HR

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HR and Contractors Can You Really Be Partners?

• Timothy M. Dirks
• President and CEO
• GRA Inc.

Jan E. Jones Director, Office of Human
Resources U.S. Capitol Police
IPMA Federal Section HR Conference, November 30,
2005
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HR and Contractors - Can You Really Be Partners?

• ? PARTICIPANT PROFILE
• ? CURRENT STATE
• ? AN AGENCY PERSPECTIVE
• ? A CONTRACTOR PERSPECTIVE
• ? Q A

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HR and Contractors - Can You Really Be Partners?

• CURRENT STATE
• Federal HR Staff Face Increasing Outsourcing of
  Functions and Jobs to the Private Sector
• Competitive Sourcing Studies Underway in Many
  Agencies to Reduce Cost of HR
• An Us vs. Them Mentality Present in some HR
  Shops as contracting for HR services expands
• Agencies struggle to replace Institutional
  Knowledge loss due to retirements of key staff

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HR and Contractors - Can You Really Be Partners?

• CURRENT STATE
• (CONTINUED)
• Many contractors working in a vacuum w/o benefit
  of knowing where HR wants to go
• Contractors only asked to focus on service w/o
  organizational/cultural context
• Difficult for contractors to add value when they
  lack insight on HR goals and direction

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HR and Contractors - Can You Really Be Partners?

• AN AGENCY PERSPECTIVE
• Three Elements of Success
• MAP THE PLAN
• MANAGE THE PARTNERSHIP
• MEASURE THE PERFORMANCE

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HR and Contractors - Can You Really Be Partners?

• MAP THE PLAN
• Concept Development
• - Define the drivers (InternalExternalBoth)
• - Define as is and to be states (business
  rules)
• - Define roles and responsibilities
• Business Case Development Strategic Alignment
• - Resources/Technology/II
• - Support of Agency mission HR mission
• - Develop change management/communication plan

An Agency Perspective
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HR and Contractors - Can You Really Be Partners?

• MAP THE PLAN
• (CONTINUED)
• Requirements Development
• - Detailed representation of business need(s)
• - Clearly defined work products and expectations
  
• - The gap between expectation and reality is
  disappointment
• Design Vendor Evaluation Criteria
• - Choose appropriate SMEs and stakeholders
• - Develop implementation/project plan
• - Apply rigorous criteria to determine best fit
• - Down-selecting strategies

An Agency Perspective
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HR and Contractors - Can You Really Be Partners?

• MANAGE THE PARTNERSHIP
• Execute change management/communication plan
  strategies
• - Effective strategies
• - Inclusion of internal/external stakeholders
• - Communication of to be vision with
  contracting partners
• Manage relationships
• - COR key in integrating roles of agency staff
  with contractors
• - Turf, Team Transparency
• Continuous review and refinement of requirements
  to conceptual
• model
• - Adjustments to to be state

An Agency Perspective
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HR and Contractors - Can You Really Be Partners?

• MANAGE THE PARTNERSHIP
• (CONTINUED)
• Manage work product(s), schedule, and costs
• - Value depends on managing risk, schedule, and
  cost
• - Collaborate on solutions
• Report to internal/external stakeholders to
  ensure mutual accountability
• - Written status report
• - Investment Review Workgroup

An Agency Perspective
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HR and Contractors - Can You Really Be Partners?

• MEASURE THE PERFORMANCE
• Review against original as is to determine
  level of success
• - Effectiveness? Efficiencies? Redirection of
  resources?
• Conduct surveys of program managers and
  stakeholders
• - Include contracting partners
• - Transition management
• Foster mutual ROI (Return on Investment)

An Agency Perspective
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HR and Contractors - Can You Really Be Partners?

• A CONTRACTOR PERSPECTIVE
• NEW PARADIGM
• Federal HR organizations can benefit from
  contractor support in many ways
• Skills replacements can be targeted to areas of
  greatest need via make or buy decisions
• Quantity of service can be calibrated to evolving
  HR missions and populations served
• Variable contractor costs model reduces budget
  risks and produces HR resourcing flexibility

A Contractor Perspective
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HR and Contractors - Can You Really Be Partners?

• NEW PARADIGM
• (CONTINUED)
• Feds and Contractors do not need to be
  Competitors
• They can create Powerful Partnerships that become
  part of a blended HR capability
• Their combined capabilities can be employed to
• Transform traditional Personnel and Training
  functions to Strategic Human Capital Management
• Improve Customer Service and Better align HR with
  the Agency Mission and Program Goals via Teamwork
  and Collaboration

A Contractor Perspective
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HR and Contractors - Can You Really Be Partners?

• SETTING THE STAGE FOR PARTNERSHIPS
• Agencies need to carefully define needs by
  developing clear Statements of Work and
  Contractor Delivery/Service Requirements
• Use SMEs and Team to Develop SOW
• Poorly developed SOWs lead to disconnects in the
  bid process and quality of delivery
• Get smart on contracting process options for
  procuring services e.g., GSA, OPM

A Contractor Perspective
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HR and Contractors - Can You Really Be Partners?

• SETTING THE STAGE FOR PARTNERSHIPS
• (CONTINUED)
• Clarify roles and expectations early-on what
  are the expected deliverables, timeframes,
  quality, etc.
• Regular communication between Fed staff and
  contractor staff very important reduce the
  disappointment gap
• Quality assurance processes and progress reviews
  should be part of the relationship
• As needed, modify contract to recognize changing
  requirements and evolving needs not immutable

A Contractor Perspective
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HR and Contractors - Can You Really Be Partners?

• EXAMPLES OF PARTNERING
• GRA partnered with TSA HR to help design and
  deliver employee relations training program to
  support delegated ER authority
• GRA collaborated with U.S. Capitol Police HR to
  develop new performance mgt. system and
  design/deliver staff training
• GRA worked as part of a USPS and interagency team
  to design and deliver new training for Inspector
  General managers/supervisors

A Contractor Perspective
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HR and Contractors - Can You Really Be Partners?

• EPILOGUE
• Blended HR Workforce is here to stay
• Collaboration among all players is needed to make
  it work
• Its in HR and agency best interests to partner
  with contractors to improve performance and
  customer service

A Contractor Perspective
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HR and Contractors - Can You Really Be Partners?

• Q A