If two or more employees submit identical suggestions, the one whose application is first received by the award panel will be eligible to have his or her suggestion evaluated. If two or more employees jointly submit a suggestion, any award granted will be divided equally among the participating employees. Adopted suggestions become the property of the Controller's Office and may be used by the Controller's Office in any way and for any period of time without payment of fees or royalties other than the award itself. Participation by an eligible employee in the Innovative Employee Incentive Plan shall not constitute the basis for a claim of any nature upon the City Controller's Office, the City of Philadelphia, or the Philadelphia School District by the participating employee, his or her heirs or assigns, regardless of the disposition of the suggestion. Patent rights, if any, and any rights of sale to other organizations are retained by the participating employee, within the limitations noted above.
All decisions made by the award panel are final.
An employee may request the award panel to provide a written explanation for why a suggestion failed to win a quarterly award. If an employee's suggestion is not adopted by the panel, the employee may resubmit the suggestion to the panel if he or she can provide additional information. Suggesters whose ideas are not adopted are protected for one year from the date the submission is received by the City Controller's Office. The originality of the idea is what is being protected. If the suggester can provide additional information which further explains the non-adopted suggestion, it may be resubmitted for another review.