Actual Expenditures, Last Three Budgets, include funding sources: Actual Expenditures 2011-13: $9,780,253 2013-15: $9,789,813 2015-17 projected: $10,974,558 Funding sources include: Indirect Cost Pool, Energy Suppliers Assessment, NW Power Planning Council, reimbursable expenses, and US DOE: State Energy Program Number of FTEs: 2011-13: 41.69 FTE 2013-15: 38.92 2015-17: 37.50 ORS Authority General Administration: ORS 469.010-469.155, 469.424, 469.950 Human Resources: ORS 469.055, 469.990 Energy Supplier Assessment: ORS 469.421(8) Legislatively-directed Purpose ORS 469.010-469.155 established the Oregon Department of Energy and its goals. ORS 469.424 directs ODOE to notify energy resource suppliers when the agency submits comments or written or oral testimony in a rulemaking, contested case, ratemaking or other proceeding conducted by another agency. ORS 469.950 authorizes the interstate cooperative agreement to control Bonneville Power Administration wholesale power costs and rates. ORS 469.990 establishes penalties, such as termination of employment or fines, and ORS 469.055 allows ODOE to acquire fingerprints from employees. ORS 469.421(8) authorizes ODOE to collect the Energy Supplier Assessment. 1. What is the objective of this program or function? Describe the major activities performed under this program. Explain why these functions are still needed. 2016 ODOE 1
Administrative Services covers a wide variety of functions within the Oregon Department of Energy, some of which are not traditional administrative activities. Included are the Director s Office, Central Services Division, Governor s Energy Policy Advisor, and Northwest Power and Conservation Council members. Administrative Services activities help ensure that ODOE adheres to operational, financial, and contracting policies; program administration is appropriately managed; and Oregon s energy needs and issues are represented in key local and national energy forums. 2. Describe how the program or function is administered. Include flowcharts, timelines, or other illustrations as necessary to describe agency policies and procedures. 3. Provide a summary of key performance measures and other outcomes that convey the effectiveness and efficiency of this function or program. ODOE is working on identifying and standardizing Administrative Services metrics. Existing metrics are predominately operational and/or workload oriented. For example, the number of days to process procurement transactions, budget to actuals variance, number of active contracts, etc. Other metrics include internal customer satisfaction. 2016 ODOE 2
4. Describe any important history regarding this program, including how the services or functions have changed from the original intent. Describe problems or lawsuits that have been encountered in this program. The Administrative Services division is responsible for helping the agency meets its mission by serving other agency divisions and diverse external stakeholder groups. The services it provides have changed over the agency s 40-year history for a variety of reasons for example, information technology responsibilities have changed as technology overall has changed. However, the primary functions have served to support the agency and ensure it meets relevant state policies and procedures. ODOE has continually looked for ways to improve administrative functions, including creating standard metrics, responding to budgetary changes, and improving efficiencies. Recent examples include the Human Resources team expanding its recruitment efforts to attract a wider pool of diverse applicants; the Communications team incorporating additional outreach methods, including new events, social media platforms, and a new website (coming soon); and the budget team reducing the agency budget by more than 20 percent leading up to the 2015-17 biennium. 5. Describe who or what this program or function affects. Director s Office: The director s office provides operational and policy leadership and direction for the agency. Functions include Internal Audit, Communications and Outreach, Human Resources Management, and Government Relations. Internal Audit: This position meets the requirements outlined in OAR 125-700-0020, which requires agencies to hire an internal auditor. The auditor performs risk assessment, coordinates the activities of the Audit Committee, conducts audits on high risk activities, and provides consulting services across the agency on projects designed to improve business processes. Communications and Outreach: ODOE s statutory direction includes education and the distribution of information on energy technology and policy. This team manages the agency s media relations function, responds to public records requests, keeps web content and social media current, advises and supports program managers with communication materials development, responds to public information requests, and coordinates ODOE s involvement in key annual energy outreach events such as statewide Earth Day events and Fix-It Fairs in Portland. The team also supports activities of the Regional Solutions Teams, Energy Facility Siting Council, Energy Advisory Workgroup, and other stakeholder groups. Human Resources Management: This team provides timely and responsive leadership, resources, and services to ODOE managers and employees to ensure effective job 2016 ODOE 3
performance, professional work conduct, workforce training and development, and the capacity to meet evolving organizational needs. Human Resources supports the agency by managing all recruitment activities, developing contemporary and compliant HR policies and procedures, conducting classification analyses, providing human resource consultation regarding employee relation matters, administering family and medical leave laws, engaging in the interactive process associated with the ADA, managing workers compensation claims, investigating complaints, coordinating agency-wide training and affirmative action/diversity and inclusion activities, and processing employee personnel actions. Turnover for the 2013-15 biennium was 20 percent. The rate of turnover for the first year of the 2015-2017 biennium is 22 percent. Government Relations: This position coordinates ODOE s legislative efforts to support its mission at the local, state, and national levels, and serves as the senior policy advisor to the Director and the Governor s Office. The position researches, analyzes, and evaluates policy and program issues having statewide impact. This position assists the agency in developing long-range statewide policy development and planning. This position manages the development of legislative concepts, tracks legislation introduced during each Legislative Session, and provides training to staff engaged in legislative activities. Central Services: Central Services provides shared support services and expertise to ODOE. Key functions include budgeting, accounting, payroll, procurement, federal grants management, information technology management, database development and management, facilities, records management, risk management, employee safety, office reception, and mailroom. In addition, the budget for this division includes ODOE s fixed expenditures associated with State Government Service Charges and all agency facilities costs. Finance & Operations Budget: This team of 3 FTE provides program and administrative budget planning, financial analysis, and technical budget support for ODOE. These services are provided for department leadership, program and policy staff, and external policymakers. Accounting: These 4 FTE provide accounting services and travel coordination, administer employee benefits and payroll, prepare fiscal reports, perform accounts payable and receivable activities, and collect funds owed to ODOE. This group provides accurate, accountable and responsive financial management and business services to the agency, vendors, stakeholders, and employees in support of the agency s mission and in compliance with state laws and federal policies, rules, and regulations. 2016 ODOE 4
Contracts & Procurement: This group of 3 FTE performs all procurements for ODOE. This includes solicitations, interagency and governmental agreements, contracts, grant agreements, and purchasing. Facilities: 2.5 FTE provide facilities coordination, including two full-time receptionists who also maintain a mailroom. Federal Grant Management: This position oversees the development and management of federal grants for the agency by providing direction, advice, and assistance to multiple, diverse agency programs. These programs provide services to the general public, small and large businesses, school districts, private industry, and other units of government statewide and throughout the Pacific Northwest. Information Technology: This team of 7 FTE supports agency business processes through 33 program and user applications, and an additional 14 infrastructure applications. They provide 19 business services, including database development, website design, and desktop support, and 18 administrative services, which include network, firewall, printer, and telephone administration. Governor s Energy Policy Advisor: This position resides in the Governor s Office. The Policy Advisor works closely with energy stakeholders, other Governor s Office staff, and ODOE to define and advance Oregon s energy priorities. Northwest Power & Conservation Council: The Northwest Power & Conservation Council (NWPCC) adopts a regional energy conservation and electric power plan, and a program to protect, mitigate, and enhance fish and wildlife on the Columbia River and its tributaries. Oregon has two members on the Council, which are included in ODOE s budget and funded with monies from the Bonneville Power Administration. 6. If the program or function works with local, regional, other state agencies, or federal agencies, include a brief description of these entities and their relationship to the ODOE program or function. Please identify the roles assigned to each agency. Our Government Relations liaison works closely with local, regional, and federal partners, tribes, and other state agencies. The liaison also serves as the senior policy advisor to the Director and the Governor s Office. ODOE partners with the Oregon Public Utility Commission and local governments in the integrated resource planning process and collaborates with the Northwest Power and Conservation Council in the development and ongoing implementation of the regional power plan. The agency also works with the Bonneville Power Administration on long-range energy planning. 2016 ODOE 5
ODOE pursues funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These federal agencies issue funding opportunities that often align with ODOE s mission. When appropriate, ODOE enters into collaborative partnerships with other Oregon state agencies, agencies from other states, and private and nonprofit organizations to enhance the prospect of receiving federal funding. In the past, ODOE has been both the lead collaborator and a sub-recipient/pass-through partner for various projects. 7. Explain if, and why, each of the key functions is most appropriately placed within ODOE, and how duplication with other related agencies is avoided. Most state agencies perform similar administrative functions as the Department of Energy. ODOE has explored a number of administrative shared service opportunities with other state agencies and the Department of Administrative Services. Unfortunately, in most cases, those opportunities do not provide a return on investment that warrants changing our current administrative model. Or, in some cases, the opportunity to share service is unworkable given the unique circumstances of the Department of Energy. For example, ODOE is an unrepresented state agency. For more than a year, we engaged in a conversation with other similarly-sized agencies about the opportunity to combine Human Resource staff and expertise. We have determined that combining resources with unionrepresented organizations proves too difficult to implement with little opportunity for savings and efficiencies. We have also utilized DAS s payroll services in the past. In practice, we were able to procure more cost-effective services by building payroll into the position responsibilities of another FTE within the agency rather than to continue to contract the service out to DAS. Going forward, we will continue to explore administrative efficiencies when they become available and prove themselves to be cost effective and more efficient. 2016 ODOE 6