**100.1 PURPOSE:** To authorize and establish the official directives
system for the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). The BPA Manual
incorporates all internal policies and certain procedures regarding
issues affecting individual employees or collective interests and
actions. The Manual is not intended to cover policies, regulations, or
procedures on external business and public policy decisions.

**100.2 DEFINITIONS**

**A. Policy:** Policy states BPA\'s official position; provides
direction on issues in matters affecting individual employees or
collective interests and actions. Policies ensure consistency and are
agency principles that articulate goals and serve as a basis for sound
decisionmaking.

**B. Regulation:** A regulation is a principle, rule, order or law
designed to control or govern behavior. It is a specific and mandatory
statement of what must be done. Regulations included in or referenced in
the *BPA Manual* are those which affect conditions of employment for BPA
employees.

**C. Procedure:** BPA procedures are the specific and preferred steps
developed to conduct business and to achieve desired outcomes and/or
goals. They explain how to perform a given action. Procedural documents
are developed by the organization responsible for achieving the goal.

**D. Sunset Review:** This procedure is required to keep directives
current and useful. This procedure requires responsible organizations to
review their directives every third year after issuance for continued
need and accuracy, and to (1) certify that the existing directive is
current, (2) revise as necessary, or (3) cancel the directive.

**100.3 POLICY:** The *BPA Manual* is the official written means by
which internal agency policies and responsibilities are documented and
communicated to BPA employees. The *BPA Manual* is also the central
source of reference to special manuals that contain procedures for
implementation of policies. The contents of the *BPA Manual* are binding
on all employees.

**100.4 RESPONSIBILITIES**

**A.** Records, Forms and Directives

> 1\. Has oversight responsibility for the BPA directives system;
>
> 2\. Prepares draft version of *BPA Manual* chapters, including the
> addition of logo and numbering;
>
> 3\. Routes to all Staff Managers for organizational review;
>
> 4\. Coordinates resolution of comments received from Staff Managers
> with originating office;
>
> 5\. Routes to Human Resources for Union review when applicable;

6.  Distributes final BPA Manual chapters on appropriate Web sites and
    in hard copy; and

7.  Coordinates the sunset review procedure for the *BPA Manual*.

**B. Initiating office**

> 1\. Determines content and drafts revisions;
>
> 2\. Coordinates throughout development with all affected parties
> agency-wide;
>
> 3\. Ensures appropriate procedural guides are in place;

4.  Electronically transmits proposed or revised chapter to Records,
    Forms and Directives;

5.  Resolves comments received by organizational review; and

6.  Performs sunset review as required.

**C. Staff Managers of reviewing offices**

> 1\. Coordinates with all affected parties within their organization;
> and
>
> 2\. Resolves issues directly with the initiating author in a timely
> manner.

**100.5 PROCEDURES**

**A. Organization and Numbering**

> 1\. The following sections are suggested
>
> a\. Purpose
>
> b\. Definitions
>
> c\. Policy or Regulation
>
> d\. Responsibilities
>
> e\. Procedures
>
> f\. References
>
> 2\. Every paragraph will be numbered for ease of reference
>
> 3\. Standard outline format will be used, as demonstrated in this
> chapter

**B. Content**

> 1\. All BPA internal policies will be published in the *BPA Manual*.
> Excluded from the Manual are policies on external business and public
> policy decisions.
>
> 2\. The *BPA Manual* is intended to focus on \"policies and
> regulations,\" and to contain a minimal amount of \"procedures\" (see
> definitions in Section 100.3). Whenever possible and practical,
> lengthy procedures should be cited as reference documents, rather than
> spelled out in the Manual. Generally, \"procedures\" should only be
> included in the *BPA Manual* when:
>
> a\. They are not readily available in other documents;

b.  They will affect many employees throughout BPA, AND it is important
    that employees follow certain procedures in a consistent manner
    (such as those involving a condition of employment). In other words,
    when it is not acceptable for different employees to follow
    different procedures; or

> c\. Many *BPA Manual* users will want to have written procedures, and
> one version will likely meet the needs of many users.
>
> 3\. When procedures are included, the author will be responsible for
> indicating which procedures are "mandatory," and which are
> "recommended."
>
> 4\. The *BPA Manual* is organized into parts by related material.
>
> 5\. Specific procedural manuals will be cited in the appropriate *BPA
> Manual* chapters.

**C. Review and Approval**

> 1\. All Groups concurrently receive draft copies of proposed Manual
> chapters.
>
> 2\. After comments have been examined and resolved, the initiating
> Vice President or the Chief Operating Officer approves the chapter.
>
> 3\. Functional statements which have been approved as part of a
> reorganization package will be considered "pre-approved" for purposes
> of publication, since they are authorized and effective prior to
> inclusion in the Manual.

**D. Issuance and Distribution of Manuals**

> 1\. Final editing and publication is done by Records, Forms and
> Directives.
>
> 2\. The Manual is available electronically. Additions or changes to
> the Manual are posted immediately upon approval.

**E. Sunset Reviews**

> 1\. Purpose: To keep BPA directives current and useful by requiring
> responsible organizations to review their directives every third year
> after issuance for continued need and accuracy.
>
> 2\. Procedures

a.  Each year, Records, Forms and Directives notifies the responsible
    organization that a *BPA Manual* chapter is due for review.

> b\. Within 10 working days after notification, the responsible
> organization certifies that:
>
> 1\) The chapter will be revised within the next 45 days;
>
> 2\) The chapter should be canceled, or
>
> 3\) The chapter is up to date and should remain in effect.

**100.6 REFERENCES:** This section will be limited to:

**A. Guiding regulations**: Laws or statutes directly related to the
policy;

**B. Procedural manuals/documents** implementing the policy, or

**C. Regulations/procedures** that are essential to the subject policy.