addition of new HP4000 printers for every unit; another 

 major new project was initiated to teplace the SIC info window 

 program. Finalization is anticipated during FY 1999- In addition, 

 integration of VIARC's Web pages in the redesign of the SI 

 home page accompanied by improved graphics and many other 

 enhancements resulted in a 400 percent increase in usage of our 

 Web resources. (In September alone there were over 173,000 uni- 

 que visirors to our pages.) "Encyclopedia Smithsonian" continued 

 to expand, winning a number of awards from Internet Sites in- 

 cluding "links 2 Go" and "Study Web." 



The Office of Contracting continued its ambitious training 

 program for project and contract management. 



Office of Equal Employment and 

 Minority Affairs 



Era L. Marshall, Director 



Office of Contracting 



John W. Cobert, Director 



The Office of Contracting continued to provide central con- 

 tracting, business, procurement, and advisory services for all 

 Smithsonian museums, research institutes, and offices. The of- 

 fice is responsible directly, through its staff, and indirectly, 

 through the issuance and oversight of delegations of contract- 

 ing authority to various offices, for the negotiation, contract 

 formation, and continuing contract administration involving 

 the expenditure of most of the Smithsonian's appropriated 

 federal and Institutional trust funds. The Business Contracting 

 Division manages and has oversight for contracting for income 

 generating and special relationship business contracts. The 

 Travel Services Division manages all of the Smithsonian's 

 travel bookings and arrangements for worldwide activities. 

 The Property and Inventory Management Branch has respon- 

 sibility fot the Institution's accountable property control system. 



During Fiscal Year 1998, the office provided regular and on- 

 going support to the Institution's numerous exhibits, projects, 

 design and construction activities, and programs, and con- 

 tinued carryover activities from 1997. The office negotiated 

 and awarded contracts to restart the National Museum of the 

 American Indian Mall Museum design project and also to 

 design exhibits for the Museum. 



The office acquired the Spacelab module, Igloo and its in- 

 strument pointing system from the National Aeronautics and 

 Space Administration for accession into the National Air and 

 Space Museum, through the General Services Administration 

 federal excess program, at an estimated value of $119,000,000. 



The Office of Contracting added a fourrh training 

 course to its training program: "Simplified Acquisition," 

 which was specifically created fot Smithsonian Senior 

 Procurement Officers. Training in Federal Contracting 

 Basics (FCB). Contracting Officer's Technical Repre- 

 sentative, (COTR), Project Management, and Simplified 

 Acquisition was provided to 312 Smithsonian staff mem- 

 bers. The FCB class was offered to the Coopet-Hewitt, 

 National Design Museum and the National Museum of 

 the American Indian, on site in New York. 



In Fiscal Year 1998 the Office of Equal Employment and 

 Minority Affairs (OEEMA) continued its successful program 

 initiatives, refining and enhancing efforts that have produced 

 marked successes in promoting EEO/Diversity and the use of 

 small, disadvantaged and women-owned businesses. 



OEEMA resolved an increased number of EO complaints in 

 the informal stage through such methods as mediation and 

 advice and assistance meetings with both employees and 

 managers to focus on and resolve workplace issues. Results 

 included responding to more than 648 contacts from managers 

 and employees through in-depth counseling, various consult- 

 ative advice and assistance efforts, and the efforts of our inter- 

 nal EEO counselors. Out of a total of 77 cases handled on the 

 informal level, five were resolved through settlement agree- 

 ments; and ten through intake counseling. The estimated cost 

 avoidance to the Smithsonian was $2,722,500. Five cases were 

 setded through mediation, for a cost savings to the Smithsonian 

 of $22,500. 



The investigative arm of OEEMA increased the number of 

 EEO investigations conducted by internal staff. During the 

 fiscal year, 43 investigations were closed; of these, 21 wete 

 closed using Smithsonian staff. Using a baseline of $3,000 per 

 case, the use of internal staff to conduct EEO investigations 

 resulted in a cost savings of $63,000 to the Institution. 



OEEMA continued to institute a comprehensive training 

 plan and program to educate and increase SI employees' aware- 

 ness of Insricutional policy regarding the Prevention of Sexual 

 Harassment (POSH) and to help promote a wotking environ- 

 ment free of intimation, hostility, and sexual discrimination. 

 A total of 1,070 employees participated in POSH training in 

 FY' 1998; a POSH policy sratement was published and put on 

 the SI PRISM Web site, and the POSH database continues to 

 track Institution-wide employee attendance. 



In the Special Emphasis/ Affirmative Employment Program 

 area, OEEMA broadened applicant flow infotmation to pro- 

 vide underrepresentation data to management and OHR for 

 use in targeted recruitment; maintained an automated track- 

 ing system to improve OEEMA's responsiveness to 

 unit/management concerns; and prepared trend analysis 

 reports on weekly, quarterly, and annual bases. The office ad- 

 vised and assisted units consisting of 25 or more employees, SI 

 managers/supervisors, and OEEMA collateral-duty officials 

 with diversity planning (recruitment, hiring, training) and 

 evaluation. In FY 1998 OEEMA reviewed 1,041 selection cer- 



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