 27, 2015
In this session experts discuss in-sourcing and cost-effective contracting innovations that are already working in organizations such as the Millennium Challenge Corporation.
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Engaging Contract WorkersBest Practices for Government Agencies
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Hello and welcome
MCC: THE BASICS
Presenter
Presentation Notes
We’ll start off by going over the grounding principles of MCC.
What is MCC?• Innovative foreign aid agency leading U.S. fight against global poverty• MCC is grant (Compacts) provider to poor countries committed to:
• Good governance• Economic freedom • Investment in their citizens
• Mandate to reduce poverty through economic growth• Created with bipartisan support by U.S. Congress in 2004, led by
governing Board of Directors chaired by Secretary of State
Presenter
Presentation Notes
What is MCC? MCC is an innovative foreign aid agency leading the U.S. fight against global poverty We are a grant provider to countries committed to good governance, economic freedom and investment in their citizens. Through two types of grants, called Compacts and Threshold Program Grants, MCC supports countries’ efforts to reduce poverty through economic growth. MCC’s largest grants are Compacts; these range from $100 to $700 million dollars over the course of five years. MCC was created by the U.S. Congress in 2004 with strong bipartisan support. Our funding is appropriated by Congress for each fiscal year. MCC is led by a Board of Directors; chaired by the Secretary of State and including the Secretary of Treasury, the U.S. Trade Representative, the USAID Administrator, and members of the private sector. MCC is relatively small government agency; we are capped by Congress at 300 employees. This enables MCC to be innovative and nimble in its policies and practices.
• Competitive selection• Country-led solutions• Country-led implementation
In Jordan, local women engage at a consultative workshop in Amman on
Jordan’s MCC Compact development. MCC is committed to ensuring gender is considered and recognized in all stages
of its work with partner countries.
What’s different about MCC?
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Competitive selection: Countries must become eligible to receive MCC grants based on their performance on certain indicators of governance and freedom Like primary education rates, immunization rates, freedom of press, efforts to combat corruption, and relative openness of the economy Country-led solutions: Selected countries identify priorities for economic development and develop proposals in broad consultation within their society, including with private sector stakeholders, NGOs, and members of the public. MCC teams then work in close partnership with countries to refine their programs. Country-led implementation: MCC administers a Millennium Challenge Account, or MCA, in each partner country. Each partner country government is responsible for setting up the MCA as an independent government agency or within an existing government agency. The partner country government manages and oversees all aspects of implementation. Monitoring of funds is rigorous and transparent. MCC monitors all disbursements and retains full control over funds in order to protect against potential for corruption and fraud.
• MCC Compacts are powerful incentives for countries to adopt stable and effective policies in order to become Compact-eligible
• Solid sociopolitical and economic policies are closely related to growth and poverty reduction• Aid is more effective when governments
are invested in their people • Open policies encourage private
investment and increased trade, creating a sustainable environment for economic development
Francina Mutilifa, a 10th grader who plans to become a lawyer, receives one of more than
695,000 textbooks purchased as part of MCC’s Compact in Namibia.
The MCC Effect
Presenter
Presentation Notes
The MCC Effect: MCC Compacts are powerful incentives for countries to adopt stable and effective policies in order to become Compact-eligible Solid sociopolitical and economic policies are closely related to growth and poverty reduction Aid is more effective in countries whose governments are investing in their people, when governments are held accountable for graft and corruption, and where citizens can participate in the economy. Good policies encourage private investment and increased trade. This contributes to the sustainability of MCC’s aid and, eventually, increases the probability that the country will ultimately move from aid dependency to a thriving market economy
MCC AND CONTRACT TALENT
Presenter
Presentation Notes
We’ll start off by going over the grounding principles of MCC.
• Direct hire limit of 300 employees• Specialty areas not always best
addressed through direct MCC hires • Contracts, land/agriculture
experts, environmental assessment, infrastructure, etc.
• Roles range from admin to executive, including mission-critical positions
• Consultants/Contractors also provide additional flexibility for short-term technical needs
Using Contract Talent:Setting the Stage
• MCC incorporates mix of personal service contractors, independent consultants, and service contractor firms• MCC strikes the right balance to
augment direct workforce to accomplish mission
• My office does announcements, recruitment, and solicitation and negotiates the contracts with all three types
IMPORTANT:Non- FT PSC Consultants/Contractors deliver services that are not inherently governmental
Numbers are approximate and fluctuate monthly
Current Contractor Makeupwithin MCC
Individual consultants
via direct contract or Call Order
(140)
Personal Services
Contractors(8) FT
(39) PT
Service Contract
Firms – BPA or IDIQ Firms
(varies by need)
MCC Direct Hires(288)
Outsourced Augmented Staff+
Individual consultants
via direct contract or Call Order
(87)Managed by
MBO Partners
PSCs vs ICs: Trends
• Reduce the number of part-time or intermittent PSCs to avoid contractors from performing inherently governmental functions
• The 1998 Federal Activities Inventory Reform (FAIR) Act classifies an activity as inherently governmental when it is so intimately related to the public interest that it must be performed by federal employees.
Inherently Governmental Functions• Binding the U.S. to take or not take some action by contract, policy, regulation, authorization, order, or
otherwise; • Determining, protecting, or advancing U.S. economic, political, territorial, property, or other interests by military
or diplomatic action, civil or criminal judicial proceedings, contract management, or otherwise; • Significantly affecting the life, liberty, or property of private persons; • Commissioning, appointing, directing, or controlling officers or employees of the U.S.; and• Exerting control over the acquisition, use, or disposition of the property, real or personal, tangible or intangible,
of the U.S., including the collection, control, and disbursement of appropriations and other Federal funds.
On the other hand, under the proposal policy “inherently governmental functions” would not include:• Gathering information for or providing advice, opinions, recommendations, or ideas to Federal Government
officials; or • Any function that is primarily ministerial and internal in nature.
• Experience• Leverage 25 years of financial services innovation for Independent
Consultants• International deployment in 14 countries
• Customized enterprise solutions• Unique technology platform specifically for IC engagement
• Government credentials• Top Secret Clearance• Approved GSA supplier with competitive rates
MBO Partners:General Benefit to MCC using MBO
• Assess consultants for compliance with IRS regulations for independent contracting
• Enable rapid consultant deployment to MCC eligible countries
• Monitor consultants’ time and expense submissions• Track time and expense activity against Call Order
budget• Invoice MCC and collects funds• Provide payments• Provide a “portable” W-2 employment alternative
• Access to group benefits, retirement programs, employment continuity, pre-tax expense reimbursement, and more
The MBO Partners Programfor MCC’s Consultants
MBO Partners and MCC:Relationship
History
2005: MBO won competitively awarded five-year BPA to engage MCC ICs
2010: Won competitive re-bid
MBO has engaged 259 MCC ICs since inception
Contract Talent Management:Key Success Attributes
With MBO Partners
Time-to-Productivity
Cost Savings
Disintermediation
Some MBO consultants have been on boarded and deployed within 48 hours , most within 30 days
MBO Consultants do not require the markup typical with larger Contract Firms who provide individuals as workers
MBO managing the on boarding, monitoring, invoicing and payment keeps the MCC’s involvement with these activities to a minimum, allowing focus on performance and deliverables
One More Critical Factor:
It Has to Be Easy!• MBO Partners and MCC have worked together to develop a uniquely
convenient IC engagement process • MCC COTR/PM involvement limited to:
• Deploying IC to assignment• Assessing Performance and Deliverable Acceptability• Approving time and expense submissions
• MCC Contracting Officer involvement limited to:• Identifying candidates and referring them to MBO for enrollment• Negotiating IC hourly rates• Issuing Statements of Work and Executing Call Orders
For more information about MCC, please visit:
www.mcc.gov
For more information about MBO Partners, please contact:
Jay Lash [email protected]
703 793-6005
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