Delegated Examining Operations Handbook, A Guide for ...

1 To Delegated Examining Customers:We are pleased to provide you with an updated version of the Delegated Examining OperationsHandbook, A Guide for Federal Agency Examining Offices, dated October,1999. The updatedHandbook is designed to complement the new training program for agency Delegated Examining staffnow available from OPM Service Centers. The handbook contains new or expanded discussions of anumber of key Examining subjects such as:o agency options to use a variety of candidate assessment techniqueso effective job analysis, including a detailed step by step Guide to job analysis procedureso a new competency-based approach that agencies can use in developing crediting plans andother Examining handbook also has been updated to reflect the latest statutory and regulatory changes and nowincludes a glossary of Examining terms and expanded legal and regulatory make this information available to agencies as quickly as possible, we have placed the updatedDelegated Examining Operations handbook on our website without hyperlinks.

2 This version of the handbook can be downloaded for printing and immediate use. Within the next few weeks we will upload the handbook in the format provided for previous editions ofthe handbook , including special hyperlinks incorporated within the document allowing you to moveamong related topics quickly. The enhanced version of the handbook will have a complete listing of theupdates and may also include additional material on pending policy and statutory changes, so please besure to check this website periodically. We are also planning to incorporate a continuing what s new feature on this website alerting you to new or updated information.

3 If you have any questions, please send us an E-mail at We hope you find thiswebsite useful and welcome your comments and suggestions. United StatesOffice ofPersonnel ManagementDelegatedExaminingOperationsHa ndbookA Guide for Federal Agency Examining OfficesOctober 1999iDelegated Examining Operations HandbookInst. 5 - October 1999 TABLE OF CONTENTSPageINTRODUCTIONivSECTION 1 --DELEGATION Authority Coverage of the Delegated Examining Office to the Agency Between OPM and a Delegated Examining Office I-3 SECTION 2 --CANDIDATE ASSESSMENT OPTIONS Staffing a Particular Assessment Examining v. Standing Inventories Tests Hiring Procedures for Shortage Category Hiring Authorities Subject to the Luevano Consent Appointments (5 CFR 316)II-5 SECTION 3 --RATING AND RANKING CANDIDATES FOR GENERAL SCHEDULE (GS) POSITIONS Analysis Competency/KSA-Based and Rating Schedule Development Alternative Rating Procedures and Using Selective Factors III-6 SECTION 4 --INITIATING THE Examining PROCESS , Preliminary Review, and Control of Requests for Certification Examining v.

4 Outside-The-Register Examining The Agency Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) and The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) Service Positions, Senior Executive Service Positions, and Statutory (Public Law) Appointments IV-11 Certification Control SheetIV-13 CTAP Special Selection ConsiderationIV-14 ICTAP Special Selection ConsiderationIV-15iiDelegated Examining Operations HandbookInst. 5 - October 1999 SECTION 5 --PUBLIC NOTICE AND RECRUITMENT Notice of the Opportunity to Compete Between Public Notice and Up An Effective Recruiting Entry of Job Vacancies Into The Federal Jobs Database Recruitment Efforts With Public NoticeV-7 SECTION 6 --ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS AND ADJUDICATING VETERANS Acceptance Procedures of Applications for Legally Required Information Filing and Consideration Procedures for 10-point Preference Eligibles in Case Examining Situations of Veterans Preference Restricted to Veterans Notices of Results of Rating Decisions VI-10 SECTION 7 --ESTABLISHING & MAINTAINING

5 COMPETITOR INVENTORIES of Competitor Inventory Competitor Inventories Competitor Inventories or Combining Competitor Inventories VII-7 SECTION 8 --CERTIFICATION PROCEDURES Certificate of Eligibles from an Inventory of Applicants Certified Under Case Examining of Certification Ratings Name Requests the Request for Certification Form Names to (Or Rearranging Names On) Outstanding Certificates Certificates Certification by Geographic Area on the Certificate Actions on Certificates of Eligibles Certification due to Erroneous Certification Time Limits VIII-19iiiDelegated Examining Operations HandbookInst. 5 - October 1999 SECTION 9 --MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS IX-1 SF-50s to Show Selection Through Delegated Examining Quarterly Workload Reports to OPM Examining Information Under the Freedom of Information and Privacy Acts Delegated Examining Records Forms Necessary for Examining Operations the Examining Process Internal Reviews of Examining Operations , Suspension.

6 Or Revocation of Delegated Examining Examining Review Sheets and ChecklistsIX-6 GLOSSARYAPPENDIX A -Sample Interagency Delegated Examining AgreementAPPENDIX B -Positions Covered Under the Luevano Consent DecreeAPPENDIX C -Instructions for Completing Competency/KSA-Based Job Analysis and RatingSchedule DevelopmentAPPENDIX D -A-C-E Rating Procedure APPENDIX E -Professional and Scientific PositionsAPPENDIX F -Transmutation Tables for General Schedule PositionsAPPENDIX G -Records Retention and Disposition ScheduleAPPENDIX H -Sample Vacancy Announcement Language to Explain CTAP and ICTAPAPPENDIX I -Personnel Actions Subject to Public Notice Requirements APPENDIX J -Random Referral InstructionsAPPENDIX K -Instructions for Completing the Delegated Examining Quarterly Workload ReportFormAPPENDIX L -Model Agency-Based Accountability AgendaAPPENDIX M -Oversight Review Guide for Tier 3 ReviewsAPPENDIX N - Delegated Examining ChecklistsivDelegated Examining Operations HandbookInst.

7 5 - October handbook provides guidance for agencies that have been Delegated Examining authority by Office of Personnel Management (OPM) under the provisions of Title 5, of the Code ( ),Chapter 11, Section handbook is intended to Guide and provide options to users, and where necessary, to prescribespecific operational procedures in order that an Examining program may comply with merit system lawsand regulations. The handbook is to be used in conjunction with (1) specific authorities cited in theagency s delegation agreement; (2) applicable laws in 5 ; and (3) regulations published in theCode of Federal Regulations (5 CFR). principal merit system objectives for recruiting and selection are to provide adequate public noticeof the opportunity to compete for consideration and to select from among the best qualified availablecandidates on the basis of job-related measures.

8 Ensuring that these objectives are met entails severalbasic steps and the preparation of related documentation. The usual order of the process is as job analysis processes, identify the Competencies or Knowledges, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs)needed to perform the job (including selective placement factors), and develop criteria forevaluating the extent to which applicants possess the KSAs; the public of the acceptance of applications, and target recruitment as necessary to reachthe best sources of qualified applicants; applications against minimum qualification standards or competency-based job profiles,including selective factors, to identify eligible candidates.

9 The relative competencies or knowledge, skills, and abilities of eligibles against job-relatedcriteria; eligibles, giving due weight to veteran preference entitlement; the ranked list to the selecting official for appointment consideration; the results of the selection process for conformance with laws and regulations; the lists of eligibles, that include records of referral for each eligible candidate; of records when appropriate to do so in accordance with instruction in the agency sDelegation Agreement and in this set of records must be kept showing that these steps were accomplished installment of the handbook (Inst.)

10 5 - June 1999) completely replaces all earlier - 1 Delegated Examining Operations HandbookInst. 5 - October 1999 References:5 1104:OPM s Authority to Delegate Examining5 2301:Merit System Principles5 2302:Prohibited Personnel 104-52:Amendment to 5 1104 Interagency Agreement for Delegated Examining AuthorityLuevano Consent -OPM Delegated Examining Website)SECTION 1 - DELEGATION RESPONSIBILITIES Examining is the process used to fill civil service positions with candidates applyingfrom outside the Federal workforce. It is also used to enable employees who do not have civilservice status to compete for a permanent appointment and to enable employees with civil servicestatus to compete for other positions.