Details with Other Agencies
This section is about details to or from another agency. If you are looking for intra-TTS or intra-GSA details, please review those respective Handbook pages.
An external detail is when an employee goes to work in another agency on a temporary basis. The Open Opportunities program is a central place to post and apply for detail opportunities across Federal agencies. A USAJobs account is required.
Bringing in an External Detailee
Hiring Managers who want to post an external detail must get approval from their supervisor, Business Unit Director, and Assistant Commissioner (AC). Once the detail is approved, they should notify TTS People Ops and Finance that they will be posting the detail.
Under limited circumstances, TTS may bring on a detailee from another Federal agency on a non-reimbursable basis, meaning that the home agency will continue to pay the detailee’s salary. If you intend to enter into a non-reimbursable detail with another agency or GSA office, you will likely need to consult with both GSA’s and the partner’s Offices of General Counsel (OGC) to verify a non-reimbursable detail is allowable on a case-by-case basis. Please notify the TTS Agreements team and the TTS People Ops team as soon as possible if you intend to enter into a non-reimbursable detail arrangement with another agency. Additional justification may be required or it may be determined that the arrangement must be reimbursable.
Reimbursable details are done on a case-by-case basis, typically via Interagency Agreement (IAA), where the agency sending the detailee will be reimbursed by the agency receiving the detailee. Please confirm your office has the budget to pay for a reimbursable detailee with your appropriate budget or finance point of contact. Detail IAAs are reviewed by GSA OHRM, fiscal OGC, and personnel OGC. Please notify the TTS Agreements team and the TTS People Ops team as soon as possible if you intend to enter into a reimbursable detail arrangement with another agency or office.
If a TTS office plans to pay the detailee’s salary, then they must have a vacant position number available, and they will not be able to permanently fill the position while it is occupied by a detailee.
The agreement is between agencies, not between staff and the receiving agency. Employees can refer to GSA Order HRM 9334.2 Detail of Employees for more information. Most agencies use the standard 7600A and 7600B forms, but some may require a memorandum of understanding (MOU), a memorandum of agreement (MOA), and/or additional supporting documentation. Regardless of the format, the same information will need to be captured within the documentation (see HRM 9334.2 for specific detail requirements).
The Agreements Team coordinates detail IAAs, looping in TTS People Ops and the Hiring Manager.
Details typically last for 120 days. The detail can be extended for another 120 days (240 days total), provided that:
- The detailee, the TTS supervisor, the Business Unit Director, and the AC agree, as well as the employee’s permanent supervisor.
- The employee was detailed at the same GS level they currently occupy. If the detailee has gone up in GS level, their detail must end at 120 days, due to federal policy and bargaining unit (union) contracts around temporary promotions.
Details may exceed 240 days if documented in an IAA or MOU’s period of performance.
Security Verification
All Federal employees working at GSA must have a security clearance. For those employees detailing into TTS from outside of GSA, their security status must be verified with the GSA Security Office.
It is the responsibility of the TTS employee supervising the detailee to ensure this is complete. People Ops provides step-by-step instructions on how to complete the security process. This process should be completed at the same time as the detail agreement process. For more information, visit the TTS security verification steps form.
Timeline for Requesting Detailees from outside of GSA
Time frames below are all averages and sometimes the process takes much longer or shorter, depending on complications and the sending agency’s speed.
ACTION | OWNER | TIME |
---|---|---|
AC approves request | Detailee’s supervisor | 1 business day |
Supervisor notifies People Ops & Finance of request | Supervisor | 1 business day |
People Ops obtains TTS Front Office approval | People Ops Point of Contact (PoC) | 5 business days |
Supervisor connects Agreements PoC to Agency PoC | Supervisor | 1 business day |
Agreements PoC reaches out to Sending Agency PoC | Agreements PoC | 2 business days |
Agency completes documents and returns to Agreements PoC | Agency PoC | 3 weeks |
Agreements PoC completes documents | Agreements PoC | 3 business days |
Documents sent to GSA HR for approval; HR completes review | GSA HR | 5 business days |
Documents sent to GSA OGC for review; OGC completes review | GSA OGC | 5 business days |
Documents sent to GSA Finance for review | GSA Finance | 3 business days |
Agency reviews edits/makes changes; OGC reviews edits/changes | Agency PoC | 3 weeks |
Agreements PoC gathers GSA signatures | Agreements PoC | 7 business days |
Agency gathers signatures | Agency PoC | 7 business days |
Detailee granted security access | People Ops PoC and Detailee | 3 business days |
Detailee able to onboard | Onboarding Lead | As soon as all of the necessary approvals are obtained, the detailee can begin working |
Average time to process detail: 2.5-3 months
Going on an External Detail
TTS employees who want to go on detail to another agency must get approval from their supervisor, Business Unit Director, and Assistant Commissioner (AC). Once the detail is approved, the employee should email TTS People Ops and Finance to notify them of the request.
All details of GSA employees to other Federal agencies or departments should be reimbursable: this means the other agency will pay the employee’s salary.
Non-reimbursable details to external agencies are done on a case-by-case basis and must be reviewed by GSA’s Office of General Counsel for compliance with the Antideficiency Act.
The agreement is between agencies, not between staff and the receiving agency. Employees can refer to GSA Order HRM 9334.2 Detail of Employees for more information. Most agencies use the standard 7600A and 7600B forms, but some may require a memorandum of understanding (MOU), a memorandum of agreement (MOA), and/or additional supporting documentation. Regardless of the format, the same information will need to be captured within the documentation (see HRM 9334.2 for specific detail requirements).
The Agreements Team coordinates detail IAA’s, looping in TTS People Ops and the employee.
Details last for 120 days. The detail can be extended for another 120 days (240 days total), provided that:
- The detailee, the TTS supervisor, the Business Unit Director, and the AC agree, as well as the employee’s permanent supervisor.
- The employee was detailed at the same GS level they currently occupy. If the detailee has gone up in GS level, their detail must end at 120 days, due to federal policy and bargaining unit (union) contracts around temporary promotions.
Timeline for Detailing to Another Agency
Time frames below are all averages and sometimes the process takes much longer, or shorter, depending on complications and the receiving agency’s speed.
ACTION | OWNER | TIME |
---|---|---|
Employee informs supervisor | Employee | 1 business day |
Supervisor & AC approve request | Supervisor | 1 business day |
Supervisor notifies People Ops of request | Supervisor | 1 business day |
People Ops obtains TTS Front Office approval | People Ops Point of Contact (PoC) | 5 business days |
Employee connects Agreements PoC to Agency PoC | Employee | 1 business day |
Agency PoC sends forms (completed on their end) for Agreements PoC to complete | Agency PoC | 3 weeks |
Agreements PoC completes forms | Agreements PoC | 1.5 weeks |
Edits sent back to agency. Agency returns updated forms | Agency | 2 weeks |
Documents sent to GSA HR for approval; HR completes review | GSA HR | 5 business days |
Documents sent to GSA OGC for review; OGC completes review | GSA OGC | 5 business days |
Receiving agency reviews edits/makes changes; OGC reviews edits/changes | Agency & GSA OGC | 3.5 weeks |
Agreements PoC gathers GSA signatures | Agreements PoC | 7 business days |
Agency gathers signatures | Agency PoC | 7 business days |
Detailee granted security access at agency | Employee | 5 business days |
Detailee able to onboard | Employee | As soon as all of the necessary approvals are obtained the detailee can begin working. |
Average time to process detail: 2.5-3 months