If it had, then that certification, once verified, would allow an agency to move ahead with a new IPA assignment. This removes a heavy administrative responsibility from OPM but does not unduly impact other Federal agencies. We have revised Sec. We received numerous comments regarding Sec. 334.104, which deals with the length of the IPA assignment.
Some agencies believe that the proposed provisions are more restrictive than the present ones.
A few agencies, including NSF, felt that rather than providing additional flexibility, the suggested changes actually limit the flexibility they now have under the current regulations. They felt that this regulation could severely damage their ability to utilize non-Federal scientific expertise. They argue that it takes a considerable amount of time for a scientist to become knowledgeable on a research project and it would be fiscally irresponsible to have to bring in a new person because of the 6-year limit. We certainly don't want to limit the flexibility agencies will need to effectively operate this program by placing unnecessary regulatory burdens on them. The limit remains for Federal employees.