GSA Career Transition Plans (Career Transition Assistance Plan, Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan, Priority Placement Plan, and Reemployment Priority List)

GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
                Washington, DC 20405

                                                                                                            HRM 9330.3

May 7, 2020

GSA ORDER

SUBJECT: GSA Career Transition Assistance Plans (Career Transition Assistance Plan, Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan, Priority Placement Plan, and Reemployment Priority List

1.  Purpose. This Order fulfills the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) regulations requiring Executive Branch agencies to provide career transition assistance to employees affected by downsizing or restructuring.

2.  Background.

     a.  Federal code 5 CFR 330.601 requires the General Services Administration (GSA) to establish Career Transition Assistance plans to help their employees affected by downsizing obtain other employment. Plans must include the operation of the GSA Reemployment Priority List (RPL).

     b.  Federal Code, 5 CFR 330, Subpart B, requires GSA to establish and maintain a RPL as a means to give reemployment consideration to former competitive service employees separated by Reduction in Force (RIF) or fully recovered from a compensable injury after more than one year. The RPL is a required component of agency placement programs. Employees who are eligible to appear on a RPL must have an opportunity to register for priority over certain outside job applicants. Hiring managers must select registrants based on retention standing and registrants have appeal rights to the Merit Systems Protection Board.

     c.  GSA’s Priority Placement Plan (PPP) provides for reemployment or re-promotion consideration for employees involuntarily separated or downgraded (e.g., through reclassification of the position to which assigned or under RIF procedures).

     d.  GSA’s Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provides intra-agency selection priority for eligible surplus and displaced employees, assists surplus and displaced employees to find other employment either within the Federal government or private sector, and provides procedures to help these employees assume responsibility for their careers by actively seeking employment opportunities. A key feature of the CTAP is that employees must exercise initiative in pursuing other employment, both within and outside of the Federal Government.

     e.  The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) implements the President's September 12, 1995, memorandum to establish a special interagency career transition assistance program for Federal employees. Per  5 CFR 330.703, GSA must determine well-qualified for a vacancy and uniformly apply that definition to all ICTAP eligible Federal employees being considered for that vacancy before moving to other applicants for the position. GSA must conduct an independent second review of the resume when determining any ICTAP eligible Federal employee is other than well-qualified for a vacancy. The results of this second review must include documentation of the specific job-related gaps that make the ICTAP eligible employee other than well-qualified and the agency must provide written notice of results to the employee.

3. Scope and Applicability.

     a.  The Office of Inspector General (OIG) has independent personnel authority. The Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, 5 USC. App. 3, § 6(a)(7) (Inspector General is authorized to select, appoint, and employ such officers and employees as may be necessary for carrying out the functions, powers, and duties of the OIG); GSA Order, ADM 5450.39D CHGE 1 GSA Delegations of Authority Manual (Delegations Manual), Chapter 2, Part 1 ("the Inspector General has independent authority to formulate policies and make determinations concerning human capital issues within the [OIG];” determinations in the Delegations Manual do not limit that authority). Similarly, the agency recognizes that the Inspector General has independent authority to formulate policies and make determinations concerning training, employee development, and career management.

     b.  This Order applies to the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals (CBCA) only to the extent that the CBCA determines it is consistent with the CBCA’s independent authority under the Contract Disputes Act and it does not conflict with other CBCA policies or the CBCA mission.

4.  Cancellation. This Order cancels and supersedes the following:

     a.  CPO 9536.1, GSA Reemployment Priority List; and

     b.  CPO 9536.2, GSA Priority Placement Plan.