The HR Line of Business (HR LOB) Program Office collaborated with HR LOB service providers and customer agencies to develop the Provider Assessment. The Provider Assessment is a business practice-based assessment that appraises HR LOB service providers on their ability to deliver services to their customers. These practices and their underlying questions fall into five categories:

1. Strategy and Architecture
2. HRIT Modernization
3. Compliance
4. Customer Relationship Management
5. Performance Management

The Provider Assessment also includes a customer satisfaction component to measure customer perceptions of provider business practices and delivery of services.

As Managing Partner of the HR LOB, OPM has the authority to assess the HR shared service centers and payroll providers. By conducting the Provider Assessment, the HR LOB continues to ensure the accountability and transparency of the providers, which also aligns with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)'s focus on efficiency across the Federal government, increased adoption and migration to shared services, and modernization of IT solutions.

Participating Providers:

• Department of Defense, Defense Civilian Personnel Advisory Service (DCPAS)
• Department of Defense, Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS)
• Department of Agriculture, National Finance Center (NFC)
• Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), Program Support Center – Capital HR
• Department of the Interior, Interior Business Center (IBC)
• Department of the Treasury
• General Services Administration

If you have any further questions, please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions or contact the HR LOB at hrlob@opm.gov.

In August 2005, the OPM Director and each shared service center (SSC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with OPM to establish the agreement between OPM and the SSC Agency for the continuation of HR service delivery by the SSC Agency to other Federal agencies. According to the MOU, OPM responsibilities include:

• Conduct reviews of HR SSC service delivery against established measures and metrics
• Provide information to customer agencies to assist in evaluating service offerings to SSCs

Provider Assessment Cycle One

During Fiscal Year 2009 the HR LOB collaborated with both customer agencies and the HR LOB service providers (SSCs and Payroll Providers) to develop the Provider Assessment Program. The Assessment process design was approved by the MAESC in November 2009, and is based on business practices that were considered important by customers of HR LOB service providers.

The assessment was endorsed by the Office of Management and Budget when, in their Fiscal Year 2011 budget pass-back language, they included language instructing OPM to conduct assessments of HR Line of Business service providers. It also required of all service providers to prepare for OPM-administered, regular assessments.

The initial Provider Assessment that occurred between February 2010 and September 2011 was the first cross-government assessment of HR shared service centers and payroll providers. The successful assessment resulted in the following:

• Increased understanding of the operations and service delivery of Federal HR shared service centers and payroll providers.
• Increased engagement and collaboration among stakeholders, including providers, customer agencies, and the HR LOB.
• Tangible changes, including new customer user groups, organizational alignment changes, and internal provider action teams to address HR LOB recommendations.

Provider Assessment Program Improvement

Following the initial cycle of assessments, the HR LOB conducted an evaluation of the Provider Assessment Program and collaborated with multiple stakeholder groups to improve the program. In addition, the HR LOB received OMB mandates included in the Federal IT Shared Services Strategy and TechStat recommendations to add customer satisfaction measures to the Provider Assessment and streamline the data collection and reporting process. These changes are reflected in the revised 2013 Provider Assessment Methodology.

If you have any further questions, please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions or contact the HR LOB at hrlob@opm.gov.

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The HR LOB conducted the first cycle of the Provider Assessments for the Federal HR shared service centers and payroll providers from February 2010 to September 2011. At the conclusion of each assessment, the provider was issued a report with the results of the assessment. The Cycle One Provider Assessment reports are available for download via the links below.

The Provider Assessment is a business practice-based assessment that appraises HR LOB service providers on their ability to deliver services to their customers. The HR LOB Program Office collaborated with HR LOB service providers and customer agencies to develop the Provider Assessment.

* At the time of this assessment, DCPAS was called the Civilian Personnel Management Service (CPMS) and IBC was called the National Business Center (NBC) and they are refereed to as such in the report.

Additional information about the Provider Assessment is available from the Frequently Asked Questions, or you may contact the HR LOB at hrlob@opm.gov