scope:

Applicability

a. This NPR is applicable to NASA Headquarters and NASA Centers, including Component Facilities and Technical and Service Support Centers.

b. The EPCS covers all employees assigned to General Schedule (GS) and NASA Excepted (NEX) positions, including employees serving under temporary and term appointments.

c. Negotiated collective bargaining agreements that contain procedures that differ from the provisions of this directive remain in effect until renegotiated, except where such agreements are specifically superseded by applicable laws or regulations.

d. In this directive, all mandatory actions (i.e., requirements) are denoted by statements containing the term "shall." The terms: "may" or "can" denote discretionary privilege or permission, "should" denotes a good practice and is recommended, but not required, "will" denotes expected outcome, and "are/is" denotes descriptive material.

e. Any reference to Center Director(s) or Centers includes the Executive Director, Headquarters Operations, OICs for Missions Support Enterprise Organizations (MSEOs), and the Executive Director, NASA Shared Services Center (NSSC).

f. In this directive, all document citations are assumed to be the latest version unless otherwise noted.

g. The Office of the Inspector General has statutory independence and may create a separate performance management system that meets its mission requirements.

Purpose

This NPR establishes procedural requirements and assigns responsibilities for the administration of the Agency's performance management system, titled the Employee Performance Communication System (EPCS), which provides a systematic process for planning, monitoring, developing, assessing, and rewarding employee performance that contributes to achieving the Agency's mission and goals in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.