October 13, 1999

M-00-01

MEMORANDUM FOR THE HEADS OF DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES

FROM: Jacob J. Lew
Director
  
SUBJECT: Day One Planning and Request for Updated Business Continuity and Contingency Plans

It is important that we plan and prepare for the end of December and early January to help mitigate any problems that may arise. Day One plans, which describe agency planned activities during the pre-rollover and post-rollover periods, are an essential part of your business continuity and contingency plans (BCCPs). They should address the full scope of agency activity that will be underway during that period. That includes efforts to mitigate the impact of possible failures in internal systems, buildings or other infrastructure. It also includes efforts to assess the impact of the problem on agency partners in delivering Federal programs and agency constituencies, and to provide appropriate assistance to them.

Many of you already have well-developed Day One plans, while others are still in the early stages of planning. To help speed the development of plans, this week the General Accounting Office issued guidance entitled, "Y2K Computing Challenge: Day One Planning and Operations Guide." Please consider this guidance carefully. In particular, please assure that your plans include the following seven elements:

  1. Schedule of activity. The schedule should outline the activities that will take place before, during and after the rollover from December 31 to January 1. It should include, for example, when various checks to find problems should be made. There should also be triggers for when contingencies included in your BCCP and Continuity of Operations Plans (COOP) will be invoked.

  2. Personnel on call or on duty. You should decide who must be on-duty or on call to support the agency’s activities and when they will need to be available. Examples of the kinds of expertise that may need to be available include building technicians, computer programmers, telecommunications experts, program staff, contracting officers, legal counsel, public affairs staff, and senior management.

  3. Contractor availability. Assure that your contractors are prepared to provide you with needed assistance. If your contractor will be serving multiple clients, coordinate with the contractor and other clients to set priorities for assistance.

  4. Communications with your workforce. Assure that you will have the ability to communicate within your agency, with your agency’s workforce, with contractors, with partners in program delivery, and with your constituency as appropriate. Also assure that you will be able to communicate externally with the Information Coordination Center (ICC). Communications is of such importance that communications contingency plans should be in place.

  5. Facilities and services to support your workforce. Assure that buildings, telecommunications, transportation (including parking), food services, and other infrastructure needed to support your workforce will be available during the roll-over period.

  6. Security. Assure that special security measures are taken to address vulnerabilities created by events during the roll-over period. In particular, there is concern about the vulnerability of systems to malicious intrusion during the roll-over period.

  7. Communications with the public. Provide a capability, whether internally or through the Information Coordination Center (ICC), to communicate with the public about the impact of the problem on your agency, your agency’s programs, and your agency’s constituencies. The information being presented should be coordinated with other involved agencies and the ICC to ensure its accuracy.

In May, I asked for copies of your headquarters Business Continuity and Contingency Plans (BCCPs). Since then OMB staff have been working with your staff to refine those plans as needed. In addition, many of you have begun testing your plans and as a result, they have been improved. As described in our September 13th report to the Congress "Progress on Year 2000 Conversion," I ask that agencies listed in the attachment provide a copy of the latest version of your headquarters plan, including your Day One plan, no later than Friday,

October 15, 1999, in order to assess the Federal government’s progress. Please address your letter to me, but send the letter and plan to:

Office of Management and Budget
OIRA Docket Library
NEOB 10102
725 17th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20503

Reports may also be faxed to 202-395-5806. Any questions regarding the procedures of submitting a report may be directed to Ms. Pamela Beverly, telephone 202-395-6881.

Thank you for your continued work and cooperation in this critical effort. Through the CIO Council, OMB has worked closely with your staffs to refine the requirements set forth in this memorandum. As the countdown to the year 2000 continues, I look forward to continuing to work closely with you towards a smooth transition to the year 2000.

Attachment

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