Agricultural Marketing Service, Specialty Crops Program, Specialty Crops Inspection Division

Technical Advisory Committees (March 2017)

SCI Division Management Series

Page 1 of 3

TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEES

Technical Advisory Committees (TAC) exist to organize the Division’s technical expertise 

regarding major commodities inspected and other specific issues/program areas. These 

committees will advise the Division Director regarding policies and inspection procedures, 

training materials, visual aids, defect scoring, and other current matters relevant to the inspection 

of the specified commodity or issue/program area. In accordance with Division priorities and 

available funding, establishment of a TAC is at the discretion of the Director.

Assignments

Specific assignment of each TAC will be determined by the Director in consultation with 

Division Management and the TAC membership. Generally, these assignments will involve one 

or more of the following activities:

A. Identify and prioritize issues regarding policies, grading procedures, defect identification 

and scoring, and recommend development and/or revisions to the Director.

B. Develop nationwide instructional materials with the advice and assistance of the Chief of 

the Training Branch, for use by all Federal and Federal-State staff who train inspectors in 

a particular commodity. Specifically, these materials would include a basic lesson plan, 

associated classroom training aids, and, where applicable, a computer-based training 

module. 

C. Review, develop, and recommend official visual aids with the advice and assistance of 

the Chief of the Standardization Branch.

Membership 

Each committee will typically consist of not more than six members appointed by the Division 

Director, and may be comprised of DC Operations and/or Standardization Branch (STDZ) staff, 

Federal Program Managers (FPM), Officers-In-Charge (OIC), and Federal-State Inspection 

Program (FSIP) officials. Division staff with knowledge and skills in other areas of expertise 

will be considered for membership as the TAC objectives dictate.
SCI Division Management Series Technical Advisory Committees

Effective Date: March 2017 Page 2 of 3

The role of Chairperson will be assigned to the Headquarters staff member unless the Director 

assigns this role to one of the other members. To promote the efficiency and consistency of TAC 

operations, terms served by all members will be indefinite until such time that a replacement is 

named by the Director.

Operations

Based on the relevant issues, each committee should meet at least once a year. Meetings can be 

in person or via telephone or video conferencing, as appropriate. If the TAC is commodity 

oriented, it is recommended that a meeting take place prior to the start of a shipping season. 

Other meetings may be scheduled as dictated by assignment workload.

Any member may raise an issue to the attention of the committee at any time for resolution. The 

committee may seek comment on draft recommendations from the Division, FSIP officials, and 

the industry.

The committee will propose by consensus new or revised written policies, procedures, training 

materials, and visual aids for consideration by the Director. The Director will, as soon as 

practical, either:

A. Approve the committee’s recommendations as submitted;

B. Approve the recommendations with modifications and provide an explanatory notice to 

the committee regarding any substantive modification; or

C. Decline to approve the recommendations with an explanatory notice.

At the discretion of the Director and with written notice to each member, a TAC may be 

dissolved when its general objectives have been accomplished, or if its continued operation 

would provide little or no benefit to the Division.

Specific Responsibilities of Members

The Chairperson will:

A. Preside over all meetings and coordinate communications among the committee and 

between the committee and the Director.

B. Communicate with other Division Management team members the need for other 

Division staff to participate in the coordination of the development, formatting, revision, 

approval and issuance of documents pertinent to their areas of responsibility (i.e., 

Standardization Branch for visual aids, commodity inspection instructions and standards; 

Training Branch for training materials; DC Operations for personnel, uniformity and 

program development; and Inspection Services for financial and information technology).
SCI Division Management Series Technical Advisory Committees

Effective Date: March 2017 Page 3 of 3

C. Obtain travel authorizations for committee meetings, ensure that approved procedural 

revisions are incorporated into guidance documents and distributed to the field, and 

provide for the general administrative coordination of the committee.

The Federal Program Manager(s) on the TAC will serve as liaison with their counterparts and 

FSIP officials in their assigned territories. Federal Program Managers not on the TAC have the 

responsibility to keep FSIP officials in their territories informed of committee activities and 

solicit input from FSIP and industry representatives during the development of committee 

resolutions.

“SCI moving forward in the 21st Century using technology, innovation, and old fashioned hard work”

Non-Discrimination Policy: In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of 

Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and 

employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from 

discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender 

expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived 

from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights 

activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all 

programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. 

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information 

(e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible 

Agency or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through 

the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made 

available in languages other than English. 

To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint 

Form, AD-3027, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html and at any 

USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information 

requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your 

completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the 

Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-

9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov. USDA is an equal 

opportunity provider, employer, and lender.