tificates, certifying them with signature and through ap- 

 propriate comments to management officials. 



OEEMA held meetings and training programs for all unit 

 Equal Opportunity officers and supervisors to provide current 

 information on the changes in federal and Smithsonian equal 

 employment programs. Additional training was also provided 

 managers to increase their understanding of EEO laws, including 

 the guidelines and issues resulring from the Adarand decision. 



OEEMA's Diversity team collaborated with disabled 

 employees, their unit managers/supervisors, the Ombudsman, 

 and such organizations as the Employee Assistance Ptogram 

 (EAP) and Labor/Employee Relations (LER) to ascertain the 

 need for, facilitate the use of, and provide guidance to such 

 units as AA/PG, Museum Shops, OEMS, OFM-Quad, OPA, 

 and NMNH. 



OEEMA's internal Small and Disadvantaged Business 

 Utilization (SDBU) outreach effort was highlighted by the 

 very successful Small Business Procurement Fair, which 

 featured eight small businesses specializing in office products. 

 More than 150 SI staff were in attendance to meet and net- 

 work with business representatives, resulting in subsequent SI 

 contract awards in the amount of approximately $150,000 to 

 the exhibitors. 



SDBU's outreach featured a significant coordination effort 

 with the Small Business Administration (SBA) to develop a 

 memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the 

 Smithsonian and SBA The MOU delegares to the Smithsonian 

 direct authority to award 8(a) contracts, reducing processing 

 time from rwo months to about two weeks. 



OEEMA worked with numerous SI units to assist in identify- 

 ing small businesses and encouraged them to set aside contrac- 

 tual requirements for small business and 8(a) programs. These 

 efforts led to the awarding of at least eight major contracts, 

 including three five-year open-term information technology 

 services contracts to 8(a) films with a potential maximum value 

 of $7.5 million each and five new construction 8(a) term contracts 

 to be awarded in early FY 1999. 



Our FY 1997 "Contracting Achievement Report" showed the 

 Smithsonian met and significandy exceeded three of its four 

 small business goals: percentage contract dollars to 8(a) firms 

 were 13 percent, with a goal of u pecenr, small disadvantaged 

 businesses achieved 10 percent, with a goal of 3 percent; and 

 women-owned businesses achieved 12 percent, with a goal of 5 

 percent. These results placed the Institution in the top ten federal 

 agencies in these three main categories of procurement awards. 



OEEMA, in collaboration with the EO Advisory Council, 

 hosted its fourth Equal Employment Award Program on Oc- 

 tobet 28, 1997. This key EEO awareness and appreciation ac- 

 tivity has proven successful in gaining Instirutional support 

 for EEO initiatives. OEEMA created the concept and was the 

 first office to employ the full support and involvement of the 

 Secretary, the Under Secretary, and the Ptovost. 



Several outstanding managers and employees were recog- 

 nized for exceptional contributions to the Smithsonian's 

 Equal Opportunity goals. 



The OEEMA Director represented the Smithsonian's 

 programs, policies, and practices in discussions and meetings 

 of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the 

 Interagency Council of EEO and Civil Rights Directors. 

 We shared "lessons learned" as part of the national effort to 

 improve the quality of EEO programming in the federal 

 government. 



OEEMA served as a principal participant in monthly 

 meetings of the Employee Relations Working Group, which 

 entertains the presence of the Deputy General Counsel, the 

 Director of the Office of Human Resources, the Manager of 

 Labor and Employee Relations, the Employee Assistance 

 Program Manager, and the Ombudsman. 



This collaborative effott ensures that all players in the 

 dispute resolution business are kept informed of every case 

 involving a dispute with the Smithsonian's policies, practices, 

 or procedures — whether in the informal/formal stages of the 

 EEO complaint process, in OHR/LER, MSPB, or in the 

 District courts. 



OEEMA's Director participated in meetings of the 

 Smithsonian's Personnel System Reform Steering Committee, 

 and staff members served on various subcommitrees repre- 

 senting EEO goals and policies. 



OEEMA continues to serve as a member of the Office of Small 

 and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) Directors 

 Interagency Council. The Council serves as a forum to inform 

 and alert federal SDBU directors of trends and developments in 

 the small business political and economic arenas. 



OEEMA prepared reports to inform of diversity initiatives, 

 efforts, and accomplishments. The annual Smithsonian Institu- 

 tion Equal Opportunity Report provided a detailed work force 

 analysis and synopsis of Smithsonian museum exhibits and 

 programs to the House and Senate Committees on Appropria- 

 tions, setting forth in detail the Institution's commitment to 

 celebrating our nation's diverse historical and cultural achieve- 

 ments. The annual Accomplishment Report for Diversity Action 

 Plans informed senior management of each unit's diversity 

 initiatives and its efforts to meet EO responsibilities. The 

 annual Affirmative Action Plan for Minorities and Women and 

 the annual Affirmative Action Plan and Accomplishment Report for 

 Persons with Disabilities wete prepared in accordance with 

 EEOC directives. 



OEEMA published che fifth edition of its office newsletter, 

 "Opportunities," during this period. This publication assists 

 employees and managers to deal with and resolve human rela- 

 tions issues. The current issue featured information on 

 reasonable accommodation, sexual harassment, how to handle 

 an EEO complaint, and an update on SDBU activities. The 

 publication is distributed pan-Institutionally and has consis- 

 tently received extremely positive reviews. 



OEEMA has established and maintains effective lines of com- 

 munication with major Smithsonian offices. Our work successes 

 result from embracing a common vision "to be valued as a highly 

 effective service organization that provides impartial, pto-accive 

 guidance and assistance to our customers." 



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