Policies and Responsibilities for Quarters Management

OVERVIEW

1.1 What is the purpose of this chapter?

1.2 What is the scope of Part 371?

1.3 What are “quarters?”

1.4 Why does the Service supply quarters?

1.5 What are the authorities for Part 371?

RESPONSIBILITIES

1.6 Who is responsible for quarters management?

371 FW 1

Policies and Responsibilities for Quarters Management

371 FW 2

Managing Quarters Funds

371 FW 3

Quarters Maintenance

371 FW 4

Certification of Required Occupancy

371 FW 5

Challenging Quarters Rental Rates

371 FW 6

Housing for Volunteers

371 FW 7

Management Controls for Quarters

(1) The Director

(a) Approving Servicewide policy,

(b) Overseeing the strategic direction of the quarters program, and

(c) Approving transfers of funds among Regions and from the Headquarters (HQ) account.

(2) The Deputy Director –Operations

(a) Serving as the Service’s Senior Asset Manager, and

(b) Overseeing and managing the quarters program.

(3) The Assistant Director - Business Management and Operations (AD-BMO) (also known as the Chief Financial Officer)

(a) Evaluating all aspects of the Service’s quarters management program to help ensure consistency with Departmental policies, Federal regulations, and executive orders;

(b) Representing the Service quarters program to the Department, Congress, OMB, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), General Accountability Office (GAO), and others; and

(c) Approving requests for construction and acquisition of new, additional, or replacement quarters (Form DI 1871).

(4) Regional Directors

(a) Ensuring that Project Leaders/supervisors are accountable for implementing the quarters management program in accordance with all related laws and policies that affect quarters;

(b) Reviewing and recommending for the AD-BMO's approval Justifications for New or Replacement Housing, Form DI 1871;

(c) Authorizing transfer of funds between programs;

(d) Approving Certificates of Required Occupancy, Form DI 1872; and

(e) Convening a panel to review employee requests for release from required occupancy.

(5) Assistant Regional Directors (ARD) of Programs

(a) Initiating requests for transfer of funds between programs and between Regions,

(b) Authorizing fund transfers between stations within their programs, and

(c) Ensuring that annual real property inspections include the quarters inventory.

(6) The Chief, Division of Contracting and General Services (CGS) at HQ

(a) Assigning a National Quarters Officer (NQO);

(b) Providing reports to Congress, the Office of the Inspector General, CBO, OMB, and others;

(c) Facilitating trans-Regional fund transfers and bringing the requests to the Director for approval; and

(d) Serving as the Management Control Evaluator (MCE) for quarters Management Control Reviews (MCRs) at the national level. The Chief, CGS may elect to appoint a designee for this task.

(7) The Chief, Division of Engineering (DEN) at HQ

(a) Managing quarters construction projects, and

(b) Providing guidance and information on environmental hazards in quarters.

(8) The Chief, Division of Financial Management (DFM) at HQ

(a) Managing the financial aspects of the quarters program, including audits, assets under construction, and reporting; and

(b) Creating Work Breakdown Structures (WBS) in the Financial and Business Management System (FBMS) and asset numbers, upon request, for newly constructed or acquired quarters.

(9) The National Quarters Officer (NQO)

(a) Developing and implementing quarters policy and supplemental procedures and interpreting them for employees;

(b) Providing guidance and technical and administrative support to Regional offices and sites;

(c) Notifying Regional offices about the Quarters Regional Surveys and adjustments to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and distributing Departmental Regional Surveys to the Regional Quarters Officers (RQOs);

(d) Coordinating Service contact with the Department’s quarters officials;

(e) Maintaining a national level quarters inventory;

(f) Reviewing Justifications for New or Replacement Housing, Form DI 1871, for compliance with Service policy and providing recommendations to the AD-BMO;

(g) Distributing the Department’s Interior Business Center rent program and installation instructions so that there is adequate time to implement rent changes in March;

(h) Serving as the technical authority and liaison for the reconsideration/appeal process; and

(i) Serving as the MCE for quarters MCRs at the Regional level.

(10) Chief, Division of Human Resources at HQ

Working with the officials in the quarters management program to provide guidance and documentation on required occupancy.

(11) HQ Program Quarters Representatives

(a) Representing the program’s interest in quarters management and ensuring employees in the program understand quarters policy, and

(b) Providing guidance to program local level representatives.

(12) HQ Program Budget Officers

(a) Reviewing collections and expenditures from the Regional quarters account to ensure they are authorized,

(b) Screening monthly quarters expenditure files to ensure that budget object class codes are appropriate, and

(c) Investigating any questionable obligations, if necessary.

(13) Regional Chiefs, CGS

Assigning RQOs.

(14) Regional Quarters Officers (RQOs)

(a) Serving as the initial contact for Project Leaders/supervisors on quarters issues;

(b) Working with the NQO and Project Leaders/supervisors to provide reports, data, and communications about quarters;

(c) Managing the internet Quarters Management Information System (iQMIS) database based on input from Project Leaders/supervisors;

(d) Reviewing Justifications for New or Replacement Housing (Form DI 1871) to ensure compliance with policy, and if the request is for a leased property, ensuring the proper procedures are followed (refer to 370 FW 1);

(e) Sending a Government Housing Inventory Form, DI 1875, after quarters are approved, to the Project Leader/supervisor responsible for the quarters;

(f) Entering new quarters into iQMIS (the housing unit record in iQMIS references an existing FBMS building record if the record was marked “iQMIS relevant”);

(g) Maintaining up-to-date iQMIS records in accordance with Departmental and Service policy (iQMIS automatically calculates the rental rate based on the information entered into the system);

(h) Providing guidance and addressing tenant issues;

(i) Reviewing Requests for Reconsideration of rental rates and ensuring there is adequate comparable rental data;

(j) Deleting records in iQMIS of housing units removed from the quarters management program (i.e., demolished or changed use) in coordination with the program Regional Facility Management Coordinator (FMC) and the Regional Asset Management Coordinator (AMC); and

(k) Serving as the MCE for quarters MCRs at the local level.

(15) Regional Environmental Compliance Coordinators

(a) Working with local managers to ensure environmental hazards such as lead-based paint, radon, and asbestos in quarters are known and mitigated as appropriate;

(b) Assisting with coordination of surveys for environmental hazards, including lead-based paint, radon, and asbestos, and providing technical assistance to Project Leader/supervisors regarding required visual inspections; and

(c) Ensuring that lead-based paint abatement is performed only by people who have completed mandatory Environmental Protection Agency-approved or state-approved certification training.

(16) Regional Facilities Program Supervisor

(a) Reviewing Justifications for New or Replacement Housing (Form DI 1871) to ensure compliance with policy, and

(b) Adding new/replacement quarters to the Deferred Maintenance (DM) plan. Quarters should only be added to the DM plan once final approval is received from the AD-BMO.

(17) Regional Facility Management Coordinators (FMC)

(a) Completing a Comprehensive Condition Assessment (CCA) every 5 years,

(b) Verifying and validating that all quarters are recorded in the Service Asset and Maintenance Management System (SAMMS) with the appropriate asset code,

(c) Identifying and documenting deficiencies found during condition assessments in SAMMS, and

(d) Creating DM work orders in SAMMS based on the results of CCAs and approvals for requests of new/replacement housing (DI 1871).

(18) Regional Asset Management Coordinators (AMC)

(a) Submitting requests for asset shell setup for new building records to the DFM in HQ and releasing the record in SAMMS and FBMS,

(b) Maintaining accurate data between SAMMS and FBMS, and

(c) Creating work orders in SAMMS and FBMS for station use to document maintenance and repairs.

(19) Regional Human Resources Officers

(a) Documenting an employee's status as a required occupant on the SF 50, Notification of Personnel Action;

(b) Including a position's occupancy requirement in the position description and the vacancy announcement for each position having such a requirement; and

(c) Ensuring that unions with exclusive recognition are contacted and collective bargaining impact and implementation obligations are satisfied in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 71.

(20) Regional Budget and Finance Officers (BFO)

(a) Keeping current and accurate financial records for quarters;

(b) Receiving and reviewing WBS and asset number requests from AMCs and ensuring accuracy before sending the requests to DFM for processing;

(c) Receiving and reviewing field stations’ purchase requests related to real property to ensure that costs are accurately tracked in FBMS; and

(d) Completing the acquisition cost information for each new asset record in FBMS and any capitalized improvement costs for existing assets and sending them to DFM.

(1) The Project Leaders/supervisor:

(a) Oversees the operation and maintenance of quarters.

(b) Determines when additional quarters are needed and analyzes alternatives and options.

(c) Ensures implementation of alternative solutions to on-site quarters is coordinated with the Regional office.

(d) Develops proposals and works with the Regional AMC on plans to construct, acquire, or replace real property assets.

(e) Initiates Justifications for New or Replacement Housing (Form DI 1871).

(f) Ensures that quarters meet the requirements to be added to the inventory.

(g) Ensures that quarters have been inspected and major deficiencies have been mitigated before tenants check in.

(h) Ensures that quarters are safe, reliable, and sanitary.

(i) Ensures the completion of annual real property inspections. Reports all major deficiencies that the station can’t correct to the Regional FMC.

(j) Performs or ensures the appropriately trained personnel perform lead-based paint inspections on quarters with encapsulated lead-based paint at least annually or when necessary as described in the Lead-Based Paint in Residences fact sheet.

(k) Performs semiannual visual inspections on quarters with friable asbestos-containing materials to ensure that any damage/deterioration of asbestos-containing materials is detected and corrective action taken. Also see 561 FW 8, Asbestos Management.

(l) Ensures that tenants with disabilities have access to the same services and opportunities provided to all other tenants.

(m) Develops strategies for rehabilitating units into good condition.

(n) Records costs associated with the operation and maintenance of quarters.

(o) Requests, from the AMC, an asset-specific work order when repairs to any individual asset are expected to exceed $5,000.

(p) Reports completed work on quarters to the Regional AMC.

(q) Ensures the following duties, which require a tenant manager role in iQMIS, are completed (if the Project Leader/supervisor does not have that role in iQMIS, the RQO completes them):

(i) Maintains accurate tenant information in iQMIS, including check-in and check-out.

(ii) Ensures the appropriate forms are completed and signed upon check-in, including the Quarters Assignment Agreement (lease) and lead-based paint disclosures.

(iii) Downloads and sends the rent implementation forms from iQMIS when rents change. Provides tenants 30 days’ notice of any rental rate change.

(r) Ensures accurate inventory and tenant data and deduction documentation is provided to the RQO for entry into iQMIS.

(s) Annually updates and signs documentation for rent deductions because of lack of amenities, loss of privacy, excess or inadequate size, excess heating and cooling costs, and poor condition.

(t) Initiates Certificates of Required Occupancy (Form DI 1872).

(u) Shares information with the tenant about how rents are set and how required occupancy is determined.

(v) Implements and adheres to Service policy to meet the criteria for volunteer housing as we describe in 150 FW 3.

(w) Makes sure employees affected by required occupancy determinations are aware of their rights for appeal (see 371 FW 4 and 5).

(x) Ensures that tenants receive at least 30 days’ notice to vacate unless the Quarters Assignment Agreement (lease) requires less notice (the tenant may agree to a shorter period to vacate).

(y) Ensures that tenants are informed of all appropriate quarters issues, including health hazards (e.g., lead-based paint, asbestos, radon, etc.).

(z) Ensures that tenants comply with the terms of the Quarters Assignment Agreement (lease).

(aa) Acts as the liaison to attempt to resolve conflicts with tenants and others.

(bb) Ensures that requests for reconsideration of rental rates receive responses and employees are informed of their rights to exercise official claims.

(cc) Develops a strategy to eliminate obsolete quarters and excess quarters.

(dd) Requests authorization to dispose of quarters by sending the appropriate documentation and forms to the Regional Facility Branch.

(ee) Documents, through the AMC or the FMC, the completion of approved disposals.

(2) The tenant:

(a) Occupies Government quarters only as authorized or required by management.

(b) Adheres to the terms and conditions in the Quarters Assignment Agreement (lease) and abides by Departmental and Service policies.

(c) Verifies and confirms inventory and rental calculations, and follows the established processes to inform the RQO of discrepancies.

(d) Notifies facility management staff of any critical maintenance need to avoid further damage or costly repairs.

(e) Provides information/certifies annually to the RQO deductions, such as those for unused space and loss of privacy.

(f) Notifies the Project Leader/supervisor if the condition of the quarters changes with regard to health hazards (e.g., encapsulated lead-based paint peels or material known to contain asbestos is exposed).

(g) For tenants who have firearms:

(i) Uses firearm safety locking devices,

(ii) Properly operates firearms, and

(iii) Abides by state and local laws for legally possessing a firearm.