On October 25, 1962, the Surgeon General approved the establishment of an Engineer Career Development Program in the United States Public Health Service (PHS) and authorized the formation of an Engineer Career Development Committee (ECDC), through which the Program operated. The Surgeon General also designated the Chief Engineer as professional and administrative advisor to the Program. The original charter, dated March 1963, was revised in March 1977. On September 6, 1983, the Surgeon General revised the name and objectives of the PHS Career Development Committees and recommended a set of standard operating principles to be used by the Committees. Effective January 1, 1988, the Surgeon General revised some policies regarding professional advisory committee (PAC) operations. This Charter incorporates the standard operating principles of the model PAC Charter and implements them for the Engineer Professional Advisory Committee (EPAC).
 

I. PURPOSE
 

The EPAC provides advice and consultation to the Chief Engineer and, through that individual, to the Surgeon General on matters relating to professional activities and personnel issues affecting engineers in the PHS. Throughout this document, the term "engineer" also connotes "architect". The EPAC will consider both Civil Service (CS) and Commissioned Corps (CC) engineers in the PHS while planning and implementing activities to achieve this purpose and related objectives. It may call upon the Office of the Chief Engineer and/or the Division of Commissioned Personnel for staff assistance. The EPAC operates in a staff capacity, and does not substitute for line management or in any way exercise the prerogatives of the operating programs. Members are selected from the respective PHS operating divisions (OPDIVs) or those non-PHS programs routinely staffed by PHS engineers, but neither represent nor speak for their OPDIVs or programs. They are knowledgeable professionals who represent a cross section of the interests, concerns, and responsibilities of the engineers in organizations staffed by PHS personnel.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

II. OBJECTIVE
 

The principal objective of the EPAC is to assist PHS in meeting its engineering responsibilities by providing professional advice upon request, sponsoring activities, encouraging the adoption of goals, and recommending the establishment of mechanisms that foster the development of professional competence, assure effective personnel utilization, improve recruitment and retention of competent engineering personnel, and develop satisfying career paths for engineering personnel. Specific objectives include:
 

(1) Identifying and facilitating resolution of issues of concern related to engineering professional areas and engineering personnel. 
 

(2) Assessing PHS engineering personnel needs and assisting in meeting these needs through activities in recruitment, training, utilization, and recognition of engineering professionals.
 

(3) Developing position papers, statistical reports, and/or guidelines where appropriate, to advise and comment on matters relating to engineering personnel issues and professional practices.
 

(4) Promoting the development and utilization of engineers by the PHS and other Government programs. 
 

(5) Promoting cooperation and communication among engineers and other health professionals.
 

(6) Promoting all aspects of the engineering profession throughout the OPDIVs and programs of the PHS.
 

(7) Providing a liaison among professional disciplines within and among PHS components, and advice and consultation to the OPDIV heads and programs upon request.
 

III. FUNCTIONS
 

In carrying out its purpose and objectives, the functions of the EPAC shall include, but are not limited to, the following:
 

(1) Provide general professional advice and recommendations:
 

(a) Review and comment on issues referred to the EPAC by the Surgeon General, the Chief Engineer, OPDIV heads, OPDIV Representatives to the Office of the Surgeon General (OPDIV Representatives) and/or program heads.
 
 
 

(b) Deliberate issues, develop findings, and present recommendations to the Surgeon General through the Chief Engineer or to the Chief Engineer.
 

(c) Provide advice on the professional aspects of engineering, i.e., new technologies, regulations, curricula, roles, etc.
 

(d) Provide advice on ethical and professional standard issues.
 

(e) Review and provide recommendations concerning proposed or needed changes to engineer appointment standards and professional requirements, e.g., licensure, required to maintain high quality staff.
 

(f) Provide advice/assistance on training and using engineers for emergency response.
 

(2) Act as a primary resource for engineer career development:
 

(a) Advise on CC/CS practices concerning career development.
 

(b) Advise on operating practices concerning the appropriate/optimum use of engineering personnel designed to best meet PHS needs and the needs of individuals.
 

(c) Advise on issues related to PHS promotion practices and, for commissioned officers, assimilation into the Regular Corps for the engineer category.
 

(d) Formulate criteria for the selection of candidates for training and/or other career development options.
 

(e) Identify both continuing and long-term intramural/extramural education needs of the engineering discipline and identify and recommend training and/or experience opportunities designed to meet these needs.
 

(f) Review applications for long-term training, assess appropriateness of requested training in terms of the individual and the PHS's need, and provide recommendations for the approval/disapproval of such requests.
 

(3) Provide advice and assistance on engineer staffing issues:
 

(a) Assess and project need for engineer staffing, both CS and CC, throughout the PHS. 
 

(b) Provide advice on goals, objectives, and procedures designed to meet the PHS staffing needs.
 

(c) Provide guidance for recruitment of the short-term student affiliation programs (COSTEP, summer students, etc.).
 

(d) Develop, and/or review and critique engineer-specific PHS recruitment materials, procedures, and programs.
 

(e) Help establish networks of current, as well as former, PHS professionals who can assist and facilitate recruitment activities.
 

(f) Provide guidance to formally identified PHS recruiters concerning the recruitment of qualified candidates in engineering.
 

(g) Assist in the development of orientation materials for newly hired engineers and provide advice/recommendations concerning orientation programs; e.g., Engineer Career Development

Seminar, PHS Engineering Seminar, etc.
 

(4) Communicate and encourage appropriate use of awards/recognition systems:
 

(a) Identify, establish, and help administer special engineer specific awards.
 

(b) Maintain cognizance of the existing CS and CC award programs and opportunities.
 

(5) Serve as communication link and information resource for the engineer discipline:
 

(a) Communicate to the CS/CC engineering staff important information concerning professional, ethical, and technical issues.
 

(b) Encourage individual membership in and involvement with engineering organizations and societies to promote open communications with Federal and non-Federal colleagues. 
 

(c) Ensure the distribution of minutes and other EPAC developed materials to all other PAC chairpersons, all Chief Professional Officers (CPOs), the Surgeon General, and, to the extent possible and appropriate, to the PHS CS/CC engineers.
 

This list of functions is not inclusive. The EPAC has the responsibility to identify and add functions as necessary to carry out their responsibilities for PHS engineers. Such functions shall be in concert with the overall mission and purpose for the EPAC.
 

IV. MEMBERSHIP
 

(1) Basic Eligibility Requirement: Be a permanent CS or CC at the time of nomination and appointment to the EPAC, and meet the eligibility requirements for initial appointment as an engineer in their personnel system.
 

(2) Size of the EPAC: The EPAC shall have no less than seven and no more than 20 voting members.
 

(3) Organizational Representation: At a minimum, a voting member must be selected from each of the PHS OPDIVs in which there are located 10 or more individuals who can be identified as meeting the respective engineer appointment criteria in either the CC or CS system. A voting member should also be selected from those non-PHS programs that are routinely staffed by PHS engineering personnel (e.g., the Environmental Protection Agency) provided a minimum of 10 PHS employees who meet the engineer appointment criteria are assigned in those programs.
 

(4) Geographic Considerations: The EPAC will have, as voting members, at least two individuals whose regular duty station is geographically removed by a distance of 75 or more miles from the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area.
 

(5) Gender and Minority Representation: Every effort will be made to assure that the EPAC does not consist (1) entirely of men or entirely of women or (2) entirely of one race, so long as no selection is made to the EPAC solely on the basis of gender or race.
 

(6) Personnel System: The EPAC must have, at the minimum, one CC and one CS voting member.
 

(7) Professional Seniority: The EPAC will have as a voting member a minimum of one individual who at the time of their appointment to the EPAC has less than five years of professional experience as an engineer.
 

(8) Professional Discipline Composition: Upon request by the Office of the Surgeon General (OSG), or recommendation by the Chief Engineer or the EPAC, the EPAC may provide information and/or representation to related professional disciplines which are not specifically represented by other PACs. This may be done through voting or ex-officio membership for a 

member of that related profession, or by other means selected by the EPAC.
 

V. NOMINATION PROCESS
 

(1) Annually, the EPAC will solicit nominations, including self nominations, from all PHS Engineers. Such requests for nominations shall be announced through distribution of the minutes of the EPAC meetings and/or other appropriate means as needed. The EPAC and the Chief Engineer may identify other candidates highly qualified to fill anticipated vacancies. The name(s) of all nominees will be transmitted by the Chief Engineer to the nominee's respective OPDIV Representative. The OPDIV Representative may endorse or fail to endorse the nominee(s) or provide an alternate or additional nominations meeting the general representation requirements demonstrated by the original nominee(s). The OPDIV Representative's response will be reviewed by the EPAC. A final list of nominees considered by the EPAC to be highly qualified, who are endorsed by their OPDIV Representatives, and meet representational criteria defined above will be sent by the Chief Engineer to the Surgeon General for selection. The list will identify the representational criteria which must be met by the selection process, and the candidates whose selection will meet those criteria. The nomination package with OPDIV Representative endorsement will be conveyed to the OSG as soon as possible for action.
 

(2) This nomination process shall be conducted so that the final nomination package is available for the Surgeon General's consideration no less than 60 calendar days prior to the expiration of the term of the appointments. 

(3) Should the need arise to fill an unexpired term, the same process as used for regular term appointments will be followed except that the nomination package will be conveyed to the Surgeon General as soon as possible for action. Nominees to serve the remainder of the unexpired term may be selected from the list of candidates identified during the most recent annual appointment cycle.
 

VI. TERM OF APPOINTMENT
 

(1) The term of appointment for a voting member will not exceed three years. Nominations will be such that they will be staggered over the three year term to the extent practicable so that approximately one-third of the member's terms will expire annually. The EPAC operational year will begin January 1.
 

(2) A member completing his/her term on the EPAC is eligible for a second three-year term. However, once a member has accumulated six years of service on the EPAC, he/she must step down. Service as an alternate to a voting member will not be included in these service calculations, but a member who has completed six years of service may not become an alternate during the following three years. 
 

(3) Alternates: Cognizant of the demands of the member's primary work responsibilities, and the EPAC's need to conduct business, the EPAC may allow each voting member to appoint and inform the Chairperson of a single individual who can serve as his/her alternate. Such alternates shall have voting privileges when serving in the place of a primary member. It is the responsibility of the primary EPAC member to keep the alternate fully informed and knowledgeable of the EPAC's activities. Organizational approval of the alternates are required because of the time and/or travel committments placed upon them. Also, the Chief Engineer must concur with the selection of the alternate.
 

(4) Attendance: Any EPAC member who misses two consecutive or four meetings in a year without just cause can, at the discretion of the EPAC, be asked to voluntarily resign from the EPAC, or the EPAC can initiate a request to the Surgeon General to terminate said membership and so inform the OPDIV Representative. Provision of an alternate by an EPAC member does not solely constitute just cause in fulfilling the attendance requirements. 
 

VII. CHAIR-ELECT, CHAIRPERSON
 

(1) The Chair-elect is elected annually from qualified EPAC members to serve a single one-year term as Chair-elect, followed by a single one-year term as Chairperson. The nominating subcommittee consisting of at least three EPAC members appointed by the EPAC shall present/seek nominations for the position of Chair-elect. The nominating subcommittee shall assure that all eligible EPAC members have the opportunity for the Chair-elect position. To be eligible for nomination, the EPAC member must have less than four full years of EPAC tenure at the time of election as Chair-elect. If for any reason the Chairperson and Chair-elect positions are simultaneously vacant, both a Chairperson and a Chair-elect shall be elected by the membership. In these instances, EPAC members with less than five full years of EPAC tenure shall be eligible for election as Chairperson, and EPAC members with less than four full years of EPAC tenure shall be eligible for election as Chair-elect. The Chair-elect and Chairperson will be elected by the voting membership of the EPAC from the list of candidates submitted from the nominating subcommittee recommendations and any nominations from the floor at the time of elections. 
 

(2) Filling of Unexpired Term: If the Chairperson must vacate that position for any reason, the remaining term will be served by the Chair-elect in addition to his/her full elected term as Chairperson. When said succession occurs, a new Chair-elect will be elected. The new Chair-elect will serve as Chair-elect for the balance of the year and for the next full year. 
 

If during the year, the incumbent Chair-elect can no longer serve as Chair-elect or if the Chair-elect notifies the EPAC that he/she cannot serve the following year as Chairperson, the EPAC shall elect a new Chair-elect. When filling unexpired terms, the eligible EPAC members for the Chair-elect position must have less than five years of EPAC tenure.
 

VIII. CHIEF ENGINEER
 

(1) Membership on the EPAC: The Chief Engineer shall be a non-voting ex-officio member of the EPAC.
 

(2) Relationship with the EPAC: All output of the EPAC, be it correspondence, reports, minutes of its proceedings, or other, must be transmitted through the Chief Engineer who, as he/she may deem appropriate, may provide concurring or nonconcurring comments but may not stop or unduly delay such transmittals.
 

IX. OPERATIONS AND PROCEDURES
 

The EPAC shall develop its own internal operations and procedures, but these shall include, at the minimum, the following:
 

(1) Frequency of Meetings: At a minimum, meetings will be held once per quarter. 
 

(2) Agenda: A meeting agenda, with appropriate background material, is to be made available to the members.
 

(3) Records and Reporting:
 

(a) Minutes of each EPAC meeting will be developed by the Executive Secretary, and approved by the EPAC members.
 

(b) Minutes and reports of the EPAC will be distributed in accordance with item III. (5) FUNCTIONS.
 

(c) The EPAC must establish a system to maintain a permanent file of the official minutes and reports of EPAC.
 

(4) Executive Secretary: In accordance with the EPAC's operating procedures, provision can be made for the appointment of an Executive Secretary. The Executive Secretary is appointed by the Chairperson. The Executive Secretary must be an engineer and can be a member or non-member of the EPAC. If the Executive Secretary is not a member of the EPAC, he/she will be considered an ex-officio member.
 

(5) Ex-officio Member: Should, in the routine nomination/selection process, a professional category representative from the Division of Commissioned Personnel not be selected as a voting member, such a representative may, at the option of the EPAC, be asked to serve in an ex-officio non-voting position. Other ex-officio members may be identified and requested to serve by the EPAC. These other ex-officio members must be approved by a majority of the EPAC's voting membership.
 

(6) Quorum: A quorum consists of 50 percent of the EPAC's voting membership. An alternate member attending in lieu of the member shall be counted in determining the quorum requirement.
 

(7) Voting: Where voting is required or appropriate (e.g., election of the chairperson), action will be determined by the simple majority of those voting members present. Voting may be by roll call, by voice vote, or by ballot.
 

(8) Subcommittees: Where the EPAC elects to establish standing or ad hoc subcommittees, said membership may include non-EPAC members provided that the chairperson of that subcommittee is a voting member of the EPAC.
 

(9) Charter Update and Approval:
 

(a) The EPAC's charter must be reviewed and approved by the Surgeon General.
 

(b) Subsequent modifications also require the review and approval of the Surgeon General.
 

(c) The EPAC is required to review and, if required, update its charter at least every three years.
 

The initial charter was recommended February 12, 1963, by the Engineer Career Development Committee (ECDC). This is the eighth revision of the charter recommended by either the ECDC or it's successor, the EPAC. 
 

Recommended revisions were previously made in: 
 

March 1977 

October 1983

May 1986

March 1988

August 1988 

October 1991

May 1994
 
 
 

Approved:
 
 
 
 
 

______________________________________ Date ____________

Surgeon General, U.S. Public Health Service
 

Chart2.971