1. Purpose. The purpose of this chapter is to describe the Bureau Publications (Information Products) Fee-for-Service component; to explain its objectives, scope, and the responsibilities of those individuals using or managing the component; and to establish the policies and procedures for the component’s use and operation.
2. Component Objective. The objective of the Publications component is to provide a mechanism without fiscal year constraints for reimbursing USGS Disciplines/Cost Centers for scientific, technical, and operational publication services performed for in-house customers, other Federal agencies (OFA), and State and local cooperators.
3. Scope. The Disciplines/Cost Centers who participate in the Publications Fee-for-Service component of the WCF must operate completely within the component. Within the component, the Disciplines perform publishing and cartographic services for scientific and technical reports for Headquarters offices, Regions, Disciplines, and other Federal agencies. All services are provided on a reimbursement basis, with the price of each product calculated to cover all direct and indirect costs associated with that product (in compliance with Chapter 4, sec. 3.C, (1)–(3)).
4. Background. As a part of the USGS scientific mission, the Bureau finalizes research projects with the formal release of information, both internally and externally, in a variety of formats, including books, maps, CD/DVD-ROMs, Fact Sheets, abstracts, and articles in professional and scientific journals, both in hard copy and electronic media. Project managers are required to plan and finance publishing efforts as part of a project’s scientific investigations. These efforts are often complex and lengthy in nature. In addition, due to the nature of the publishing process, these activities usually span fiscal year boundaries, making resource planning and budgeting difficult.
A. Associate Director/Regional Director (AD/RD) is responsible for the following:
(1). Providing the Discipline’s senior management and staff with guidance on component policies and procedures and periodically reviewing the Publications component for compliance with these policies and procedures.
(2). Providing internal reports and financial plans to the Office of Budget and Performance on the operation and financial condition of the component.
(3). Providing component oversight, including fee schedules and other necessary documents.
B. SES Manager (Approving Official) is responsible for the following:
(1). Complying with the policies and procedures of the component and notifying the AD/RD of any discrepancies or problems.
(2). Developing the annual and out-year operating budget for the Publications component.
(3). Certifying that component funds are available prior to the approval of an obligation request.
(4). Preparing necessary financial reports.
(5). Maintaining all necessary documentation for the Publications component.
(6). Developing and reviewing annual fee schedules, as required.
A. Pricing. The Publication Fee-for-Service operations are
on a full-cost-recovery basis. Jobs are submitted to the Approving Official,
and an estimate of cost is provided prior to the beginning work. Cost estimates
are based on a fee designed to include all direct and indirect costs associated
with the project. See figure 1 at the end of this chapter for a sample fee schedule.
B. Cost Accumulation.
(1). The Publications component will capture and evaluate cost data for purposes
of operational decision-making regarding fee setting. Fees will be reviewed
annually and adjusted if necessary.
(2). Systems and services must be identified so that costs related to providing the service can be accounted for, accumulated, and reported.
(3). Costs must also be categorized as direct and indirect (in compliance with Chapter 4, sec. 3.C, (1)–(3)).
(A). The methodology for calculating publication rates must take into consideration the following factors:
(i). Publication support labor costs - Systems management (that is, information technology), facilities and management services, personnel function, financial management, procurement, and contracts.
(ii). Other support costs - Equipment, supplies, printing and reproduction,
miscellaneous contractor services, travel, and so on.
(iii). Depreciation and amortization.
(B). Indirect costs must be reviewed annually to determine whether any significant
changes in activity have taken place that would require gathering new source
data (1) upon which to apply the rate methodology and (2) for the calculation
of an updated indirect cost.
C. Billing and Collections.
(1). An automated or manual client request will document required publication fees.
(2). Internal customer billing will be collected by using an FFS SV.
D. Budget. The annual budget is dependent upon the services required. Workload projections are made annually. The Cost Center Chief is responsible for projecting budget requirements and monitoring expenditures against the approved budget.