IPA mobility program agreements

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:

1) All requests for certification as an eligible organization under the Intergovernmental Personnel Act mobility program submitted to your agency since Jan. 1, 2017. Organizations wishing to participate in the mobility program must first submit request for certification packets to the agency with which they seek to partner. Detailed descriptions of the IPA Mobility Program, its rules and regulations, and the documentation participating agencies must maintain can be found here: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/intergovernment-personnel-act/#url=Provisions.

2) A list, roster, database, or comparable record documenting all of the organizations currently approved by your agency to participate in the IPA mobility program. If a list, roster, database, or similar record containing responsive information is not available, I ask that you provide your agency's approval letter for each organization.

3) A list, roster, database, or comparable record documenting all of the IPA mobility program assignments approved by your agency since Jan. 1, 2020. If a list, roster, database, or similar record containing responsive information is not available, I ask that you provide assignment agreement documents for each assignment. Please note: I understand and accept that some information—namely, SSN, address, DOB—would have to be redacted from the assignment agreements. It is for this reason that I've requested the records in formats that are easy to filter or redact.

I request expedited processing of this request under 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(6)(E)(v)(II). I am a working journalist and I intend to use the requested records to "[engage] in disseminating information ... to inform the public concerning actual or alleged Federal Government activity."

I also ask that all fees be waived as I intend to use the requested records to publish articles in the public interest and not for any commercial purpose. In the event you choose to impose fees, I request a detailed breakdown of the fees, including the hourly wage of each employee involved and an explanation justifying the employee hours required to fulfill the request.

Should you choose to reject this request or redact portions of it, I ask that you provide a detailed explanation and citations to the statutory exemptions and associated case law underlying your decision to withhold each/any portions from public review.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Todd Feathers

Hello,

Thank you for these very helpful questions!

Regarding item 1: Yes, please search instead for OSTP's requests to organizations.

Regarding item 2: Yes, please provide any communications documents for organizations that had not previously been approved.

Based on your response, I was also wondering whether there might be another way to make this request easier. Is there some kind of federal government-wide registry of organizations approved for the IPA program? Or how does OSTP know that an organization is already certified?

Thanks again—I really appreciate it!
Todd