Reverse Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) Contract Process

Topic

The Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) Mobility Program allows temporary work assignment of employees between U-M Units and Federal agencies by executing an IPA Assignment Agreement. The employee on assignment remains an employee of and continues to be paid by their respective employer for the duration of the time they are on the temporary work assignment. Reimbursement for employee expenses is negotiated between the two parties but at a minimum typically includes salary and fringe benefits. 

Although the same agreement form is used for mobility assignment of Federal, e.g. Veteran’s Administration (“VA”) and non-federal, e.g. University of Michigan (“U-M”) employees, U-M employees on assignment to a Federal agency are generally referred to as being “on an IPA” whereas Federal employees working for U-M are “on a Reverse IPA”. The following guidance addresses Reverse IPA processing which is the responsibility of Procurement Services.

Description

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management form “OF 69 (REV. 2-89)” Assignment Agreement is completed by the Federal agency and forwarded to the University Unit for final review before it is sent to Procurement Services for countersignature.

Federal agencies should use their own form for recording the agreement. The specific content of the agreement may vary according to the assignment. Agency forms should provide, at a minimum, the following information:

• name, social security number, current job title, salary, classification, and address of the employee,
• parties to the agreement (both Federal and non-Federal organizations),
• position information, including organizational location of both the original position and the position entered into under the agreement,
• type of assignment (e.g., detail or leave without pay; non-Federal to Federal; Federal to non-Federal), and period covered by the Assignment Agreement,
• goals of the assignment and a brief statement of how the goals are to be achieved,
• relative benefits accruing to each organization and the cost-sharing arrangement based on these benefits,
• how increased knowledge, skills, and abilities gained by the employee during the assignment will be utilized at the completion of the assignment,
• applicability of Federal conflict of interest laws,
• decisions of the Federal agency and the non-Federal organization concerning the employee's salary, supervision, payment of travel and transportation expenses, supplemental pay, entitlement to leave and holidays, provisions for reimbursement, and the method of reimbursement,
• arrangements for maintaining leave records,
• employee benefits that will be retained; and,
• Privacy Act Statement.

Reverse Intergovernmental Personnel Act (“Reverse IPA”) Process

U-M Unit Processing Procedures

1. U-M Unit receives an Assignment Agreement from a Federal agency such as the Veterans Administration (VA).
2. U-M Unit reviews the Assignment Agreement for completeness and confirms employee and Federal agency signatures – See: Part #14, item 37; and Part #15, item #40.
3. While all parts of the form should be completed, the Federal agency and the U-M Unit should ensure Parts #4, #5, #9, #14, and #15 are complete before submitting the form for signature.  Procurement Services is unable to execute the Assignment Agreement if the Parts are incomplete. 
4. U-M Unit submits a Request Contract (Add/Update/Sign) eForm, attaching the Assignment Agreement.
5. Procurement Services notes the U-M contract number on the form and returns a copy of the executed Assignment Agreement to the University Unit.
6. When entering a requisition for payment, the Unit should enter the Contract number in the Contract ID and Justification Comments fields. 

Procurement Services Processing Procedures

1. Procurement Services acknowledges the contract request
2. Procurement Services reviews the Assignment Agreement to ensure it is complete.
3. Procurement Services enters the fully executed Assignment Agreement into the Procurement Contracting Application (“PCA”).
4. Procurement Services enters the contract information into MPathways.
5. Procurement Services notes the U-M contract number on the form and returns a copy of the fully executed Assignment Agreement to the University Unit.
6. If additional changes are required, after all signatures have been gathered, a new form will be submitted and the PCA contract record should be amended via the standard amendment process.

Additional Information

SPG 201.30-5: Federal Intergovernmental Personnel Agreements   (spg.umich.edu/policy/201.30-5?pk_vid=52ed7071bf6ac6821718139406183d3f)

U.S. Office of Personnel Management form “OF 69 (REV. 2-89)” Assignment Agreement  (www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/of69.pdf)

VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System Research Services  (www.annarbor.research.va.gov/ipa.asp)

Request Contract (Add/Update/Sign) eForm  (classic.wolverineaccess.umich.edu/marketsite)