Got a complaint? File it online

The Office of Special Counsel, a small, independent investigative agency, wants to make filing complaints as easy as filing taxes online. “The user should have a similar experience to using a product such as TurboTax, which walks the user through a series of screens until all the desired information is captured,” according to OSC’s Federal Business Opportunities notice published June 27. OSC investigates claims of prohibited personnel practices and other violations of the federal merit system. The agency has received a lot of attention lately because of a leak to the media of a report finding General Services Administration Administrator Lurita Doan had violated the Hatch Act. Federal employees who want to file a claim alleging one or more of the 12 prohibited personnel practices can go online to fill out the form, the notice states. OSC receives an average of 800 complaints a year through the current filing system that dates to December 2003, the office said.It has not been getting complaints about the current system, an OSC spokesman said.OSC wants to make the process easier and more customer-friendly by improving how plaintiffs can interact with the online filing process. It wants an interface that would guide them through the process, offering helpful hints and assistance along the way, the notice states. This is the first of four phases for improvement. OSC anticipates awarding a firm fixed-price contract with a ceiling of $40,000. This acquisition is set aside for small businesses.