Program and Management Support Services for the Office of Justice Programs (DOJ-OJP)

Published April 2011

The Center for Scientific Review (CSR) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was being faced with rising numbers of research grant applications due to the increase in federal spending for biomedical research. Expedited processing of the more than sixty thousand research grant applications each year then became a top priority for NIH.

Challenge

The Department of Justice – Office of Justice Programs (DOJ-OJP) was looking for reliable contractors to assist its Bureaus and Offices in program and management support activities. Previous companies had difficulty finding suitably qualified, security-cleared staff within the short timeframes DOJ required. The agency needed contractors that were professional, committed to the overall mission of the agency, and could seamlessly work with the DOJ workforce. One specific area in which DOJ required immediate assistance was in grants processing where there was a significant backlog of grants to be closed-out in the grants management system.

Solution

Federal Management Systems (FMS Inc.) designed a recruiting and staffing solution specifically for DOJ. Our Program Management Office took advantage of the company’s unique position of having pools of cleared personnel “floating” on existing contracts or awaiting placement on a contract. Our solution gave DOJ access to qualified personnel who were already cleared at the Secret Level or higher. With their clearance already in hand, our staff had a greater chance of receiving the DOJ-specific clearance within a relatively short period. FMS also realized that many potential contracting staff lost valuable time waiting to be cleared by the Agency. As such, we ensured that all of our candidates for positions at DOJ complete a pre-screening questionnaire to help evaluate their “clearability.” As an added benefit, during periods of interruptions in building services at DOJ, our staff are able to work from our PMO which is within walking distance from DOJ.

Results

FMS’ first task at DOJ was to take care of the grant close-out backlog in the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). The FMS team worked diligently to complete all of the close-out work within one year. FMS responded to all of DOJ’s requests for contract staff and quickly provided staff that in most cases exceeded the qualification and skills requirement for the position. In addition, the FMS presence has grown steadily from initially supporting one Bureau (BJA) to supporting over ten Bureaus and Offices. Our personnel have received several certificates of appreciation, certificates of special recognition, and letters of commendation for outstanding performance from DOJ’s Branch Chiefs, Administrators, Directors, and the Assistant Attorney General.