The U.S. EPA and AFGE Council 238 entered into an agreement which is entitled, "Article 34, Employee Performance Evaluation."  This Article sets forth the procedures and appropriate arrangements for the implementation by the U.S. EPA of the Performance Appraisal and Recognition System (PARS).  Both the U.S. EPA and AFGE Council 238 endorsed the following principles:

• PARS must be fair, equitable, and solely related to job performance.
• Management will establish and communicate to employees performance elements, critical elements, non-critical elements, and performance standards subject to law and regulations, and this Article.
• Employee participation or input into the establishment of performance standards will be made in collaborative manner.
• Performance elements, critical elements, non-critical elements, and performance standards that assess an employee's performance must be job-related, documented and measurable.
• There must be a nexus between the expected manner of performance and the expected job results.
• Supervisors have the responsibility for helping employees maximize their performance, which can best be accomplished through constructive and positive performance management.
• Performance management is an inherent and significant element of supervision.

Please download and read Article 34 Employee Performance Evaluation (PARS) February 14, 2007, which is a PDF.  This will require the use of free Acrobat Reader. 

You may also download a blank PARS form, which is a PDF.  This will require the use of free Acrobat Reader).

Here are the U.S. EPA's Agency-Wide Benchmarking Standards, available as a pdf file.  This will require the use of free Acrobat Reader.