B -- B - Announcement of A-76 Streamlined Maintenance Study Decision, Hiawatha NF, Region 9

A study was conducted to evaluate the maintenance activities for the Hiawatha National Forest’s building, grounds, fleet, roads, and trails, involving the equivalent of 6.59 full-time employees. This assessment followed the guidelines of the Office of Management and Budget Circular A-76, which is often used to determine whether federal work should be performed by government employees or contracted out. The decision, made on September 29, 2003, concluded that the maintenance work would continue to be performed in-house by the existing organization, maintaining current performance provisions. The contract announcement was issued by the Eastern Region of the USDA Forest Service, part of the Department of Agriculture, with administrative offices located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The study and its outcome ensured that maintenance operations for the Hiawatha National Forest would remain under government management rather than being outsourced. This decision reflects a preference to retain government control over these specific maintenance functions in Region 9 of the USDA Forest Service.