I. PURPOSE

This directive sets forth the:

1. Guidelines for maintaining the circuit level
2. Procedures to prepare, submit, and maintain circuit documentation.
3. Criteria to calculate workload allowances for frontline supervisors (FLSs)
4. Procedures for the review and approval of circuit changes

II. CANCELLATION

This directive cancels FSIS Directive 1010.2, Revision 1, dated 6/25/90.

III. REASON FOR REISSUANCE

This directive provides updated guidelines for circuit maintenance within districts.

IV. REFERENCES

FSIS Directive 5720.2, State Cooperative Inspection Programs

FSIS Directive 5930.1, Custom Exempt Establishment Review Procedures

V. ABBREVIATIONS AND FORMS

The following appear in their shortened form in this directive:

AA- Assistant Administrator

CSI- Consumer Safety Inspector

DM- District Manager

DO- District Office DRMA District Resource Management Analyst

EIAO- Enforcement, Investigations, and Analysis Officer

DISTRIBUTION: All Offices (Except llCs and Below)

OPI: OFO – Resource Management & Planning Staff

FLS-Frontline Supervisor

FSCA- Federal-State Cooperative Inspection Act

GS- General Schedule

HRO- Human Resources Office

IIC- Inspector-in-Charge

IPS- In-plant Structure

LERD- Labor and Employee Relations Division

OFO- Office of Field Operations

OM- Office of Management

PFT- Permanent Full-Time

PHV- Public Health Veterinarian

RIS- Resource Information System

RMPS- Resource Management & Planning Staff

SCSI- Supervisory Consumer Safety Inspector

SPHV-Supervisory Public Health Veterinarian

TA- Talmadge-Aiken

FSIS Form 1010-2, Circuit Profile and Approval Form

VI. DEFINITIONS

A. Circuit. An organizational structure of plants and positions designed to deliver program services and provide supervision in an efficient and effective manner to in-plant personnel.

B. Direct Reports. PFT in-plant inspection positions that report directly to the FLS for supervision and guidance.

C. Indirect Reports. All other PFT in-plant inspection positions that do not report directly to the FLS for supervision or guidance. (EXAMPLE: SCSI position.)

D. In-plant. An IPS that represents the point where the inspection of amenable and non-amenable species, and the export of products takes place.

E. IPS Listing. A detailed listing of all IPSs that form the circuit. This includes a profile of staffing, establishment data, and the IPS supervision credit.

F. Position Listing. A list of assignments, by number, that cover each establishment in a circuit.

G. RIS. A transactional data information system that houses assignments, circuit structures, employees, and establishment information

H. Travel Itinerary. The mapping of a route for direct reports’ duty stations within circuit boundaries for developing the supervisory travel allowance for a month.

VII. CIRCUIT PACKAGE

The circuit package is used to document and display a circuit. The package consists of:

• FSIS Form 1010-2, Circuit Profile and Approval Form. This form is the first page for each circuit package which provides a summary description of the circuit's workload by structuring workdays, establishments, and assignments.
• The IPS listing.
• The position listing.

VIII. RESPONSIBILITIES

The position responsibilities are as follows by positions.

A. DM.

1. Makes recommendations for creating, abolishing, or modifying a circuit.
2.  Reviews the circuit alignments annually, with the goal of maintaining balanced workloads among circuits.
3. Secures authorization from the AA, OFO, for actions described in paragraph XII. 
4. Directs district personnel to assist the FLS performing required analysis.
5. Uses the circuit package to review and approve new or modified circuits.

B. DRMA.

1. Minimizes the number of circuits with boundaries that are geographically arranged to prevent circuit boundaries from overlapping.
2. Structures the workload of a circuit to range from approximately 13 to 15 workdays in a month. It is critical to maintain this level of structured workdays. This is accomplished by monitoring:

• A circuit structure workload and associated supervisory workload.
• Circuit structures, including travel. (NOTE: Travel is reviewed annually by the district for accuracy and conformance to this directive.
• Assignments with cross-utilized state employees who receive the same technical program oversight as Federal employees.
• Workloads outside the guidelines by more than 2 days (examples: less than 11 days or more than 17 days). If workloads are outside the guidelines, written justification from the DM to the AA, OFO or their designee is required. (NOTE: The district reviews such circuits every 6 months and reports corrective action(s) to the AA, OFO or their designee to bring the circuits back into the desired range.)

3. Determines circuit headquarters points using the following criteria in order of priority

 a. Minimize the cost to the Government. (EXAMPLES: Mileage and per diem.)

b. Minimize travel time within the circuit.

c. Locate the headquarters point where Federal inspection is performed and has facilities (examples: restroom and private office space) available.

d. Ensure the circuit name reflects the FLS’s official duty station.

e. Minimize the relocation cost of the incumbent FLS when determining the circuit headquarters point.

f. Verify if an alternate office site for the FLS is necessary. If an alternate office site is provided, the circuit headquarters point will remain the official duty location for the circuit. An alternate site is allowed if:

1.  There is no additional cost to the Agency
2. The office site is centrally located within the circuit.
3. The DM recommends an alternate site.
4. The AA, OFO or their designee approves an alternate site.

g. Develop and maintain the assignment profile to correspond with the circuit package.

h. Provide support to the DM to accomplish assigned responsibilities.

i. Provide staffing coverage of assignment, when and where applicable.

j. Assist in the review of the in-plant staffing pattern, including those with cross-utilized state employees.

k. Direct the preparation and maintenance of circuit documentation.

4. Prepares new and revised circuit travel itineraries.

5.Signs the circuit package and verify accuracy

6. Uses the circuit package to review and approve new or modified circuits.

C. AA, OFO.

1. Authorizes approval or disapproval to fill FLS positions that are in new or revised circuits requiring authorization.
2. Issues policy guidance on circuit level staffing

D. Director, RMPS.

1. Updating and maintaining this directive.
2. Providing onsite assistance and conducting verification of assignments and circuit structures.
3. Issuing management reports on the circuit and district structure.
4. Conducting an ongoing evaluation of circuit workload balances.
5. Reviewing and evaluating DO requests for filling vacant FLS positions, circuit names and location changes, and making recommendations for approval or disapproval.

IX. COMPUTING CIRCUIT WORKLOADS

Circuit workloads are based on computed allowances for supervision, the number of establishments, and travel.

A. Supervisory Allowance. (NOTE: This allowance is computed for each PFT position.)

1. Direct reports equal 0.50 days or 240 minutes.
2. Indirect reports equal 0.05 days or 24 minutes. The supervisory allowance for establishments staffed with cross-utilized state employees is the same as an indirect report.
3. Those states which have an FSCA (formerly TA) agreement, establish a program coordinator in collaboration with the DM (see FSIS Directive 5720.2).

• The FLS does not receive supervisory credit or allowances for supervision of employees or establishments in the FSCIP program.
• The program coordinator supervises state employees and reviews the establishments in the program.

4. The FLS does not perform custom exempt reviews nor receive supervisory credit or allowance.

B. Establishment Allowance

1. Each establishment, regardless of shift, size, or type. (EXAMPLE: Each establishment equals 0.06 days or 29 minutes.)
2. The FLS visits establishments staffed with cross-utilized state employees at a similar frequency as other Federal establishments.

C. Travel Allowance. Due to the inherent variability of FLS responsibilities, an FLS’s travel pattern varies from month to month. A travel allowance captures an allotted amount of time to credit towards the total monthly workdays. (NOTE: Travel is computed on a monthly average basis of 20.5 workdays. 20.5 workdays is equal to 480 minutes per day or 9840 minutes per month.) The intention is not to mandate the FLS’s monthly travel pattern.

1. Travel time is computed by using FSIS-approved mapping software programs (example: Microsoft Streets & Trips). (See Attachment 2 for a sample computation.)
2. Each circuit is assigned a standard travel allowance of 1.25 days per month. Increases above this standard level must be supported by a travel itinerary.
3. Travel itineraries include one visit to each unique direct report headquarters duty station. These itineraries are developed by using an authorized FSIS-approved mapping software package with the following parameters.

• Travel time, based on the quickest route.
• Travel must begin and end at the FLS’s duty station.

4. When using the mapping software

• a. Create one point for each unique direct report duty station (example: headquarters point) and one point for the FLS duty station on a map, with the city, state, and zip code. (NOTE: Longitude and Latitude is an option to assist in calculating travel.)
• b. Plan a route by adding all the points with the FLS duty stations as the beginning and ending points.
• c. Optimize the route prior to getting the directions

5. Travel by air or boat to remote locations must include actual time spent to complete the travel (converted to a monthly allowance) and be included in the total travel allowance.

X. GUIDELINES FOR CREATING ADDITIONAL CIRCUITS

A. Prior to requesting an additional circuit for a district, at least one of the following must occur. The average number of:

1. Establishments per circuit exceeds 45.
2. Direct reports per circuit exceeds 16.
3. Indirect reports per circuit exceeds 55. 
4. Travel days per circuit exceeds 2.5.
5. Workdays per circuit exceeds 15

B. Consider incorporating reporting lines when identifying direct reports.

1. The SPHV, IIC, of an establishment supervises in-plant inspectors on an alternate shift when there are no other supervisory personnel assigned to that shift.
2. Non-PHV relief positions, where appropriate, report to an in-plant or multi-IPS supervisor.
3. Non-relief CSIs, where applicable (within close proximity), report to an in-plant or multi-IPS PHV.
4. Relief PHVs report to the FLS.
5. EIAOs are not supervised by the FLS. (NOTE: When direct report EIAO-trained PHVs are performing EIAO-related duties, they report to the DM or their designee when conducting the actual EIAO related activities (examples: food safety assessments, recall effectiveness checks, and consumer complaints).

XI. OBTAINING AUTHORIZATION

The initial application is coordinated through RMPS, Workforce Analysis Unit according to this directive. To obtain authorization:

A. The AA, OFO or designee authorizes the:

1. 1. Increase or decrease in the number of circuits.
2. Change of a headquarters point.
3. Name change of a circuit.
4. Filling of a vacant FLS position.
5. Request of an alternate office site

B. For changes, the DM submits a transmittal memorandum with the following documentation:

1. A request for approval and the exact nature of the change.
2. A narrative explanation or justification for the change, including any major changes from the previously approved circuit structure(s).
3. A complete analysis of any changes that affect the:

• Travel allowance.
• Number of circuits per district.
• Number of direct or indirect reports for the circuit(s) and the average per district.
• Number of plants for the circuit(s) and the average per district.
• Circuit workload for the circuit(s) and the average per district.

C. The AA, OFO or designee authorizes or denies the requested action via memorandum to the DM.

1. After receiving the authorization memorandum, the DM incorporates the changes into the RIS. The DRMA signs and dates FSIS Form 1010-2, generated from the RIS.
2. The DO produces printed copies of the official circuit package with the DRMA’s signature and distributes it to the offices listed in paragraph XII.

XII. DISTRIBUTION OF DOCUMENTATION

The DRMA or designee:

A. Distributes the circuit package without prior authorization on all changes not covered by paragraph IX.

B. Distributes approved packages or notifications to the following offices:

1. Director, HRO, Minneapolis, MN.
2. Affected FLSs.
3. Director, LERD, OM. (NOTE: The DRMA sends only the approval letter.)

See full PDF for attachments

• COMPUTING A CIRCUIT WORKLOAD
• CONVERTING DRIVING TIME TO TRAVEL ALLOWANCE