CASH IN A FLASH for a GS-7 Support Staff Employee
SUGGESTED AMOUNT: NOT GREATER THAN $200
Justification. In addition to adequately performing her regularly assigned tasks, Harriet Smith volunteered for additional work. Harriet is a team player. It was decided that Harriet would oversee the creation, maintenance, and distribution of a long-range calendar for the division of Small and Medium Sized Business assistance (a task outside of her normal scope of duties.) This involved developing a readable, reproduceable document that could be stored in Microsoft Word in a shared drive; contacting and working with product managers to update the calendar on a regular basis; making necessary updates; and ensuring the calendar is distributed on a monthly basis. Harriet's work rarely required revision and she was diligent and efficient in keeping it updated and distributed regularly.
Considerations:
Sample # 2
CASH IN A FLASH for a GS-13 Manager
SUGGESTED AWARD AMOUNT: $250
Justification. As part of our division's "Centers of Innovation" initiative, the concept of "pushed technology" has come to the forefront. This involves sending information directly from a database to individuals interested in receiving it. Program manager Helen Nassy volunteered to pilot a "speed leads" program that would quickly and efficiently provide exhibition participants their trade leads directly from the show. Helen initiated the idea, handled all the technical details, and executed the pilot herself. To date, the pilot has been extremely well received by program participants and may be institutionalized as a regular part of the program. Because this pilot proved successful, it may also become a regular part of several other division programs, enhancing the participant experience further.
Considerations:
Sample # 3
CASH IN FLASH for a GS 5 employee
SUGGESTED AMOUNT: NOT GREATER THAN $200
Justification. This award is in recognition of the additional work performed by Jennifer Jump, a program assistant temporarily assigned to this office. Ms. Jump helped with the filing of eight antidumping duty (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) petitions on crude oil from Venezuela, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico filed on June 29, 1999. Ms. Jump volunteered to make 115 copies of a lengthy cover letter to the petitions when it was evident that the petitioners had not attached the required letter to each of the copies of the petitions. Other IA staff members were busy with additional aspects concerning the filing of the petitions. Without her assistance, the filing process would have been greatly delayed. Ms. Jump has also been acting as IA's docketing clerk from July 9 through July 30, 1999, while another staff member has been on leave. This has been an extremely busy period with an average of more than120 documents being filed daily, (more than double the number of documents filed daily last year at the same time.) Ms. Jump has worked diligently to insure that documents were properly recorded and sorted for timely distribution the following morning. Ms. Jump is newly assigned to the office, and has performed new tasks exceptionally well under stressful conditions. Ms. Jump's teamwork and dedication to her job has greatly assisted the office in this extremely busy time.
Considerations:
Sample # 4
CASH IN A FLASH for as many as 3 team members Grades GS 5 to GS 7 (Similar writeups on separate forms would need to be written.)
SUGGESTED AWARD AMOUNT: $250 or below (each person)
Justification. Recent antidumping cases filed by the U.S. industry on steel products from Russia have become the focus of media, congressional and high-level interagency attention. It was determined that a Russian delegation would meet with Department officials in Washington, DC, and that special arrangements would have to be made to accommodate the 4 days of unanticipated meetings. One employee was required to provide added clerical and administrative assistance to staff members in the Office of the Assistant Secretary in coordinating logistical considerations. This employee was called upon to undertake this effort in addition to the normal, daily activities. This employee's efforts demonstrate exemplary dedication to service and merit recognition.
Considerations:
Sample # 5
CASH IN A FLASH for a GS-5 employee
SUGGESTED AWARD AMOUNT: $250 - $500
Justification. This is in recognition of the significant additional work performed by Jacqueline J. Flash in conjunction with the docketing function in antidumping duty (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) sunset reviews and multiple new AD/CVD petitions filed with Import Administration (IA) from January 1999 through July 2, 1999. In addition to the regular work-load during this time period, IA experienced a significant increase in case filings with respect to the initiation of 127 AD/CVD sunset reviews. The sunset initiations resulted in a substantial increase in case filings with numerous parties submitting notice of their intent to participate, responses and other factual case related documents. Because of the extremely short time limits imposed by the regulations, it is critical that the sunset team receive all filings on a priority basis. Ms. Flash worked with the team to insure that they were promptly notified of all sunset filings, and directed all filings to their immediate attention. Also during this time period, 51 new petitions were filed with IA involving steel plate, TV aperture masks, cold-rolled steel, nitrile rubber, aspirin, apple juice, seamless pipe, indigo and crude oil. Ms. Flash was the primary staff person responsible for accepting the filings of the new petitions. She insured that the correct number of copies of the proprietary and public versions were filed, and immediately made available for distribution. In addition to her regular duties, Ms. Flash also sold approximately forty copies of each petition to the public the day following the filing of the petitions.
Considerations:
Sample # 6
CASH IN A FLASH for a GS 12 Employee
SUGGESTED AWARD AMOUNT:$300 - $500
Justification. This is in recognition of the significant additional administrative protective order (APO) work performed by Martha Marvelous in conjunction with the initiation of antidumping duty (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) sunset reviews and the filing of multiple new AD/CVD petitions with Import Administration (IA) from January 1999 through July 1999. In addition to the regular workload during this time period, IA experienced a significant increase in case filings with respect to the initiation of 127 AD/CVD sunset reviews. The sunset initiations resulted in a substantial increase in case filings with numerous parties submitting notice of their intent to participate, and requests for access to business proprietary information under APO. Because of the extremely short time limits imposed by the regulations, it is critical that the APOs be placed on the record within two days of initiation, and that applications for APO access be reviewed and granted immediately. Ms. Marvelous took the initiative to insure that the sunset APOs were drafted for approval in advance of the monthly initiations, and regularly reviewed all APO applications to insure that the sunset applications were given priority treatment. Also during this time period, 57 new petitions were filed with IA involving steel plate, TV aperture masks, cold-rolled steel, nitrile rubber, aspirin, apple juice, seamless pipe, structural steel, indigo, crude oil and ammonium nitrate. Ms. Marvelous was the primary staff person responsible for placing APOs on the record within two days of the filings of the new petitions. Because of the statutory time limit in which interested parties may challenge the sufficiency/standing of a petition, she also insured that APO applications in these investigations were granted on an expedited basis. Generally all applications were granted within one business day of filing.
Considerations:
Sample # 7
SPECIAL ACT OR SERVICE AWARD--Group award for no more than five people, grades GS-13 to GS-14.
SUGGESTED AWARD AMOUNT: $300 - $500 (Total for the group should not exceed $2,000)
*Justification. Following the enactment of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (URAA), IA management directed the overall revision of all antidumping (AD) and countervailing (CVD) regulations to conform to the new trade law. Following completion of the AD regulations, management requested some IA employees to provide critical staff support to the extensive work required to conform the CVD regulations. The regulations are important to the enforcement and administration of the CVD law, ensure relief for industries and workers shown to be injured by unfair subsidy practices and are a critical element of the U.S. trade policy.
The employee reported directly to senior management and was required to provide critical staff support for the extensive work required to conform the CVD regulations. As an assistant to senior management the employee provided research and technical guidance on a variety of issues involved with reinventing regulations. The employee's efforts supported the development and implementation of new CVD regulations which help ensure that IA meets its increased responsibilities and obligations under the newly-enacted URAA. In providing the necessary support the employee encountered and mastered complex policy issues arising not only in the context of planning for the redrafting of the regulations, but also in developing the policy remedies to respond constructively to comments submitted by the public.
The employee's level of accomplishment was outstanding and dedication to this effort was exemplary. Therefore, the employee is well deserving of recognition for his/her efforts.
Considerations
*Note: same justification given for each employee done on separate forms (each employee receives same amount)
Sample # 8
CASH IN A FLASH for a GS-12
SUGGESTED AMOUNT: $250 TO $500
Justification: This award is in recognition of Ben Franklin's contribution in support of the Secretary's participation in the OECD Ministerial. Because of a shortage in personnel in the Office of Multilateral Affairs, Mr. Franklin, of the Office of Unilateral Affairs, was asked to prepare the Departmental briefing book for this meeting. Despite lack of familiarity with the issues and the OECD, Mr. Franklin prepared an outstanding product and delivered it on time with a minimum of supervisory assistance. He coordinated with other parts of Commerce to secure bilateral briefing papers for the Secretary's meetings with his foreign counterparts, contacted other agencies to secure relevant background papers they prepared for their officials, and secured supplemental materials from other parts of the Department that might be needed while the Secretary was abroad, including the latest trade data and information on import administration investigations. The book was well organized and sufficient numbers of books were prepared for the entire Commerce delegation. Mr. Franklin's assistance was essential to Commerce achieving its goals at the Ministerial.
Considerations:
Sample # 9
CASH IN A FLASH for a GS-13
SUGGESTED AMOUNT: $250 or below
Justification: Aaron Burr is recognized for the assistance he provided in helping to prepare the Secretary for participation in the World Ministerial. In addition to his regular work, he organized all the briefing materials for the trip for both the Secretary and the Under Secretary. He determined what materials were needed, tasked the appropriate drafters, developed a table of contents, designed the cover sheet, organized the photocopying of the materials and insertion into 23 books, prepared disks for carrying to Nomansland with all the materials on them, and organized the preparation of updated sets of books throughout a two week period for various briefings for the Secretary, Deputy Under Secretary, and Acting Assistant Secretary. He turned out a high quality product under pressure of time and constantly changing circumstances and masterfully led a team to help carry out the numerous tasks involved in preparing such briefing materials.
Considerations:
Sample # 10
CASH IN A FLASH for a clerical GS-9 employee
SUGGESTED AMOUNT $200
Abigail Adams is recognized for the assistance she provided in preparing for the Secretary's participation in the Blank Ministerial in wherever, whenever. Her tasks ranged from helping photocopy huge quantities of materials and assembling it in briefing books, preparing cables to forward funds to wherever to pay expenses of the Commerce delegation, alerting her supervisor to urgent faxes as they came in and getting copies out to other relevant parties, delivering varied and sundry papers for clearance or for information throughout the building, and answering an enormously increased number of phone calls. She worked long hours, with a constant stream of demands on her, all with patience and good humor and much initiative and dedication
Considerations:
Sample # 11
SPECIAL ACT AWARD for a GS 13 employee
SUGGESTED AMOUNT $1,000
Justification: This is to acknowledge John Hancock's important contributions to the Department's first annual report to Congress on the OECD's X Convention. The report would not have been completed by the July 1 deadline without John's extraordinary dedication and willingness to put in long days on a regular basis.
John brought more than a willingness to work hard. He also brought the varied skills of a talented professional. Although his portfolio on X was relatively new, he quickly mastered the details of the OECD X Convention and all the background on relevant discussions in the OECD Working group and other fora. As a result, John often caught inconsistencies in the drafts of others. Drawing on his legal, economic and special expertise, his insights and analysis improved many parts of the text and he was the primary drafter of several sections of the report, including Chapter A on xxxx, C on xxxxx, and F6 on xxxxxxx. Finally, his knowledge of the internet and computer skills proved invaluable. Among other things, he helped put together a useful index of web sites for the report and solved formatting problems so that we could quickly post the report on the Department's website.
John's good judgment and people skills in coordinating the work of some twenty professionals of eight other Department offices and U.S. agencies reflect well on his leadership potential. I can truly say that his contributions were essential to our successfully complying with this Congressional mandate and producing a product that reflects well on the Department of Commerce.
Considerations
Sample # 12
SPECIAL ACT OR SERVICE AWARD for a GS 14/15
SUGGESTED AMOUNT $1,500 TO $2,000
Justification: Paul Revere has contributed enormously to international thinking and policy development in the field of trade and the environment. The interface of trade and the environment as a policy area has grown rapidly recently due to challenges to U.S. unilateral imposition of trade measures on countries that did not meet certain of our environment standards.
Mr. Revere has been a primary policy creator and catalyst in this uncharted field, working continuously in the intra- and interagency context with both trade and environment policy experts, and with business people and environment experts. Because any Commerce position in interagency trade and the environment work requires ITA and NOAA agreement – two agencies with sometimes conflicting goals and laws to enforce – Mr. Revere pioneered a policy development process within the Department to develop coordinated ITA-NOAA positions in a timely manner.
His initiative and creativity, his newly-acquired but phenomenal grasp of the technicalities of environmental laws and policies, and his understanding of the interests of the various environmental NGOs – in addition, of course, to his longstanding and keen grasp of trade matters – helped Commerce organize its thinking in sufficient time to play a major role in the interagency process. Solutions arrived at by this Department often helped form the basis for solutions at the interagency or even international level.
Mr. Revere also initiated a "core-group" process involving senior staff from various U.S. agencies and Commerce to lay out policy alternatives for the larger interagency group. Because of Mr. Revere's openness, honesty, and dedication to the best interest of the United States, he was trusted and relied upon by both the trade and environment officials. This policy development process was so effective at the staff level that it was adopted by the White House for its trade and environment policy review.
These approaches developed by Mr. Revere and his special abilities to speak effectively with both trade and environment officials and experts, enable the United States to pursue its environment policy objectives while at the same time protecting U.S. export interests. Mr. Revere's contributions have been vital to U.S. trade interests.
Considerations:
Sample # 13
SPECIAL ACT OR SERVICE AWARD for a GS 11 employee
SUGGESTED AMOUNT: $1,500 TO $2,000
Justification: Sean Jones, a GS 11 Trade Specialist has been with the Atlanta office for 6 months. He is a member of the National Software Team, which consists of trade specialists from 14 EACs. Despite numerous conference calls and a plenary training/coordination meeting in FY 99, the team achieved little over the course of the year. Approaching FY 00, the team had been unable to generate a national plan for FY 00, or to achieve consensus among members. Over the last two months, Sean, notwithstanding his junior grade and recent arrival in the Commercial Service, assumed a major leadership role on the Team. (This he did through his own initiative; he was not elected as Team Leader.) He solicited two new members from USEACs with a major software client base, drafted the Team's annual plan (purging activities that yielded few results and adding a new ‘reverse services' program to work with overseas posts), obtained buy-in from Team members, and obtained buy-in from skeptical domestic field managers, who questioned the cross-organizational team concept and doubted the Software Team in particular would ever accomplish anything useful. For management buy-in, Sean organized and conducted two conference calls—one with the four domestic Regional Directors and one with USEAC Directors who have complained about the lack of productivity with the Team effort and the length of time Trade Specialists are spending on Team activities. Within the Atlanta office, Sean's work has been a model for two other TSs who are on national teams. Both have used his plan as a template to illustrate to their peers how to strengthen team plans. Sean is recognized for leadership, initiative, and organizational productivity. He personally ‘turned around' the National Software Team and created the foundation for a productive export promotion/assistance industry program which now enjoys support from all levels in the organization.
Considerations:
Sample # 14
SPECIAL ACT OR SERVICE AWARD for a GS 14/15
SUGGESTED AMOUNT: $2,500
Justification: Robin Artifact is serving a detail in the Office of the Assistant Secretary in support of a priority organizational initiative. She is coordinating a major Commercial Service initiative to develop and institutionalize a new Commercial Service ‘product line' for small and medium sized companies. She conceived and implemented a ‘bottom-up' process in which she solicited new product concepts and ideas from domestic and international field offices. With the support of the Assistant Secretary, she then coordinated 6 cross-organization task forces, each with responsibility for developing new products in a functional/topical area (e.g., market research, E-commerce). She established a contract to obtain expert workshop facilitation, and convened four workshops at which task force members and staff from domestic and international offices met to develop and present to CS management a blue-print both for the new products and how to adopt the new products in the domestic and international field. She served as subject matter expert and DG representative for all workshops. The Assistant Secretary accepted the results with few changes and the Under Secretary, when briefed, responded enthusiastically. He also included this initiative in his presentation to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees on the FY xx budget.
Robin has been the accountable manager for this entire project.
Considerations:
Sample # 15
SPECIAL ACT OR SERVICE AWARD for a GS-13
SUGGESTED AMOUNT: $5,000*
Mr. Jack Flash is recommended for a special act or service award of $5000 in recognition of his outstanding contribution over the last four years to completion of the trade negotiations with Brobdingnag. This contribution has assisted greatly the meeting of an important Administration goal and has brought considerable acclaim to the Department.
The completion of these negotiations fulfills one of the Administration's highest trade policy goals -- the removal of foreign trade barriers inhibiting U.S. exports. As a result, U.S. firms will have improved market access for more than $20 billion of U.S. exports to Brobdingnag which could expand by as much as $2 billion per year.
During the four-year long negotiation, Mr. Flash served as a key member of the U.S. negotiating team and is one of the three negotiating team members to serve during the entire course of the negotiations. In this capacity, Mr. Flash presented fairly and clearly the export interests of U.S. industry and was successful in assuring that Brobdingnag's trade barriers of priority concern to U.S. industry were addressed in the negotiations. In addition, Mr. Flash used his superb diplomatic skills to develop productive working relationships with his Brobdingnagian counterparts to ensure a smooth exchange of technical information which was crucial throughout the negotiating process. Moreover, as a key member of the USG negotiating team, Mr. Flash served as the USG negotiator for some portion of the negotiations.
Mr. Flash's superb analytical skills were essential to the development of the USG negotiating position during the entire course of the negotiation. This effort required that Mr. Flash use his vast knowledge of the competitive position of U.S. industries in foreign markets to assess the impact of more than 5000 Brobdingnagian trade barriers on U.S. export opportunities. On the basis of this assessment, Mr. Flash provided initial negotiating recommendations to the USG negotiators. As the negotiations proceeded, Mr. Flash repeatedly updated this extremely high quality analysis generally under very severe time constraints.
* Note: Assumption is that no awards for this area of performance have been given at previous times. Alternatively, awards totaling up to $5,000 could be given at times of major milestone completion.
In addition, Mr. Flash then undertook the ongoing analysis of Brobdingnag's successive proposals to remove or reduce trade barriers. This painstaking analysis required a line-by-line matching of the Brobdingnagian offers against the U.S. requests coupled with overall and sector-by-sector summaries of the results. To assist in this analysis, Mr. Flash developed and maintained a several thousand line database which also served as the official record of the negotiating process.
As the negotiations proceeded, senior Departmental officials viewed Mr. Flash as the expert on the negotiations with Brobdingnag and continuously sought his advice and counsel. Thus, Mr. Flash took initiative to provide regular updates and briefing materials to senior Departmental officials, as well as respond to the myriad requests for information over which he had no control.
Throughout the negotiations, limited staff resources and other priority analytical assignments precluded the designation of additional full-time staff to support the negotiations with Brobdingnag. Thus, Mr. Flash worked creatively with an ever-changing coterie of student interns to ensure the completion of assignments on a timely basis.
Mr. Flash has demonstrated the highest order of dedication and commitment to the completion of the Brobdingnagian negotiations. The time constraints for many of the assignments required many hours outside his normal work schedule. The negotiating sessions, called on short notice, required considerable sacrifice of personal time and rearrangement of scheduled vacation time.
Considerations:
Sample # 16
CASH IN A FLASH for a GS-5 to GS-11
SUGGESTED AMOUNT: NOT GREATER THAN $250
Justification. In addition to the normal heavy work load, the office recently had to divert staff to provide support for the widget trade mission being led by the Secretary. Initiatives undertaken by Ralph T. Rabbit greatly assisted this effort. For example, he suggested and implemented a time-saving means to assemble the briefing books and organized the summer interns to complete the effort. Also, he took the necessary steps to secure the printing of the briefing books, including some last-minute changes. Without Ralph's initiative, the office would not have met the imposed deadlines for the project.
Considerations:
Sample # 17
CASH IN A FLASH OR SPECIAL ACT OR SERVICE for a GS 11 or GS 12
SUGGESTED AMOUNT: Up to $500*
Justification. The office is providing ongoing analytical support for the USTR-led negotiations with Uranus regarding its effort to join the WTO. Several initiatives taken by Barbara T. Bunny have secured or enhanced export opportunities for the U.S. widget industry in the Uranian market. Ms. Bunny developed a compelling analysis of the export competitiveness of the U.S. widget industry in the Uranian market and the adverse impact current Uranian tariffs were having on U.S. widget exports. Her analysis led to the designation of the Uranian widget tariff as a high USG negotiating priority. In the crucial last stages of the negotiations, Ms. Bunny worked closely with representatives of the U.S. widget industry to develop cogent qualitative information to support her analysis. In doing so, Ms. Bunny provided the USTR negotiators with the information necessary to secure the tariff concession.
Considerations:
* Consider grade level when determining amount
Sample # 18
A SPECIAL ACT OR SERVICE AWARD or 2 CASH IN A FLASH AWARDS for a GS 12
SUGGESTED AMOUNT: 2 separate $500 (Cash in a Flash awards Part A and B below) or $1,000 SASA .
Justification: We would like to recognize Carol Brown for her willingness and effort to assume additional duties and responsibilities in the ITA Secretariat with a Cash in a Flash award. On two occasions during this fiscal year, Carol has served as writer/editor in the Secretariat. The most recent period was from April through August and we appreciate her effort and believe that she deserves recognition for her commitment to excellence, professionalism, and attention to the demanding requirements of the position. (Part A) In early April, the writer/editor left to take another job and Ms. Brown served as the writer editor and Secretariat Team Leader. Ms. Brown ensured the timely submission of executive correspondence and helped keep ITA from any overdue letters. She accomplished this in addition to her other responsibilities as an analyst in OOMS. (Part B) Ms. Brown also assisted the new writer/editor to transition into the position and helped complete a substantial number of tasks including close-out of numerous B-priority tickets. In conclusion, Carol was a valuable asset in assisting ITA in a time of need.
Considerations:
Sample # 19
CASH IN A FLASH AWARD for GS 4-7 clerical employee
SUGGESTED AMOUNT: 2 separate awards for $250 each is appropriate for the separate parts of this award or 1 $500 award.
Justification: (Part A) Recently, ITA prepared draft letters for the Secretary's signature regarding several WTO access issues. From these drafts, Kim Gray prepared in final format a total of 126 letters and expedited the clearances on these letters in order to forward them to the O/Sec.'s Executive Secretariat by their due dates, three days after receiving the task assignment
(Part B)The Secretary traveled to Brazil recently and, upon his return, requested that thank you letters be sent to some dignitaries and individuals in various organizations who assisted him with his trip. There were 60 thank you responses prepared and almost every one of them was personalized in some way. At least 48 of the 60 responses needed editing and Kim corrected and prepared each one of them in an exemplary fashion--again meeting the Executive Secretariat's due date timetable.
Kim successfully completed these two important and large-volume projects in addition to her other ongoing clerical and office support duties. Her performance on these assignments was outstanding and she deserves recognition for her excellent work in these difficult tasks.
Considerations:
Sample # 20
SPECIAL ACT OR SERVICE AWARD for Team of 5 persons--Group Award
SUGGESTED AMOUNT: $3500 (see below for individual amounts
Justification: Five members of the Information and Communication Technologies Team are recommended for a special act or service award totaling $3500 in recognition of their outstanding innovation and service to clients at Supercomm. The activities that this project team managed set the standard for cooperation between ITA units and demonstrated ITA's commitment to delivering top quality, integrated services to our clients in this fast paced industry.
The activities carried out at Supercomm fulfilled the Commercial Service's goal of developing new and innovative programs and ITA's goal of integrated client service. The result was over 200 "Showtime" meetings between U.S. exhibitors and Foreign Service Nationals specializing in the telecommunications industry from throughout Europe. In addition to providing extraordinary client service, the show demonstrated unprecedented coordination with Showcase Europe, posts from around the world, Export Promotion Services, Trade Development, and the E-Commerce Team. In the future, U.S. companies attending selected U.S. trade shows can expect to receive a higher level of electronic and face-to-face matchmaking with foreign buyers and more opportunities to explore opportunities in foreign markets from Commercial Service industry experts via meetings and video-conferencing. In addition, ITA personnel will receive valuable industry training provided by our industry partners.
SUGGESTED AMOUNT: Team Member 1 - $1000 GS-13
As the National Information & Communication Technologies Team Leader, Team Member 1 led her team's effort to submit the aggressive Center of Innovation proposal to provide value-added customer service at domestic and overseas trade shows. The proposal called for 1) close cooperation with Showcase Europe's Information & Communication Technologies team to provide integrated counseling on the show floor; 2) scheduling meetings between U.S. exhibitors and European FSNs; 3) conducting a video-conference with Milan, Italy; 4) featuring the virtual trade show, E-Expo, on the show floor; and 5) matchmaking meetings between U.S. exhibitors and foreign buyers.
Upon approval of the proposal, Team Member 1 quickly assembled a team of members to manage these many activities. Team Member 1 demonstrated excellent leadership and organizational skills in taking this project from concept to reality. She assured that the team's activities were completely coordinated with Export Promotion Services that managed the International Business Center at the show. She solicited E-Commerce Team support to conduct the videoconference and manage the E-Expo program. She also interfaced with Trade Development and coordinated industry training for all Commercial Service attendees. She was extremely adept at leveraging the services provided by the trade show organizer. Team Member 1 was also committed to including posts outside of Europe in these activities so that the concept could more easily be replicated for the benefit of clients. To accomplish this, she proposed and received approval to host several Foreign Service Nationals during the show.
Team Member 1 set the example for the entire ICT Team in calling her share of U.S. exhibitors attending Supercomm to promote the activities of the Team and schedule "Showtime" meetings. Team member 1 accomplished all of this in addition to her regular duties as a trade specialist. Her dedication to quality client service and integration has set the standard for future trade shows.
SUGGESTED AMOUNT: Team Member 2 - $750 if GS 9 or below, if GS-11 or 12,$500
Team Member 2 was a key member of the Supercomm team. She was the team's principal contact with the International Buyer Program (IBP) and assured that the team's goal of enhanced matchmaking was fully coordinated with Export Promotion Services. Team Member 2 met with the IBP staff on several occasions to coordinate activities and gained their support for enhanced matchmaking meetings at the show. At the show, Team Member 2 provided outstanding support to the IBP staff and the foreign buyer delegation leaders. She demonstrated superb organizational skill, as well as organizational and industry knowledge as she personally coordinated many of the meetings between U.S. exhibitors and foreign buyers. Team member 2 was also critical to the success of "Showtime," E-Expo, and the videoconference program, as she promoted these programs directly to her clients. Her dedication and commitment to this integrated effort are commended.
SUGGESTED AMOUNT: Team Member 3 - $750 if GS 9 or below, if GS-11 or GS-12 $500
Team Member 3 was critical to the success of the "Showtime" meetings between U.S. exhibitors and European Foreign Service Nationals. He developed a computerized program and managed a very complex schedule of meetings that his team members were setting with U.S. exhibitors. While the "Showtime" program was developed by Showcase Europe, it is incumbent on the domestic teams to manage the schedule of meetings for domestic trade shows. Team Member 3 has set a high standard for managing this process and is commended for his commitment and dedication to value-added service for clients.
SUGGESTED AMOUNT: Team Member 4 - $750 if GS-9 or below, if GS-11 or GS- 12 $500
Team Member 4 played a critical role in the success of the Supercomm activities. In particular, she managed the preparation and distribution of the promotional kits provided to U.S. exhibitors at the show. Without this strong marketing effort, the activities would not have been as successful as they were. Demonstrating her remarkable organizational skill, Team Member 4 coordinated this activity with Showcase Europe and worked closely with her teammates to efficiently distribute hundreds of promotional kits to U.S. exhibitors.
SUGGESTED AMOUNT: Team Member 5- $750 if GS 9 or below, if GS-11 or GS- 12 $500
Team Member 5 managed the E-Expo program at Supercomm. This innovative program provided U.S. companies not attending the show to promote their products through a virtual presence. This feature of the program demonstrates the team's commitment to innovation and value-added service. E-Expo received rave reviews at the show, and the program is continuing to expand. Team Member 5 is commended for developing this program and featuring it at Supercomm.
Considerations:
Sample # 21
CASH IN A FLASH for a Team of 2 employees GS 11-13. (If it is a team of ten it is not supportable for a CAIF.)
SUGGESTED AWARD AMOUNT: $500 each
Justification: The Aerospace Team would like to recognize the outstanding work that XXXX did in organizing two recent team events: the U.S.-Spain Aerospace Industry Summit held March 1-3, 1999, and the Aerospace North America CEO and Product Literature Center Program held August 10-12, 1999. Working closely with his fellow team members, XXXX recruited 11 U.S. firms for the Summit (average is 8). XXXX planned this event jointly with the post in Spain and kept in constant contact with the responsible FSN during the entire recruitment process. At the Summit XXXX supported the participants and helped to facilitate 107 individual meetings with 23 Spanish companies (norm would be 75). These meetings resulted in 29 excellent trade leads for the U.S. companies. The U.S. participants were unanimously satisfied with the event that met or exceeded their expectations. One of the participants characterized the Summit as a "five star event." More recently, XXXX worked with team members to organize and manage the Aerospace North America programs. XXXX designed an aggressive recruitment campaign for the team that resulted in 10 CEO Program participants (average is 7) and 5 Product Literature participants. Again, the programs were highly successful and met the needs of the U.S. aerospace industry.
Considerations:
Sample # 22
SPECIAL ACT OR SERVICE AWARD for GS 14/15 employee
SUGGESTED AWARD AMOUNT: $2500
John Doe is a GS-14 (15) working in the Office of the Under Secretary. On his own initiative, he developed an array of project options to address both commercial and developmental aspects of the Asian financial crisis. Of those options, he developed an SME e-commerce community project as part of the Administration's Accelerated Economic Recovery in Asia (AERA) assistance package for Asia. He developed the concept, combining forces with the Office of Asia and the Pacific, found private sector partners (the Chamber of Commerce, the Kenan Institute and U.S.-ASEAN Business Council) and obtained an AID funding commitment. This was a significant accomplishment for ITA, expanding the traditional scope of our trade promotion mandate by contributing to the Administration's developmental assistance goals as well.
In addition to the creative resources John tapped in developing the project, he overcame numerous bureaucratic obstacles, particularly with AID and the State Department. He "brokered" an array of issues involved with the project between AID and the Chamber, often providing the solution to the problem. His ability to act as a catalyst, stepping out of the way to enable others to take credit for the project was instrumental to the success of the project. All parties were able to declare success for the accomplishment, which was highlighted at the APEC Ministerial in New Zealand. His technical expertise using the Internet combined with his familiarity with the needs of small businesses and the resources and operations of the private sector were also crucial. In addition to contributing to our broader objectives of encouraging reform and an early recovery in Asia, the project brought a number of benefits. For American SMEs, it will increase their competitive position in the region by forming long-term commercial relationships with reliable Southeast Asian customers; for Southeast Asian SMEs, it will enable them to get back on their feet by providing a convincing way to demonstrate their credibility to international markets while gaining access to training.
Considerations:
Sample # 23
SPECIAL ACT OR SERVICE AWARD for GS 14/15 employee
SUGGESTED AWARD AMOUNT - $2500
Sue Sally is a GS-14 (15) in the Office of the Under Secretary. She is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee. With the Director, Sue developed a new process for the production of the National Export Strategy Report which will integrate the strategy more fully into the OMB budget process. She met with OMB to develop the new process, orchestrated a TPCC Deputies Meeting to discuss and bless the approach, wrote the memo to the Secretary to gain his approval and worked with Congressional staff to obtain the final OK. Once she had approval to move ahead, she supported the Director in meeting with TPCC agency staff and followed up with them to obtain budget proposals for the exercise. She then analysed the proposals to ascertain areas where agencies could cooperate and strengthen their initiatives through a coordinated effort and met individually with them to do so. She was able to develop, for example, an initiative that combined proposals from the Commercial Service and the Department of Agriculture for rural export promotion, and also encouraged USTR and the Department of Agriculture to join forces on a biotechnology proposal.
The process Sue is managing will make an enormous contribution toward increasing coordination among the export promotion agencies. It will also ensure USG export promotion priorities are at the top of the list when resources are allocated by OMB, and will enable agencies an additional chance to obtain funding for priority initiatives. It will encourage the development of a genuine export promotion strategy which is tied to the Administration's budget, thereby engaging the involvement of higher-level officials throughout the government in the process. It will also strengthen the role of ITA in in the OMB budget process, by providing them a unique perspective of the operation of USG export promotion programs. The exercise would not be successful but for Sue's strong diplomatic, analytic and writing skills. Sue also demonstrated enormous perseverence in the face of considerable bureaucratic inertia, forcing agencies to think out of the box, beyond their usual budget proposals. Sue's efforts are fundamental to the TPCC fulfilling its Congressional mandate of recommending to the President a unified export promotion budget.
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