BUSINESS CYCLES

“In his State of the Union address, the President announced his intention to double the size of the Peace Corps over the next five years. This is a very exciting time for the Peace Corps. His FY 2003 budget request to Congress for the Peace Corps provides an increase of $42 million in support of the announced growth. While there are no guarantees in the appropriations process, the Peace Corps is well placed to ultimately receive virtually the entire request. We are not simply assuming full funding but will actively work to toward that end. Concurrently, we must begin to plan for that result.”

- Gaddi Vasquez, Director

There are three main business drivers guiding the program and projects within the Peace Corps.

These include:

The Federal Budget and Acquisitions Cycle

The Peace Corps has a specific framework to carry out its planning, evaluation, and budget processes by means of its Integrated Planning and Budget System (IPBS) which is consistent with the goals of the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA).

The IPBS is the Peace Corps’ principal strategic planning mechanism. IPBS is based on a three-year planning cycle, and every Peace Corps office and overseas post is required to define itsgoals and objectives and develop a strategic plan and budget that will enable the office to meet them. IPBS begins with an evaluation of the previous year’s plans and projects, identifies lessons learned, potential improvements, and plans for the future.

The Peace Corps’ current planning system is consistent with the objectives of GPRA in several respects. It features a multi-level strategic planning process that requires each Peace Corps office and sub-office to set goals, measurable objectives, and specific tasks - in essence, a performance plan - with related timelines. The process has been successful in providing strategic planning objectives for each major Peace Corps office.

The Term Limitation Placed Upon Staff and Volunteers

1/3 Annual Turnover of Volunteers

The Peace Corps has a specific framework to carry out its planning, evaluation, and budget processes by means of its Integrated Planning and Budget System (IPBS) which is consistent with the goals of the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA).

The IPBS is the Peace Corps’ principal strategic planning mechanism. IPBS is based on a three-year planning cycle, and every Peace Corps office and overseas post is required to define its goals and objectives and develop a strategic plan and budget that will enable the office to meet them. IPBS begins with an evaluation of the previous year’s plans and projects, identifies lessons learned, potential improvements, and plans for the future.

The Peace Corps’ current planning system is consistent with the objectives of GPRA in several respects. It features a multi-level strategic planning process that requires each Peace Corps office and sub-office to set goals, measurable objectives, and specific tasks - in essence, a performance plan - with related timelines. The process has been successful in providing strategic planning objectives for each major Peace Corps office.

The Term Limitation Placed Upon Staff and Volunteers

1/3 Annual Turnover of Volunteers

Peace Corps assignments are for two years plus three months of training in your country of service.

5 year limit on staff positions

It is important to understand that Peace Corps employees receive time-limited appointments and that most employees are limited to a maximum of five years (60 months) of employment with the agency. This time-limit is referred to as the "five-year rule." It was established to ensure that Peace Corps' staff remains as fresh and innovative as its Volunteers.

For the same reason as the "five year rule", former Peace Corps employees cannot be re-employed by Peace Corps until they have been out of the agency's employment for the same amount of time that they worked for the Peace Corps. For example, if you previously worked for the Peace Corps for three years, you cannot come back to work for the Peace Corps until you have been away for three years. Service as a Peace Corps Volunteer overseas is not counted for the purposes of this rule.

The Programs and Projects themselves

(TBD)

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