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Providing Parts and Excellent Service to Our Customers for Over 60 years!
Your compressor systems are a substantial investment and downtime means lost production income. Dearing's factory-trained service personnel are available 24 hours a day for startup assistance and training, routine maintenance, preventative maintenance contracts and major overhauls on all brands of equipment.
Need a quote? Fill out our online Request for Quote (RFQ) form below and we will contact you within two business days with a response.
Dearing is committed to stocking the Genuine Replacement Parts you need and having them on hand when you need them. Parts and accessories are available from our stock or within 24 hours from the factory network. Our customer service group has all the capability to work with you on an individual basis and to handle your most difficult part's problem.
With over sixty years behind us, our track record speaks for itself! So no matter what brand or size compressor you have, give us a call at 1-800-850-3440 to see how we can help save money and get your equipment running reliably.
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We stock a wide range of products for the pet owner. Our team of experienced veterinary clinicians ensure that all the items we sell are safe, effective and excellent value for money. You can trust that either our veterinary surgeons or nurses are available to help you decide which is the most suitable product for you.
Repeat Prescriptions
Repeat Prescriptions for our patients on long-term medication may be obtained from the surgery. Please allow 24 hours for the prescriptions to be authorised by a veterinary surgeon. We strongly recommend that pets on long term prescriptions are regularly given a check-up by the veterinary surgeon, usually every 3-6 months depending on the condition. This allows us to re-assess the dosage of medication and to discuss alternatives should the need arise. You can request a written prescription to be dispensed by a high street or on-line pharmacy although we do not recommend this – all our drugs have been stored correctly and come directly from the manufacturer or through our veterinary wholesaler – you can rest assured that whenever possible we only use veterinary licensed drugs, and if the use of an unlicensed drug was considered necessary by our veterinary surgeons, it would be fully discussed with you before we asked for your consent.
Worming is an important part of health routine care in all dogs and cats. Tapeworms and roundworms can be dangerous when young children come into contact with the eggs on playing fields or in the home. Children may not be as careful with washing their hands and what they put in their mouths, so it is very important to make sure your pet is not contaminating the environment with worm eggs. It is essential to worm puppies and kittens thoroughly, and we advise worming adults at least every 3 to 4 months.
As a pet owner, you will invariably come across this parasite from time to time. Dogs often carry a few without showing many signs of itchiness. Some people seem to be more sensitive than others to flea bites. Many people get little red itchy spots on their ankles or arms. You won't always spot the fleas, so don't be fooled! Your vet can advise you on the best strategy to rid your house of these pests. All flea infestations are readily responsive to treatment, even in the most popular households!
Useful tip for finding evidence of fleas
It is not always possible to see the live adult fleas, but it is much simpler to find the flea droppings on your pet's coat. Try running a fine comb or better still a flea comb through the coat and spread the brushings onto white tissue paper. Spray water onto any black spots. If any of these black spots dissolve into a reddish brown stain on the paper, then it is very likely that they are flea droppings. The fleas feed on fresh blood and this gives the reddish colour in their droppings. Sometimes the flea droppings have a 'C' shape.
Special diet formulations have become increasingly common over the last decade. In many supermarkets, you will see different diets for elderly pets, puppies and grown-ups. We now stock a large range of the Royal Canin Lifestage and Vetbreed diets – call in to the reception and ask for a free sample. We can also supply (usually within 24 hours) diets from most of the other large manufacturers at a competitive price. At the surgery, we principally stock the Royal Canin range of special presription diets, such as diets for cats with kidney problems or weight reduction diets, and also some of the Hills range of prescription and science plan diets.. We also sell high energy diets for sick or malnourished animals that require a little extra attention and care.

subset: commoncrawl


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An Israeli Champion Emerges in the First Muaythai International World Cup
Fightland Blog
On the final electrifying night of the First Muaythai University World Cup, Israel's top Muay Thai champion Itay Gershon returned to his corner after the first round with his last contender, Patryk Borowski-Beszta of Poland. I stand ringside at the National Stadium in Bangkok, camera pressed against my face. Nearly every seat in the outdoor boxing arena is taken on this humid March evening.
The Polish fighter is the only opponent out of four to survive past the first round with the Israeli. Expectations run high for the audience who witnessed the star fighter KO all three of his previous opponents in the competition. They brace themselves for another knockout, but Itay has other plans.
"My opponent is Polish. I know about his weakness," Itay described his strategy before the closing night fight. "He's tall. I'll kick him in the body. I'll defend all his strikes. And I'll be better at the clinch. And that's how I'll win."
Often referred to as the "Art of Eight Limbs," Muay Thai originated in Thailand in 1520. The combat sport makes use of elbows and knees in addition to hands and feet, therefore using "eight points of contacts." This means tougher, more match-ready fighters. Joe Cummings, author of the 2003 book A Golden Souvenir of Muay Thai, calls Muay Thai the only well-known Asian martial art that features full-contact sparring. It has more in common with international boxing than any other martial art.
Once Itay sits down in his corner, his coach Beny Cogan takes a gulp of bottled water and sprays it all over the fighter's face. The coach's spit water mixed with the fighter's sweat ricochets across my camera, forcing myself and another photographer to dodge the shower.
As I inch back under the ropes to reposition my shot, beads of bloody water lay peppered on the canvas floor of the boxing ring.
Israel's top Muay Thai and K1 champion traveled along with 38 national teams to represent their nations and fight in Thailand, the birthplace of the martial art.
The 21-year-old Israeli took other student athletes by storm, winning two matches by KO, one by TKO and the last one on points. Among his defeated: two Thai fighters whom he knocked unconscious within minutes of the first round on home soil. Both were pulled out of the ring on stretchers.
Itay's visually stunning knockouts and boyish antics afterward takes us deep into the First Muaythai University World Cup. It's a milestone competition organized by the International Federation for Muay Thai Amateur (IFMA) and patronized by International University Sports Federation (FISU), the body that recognizes and includes sports in the Universiade.
Itay's story began as an aggressive boy from Katamon, once a rough predominantly Sephardic neighborhood in Jerusalem. Both sets of his grandparents were Kurdish Jews. He was born the second child out of seven children. Now he lives with his older brother to make room for his five younger sisters in his parents' home.
As a boy, Itay never backed down from a fight. But that fearless quality found an outlet when the 13-year-old teenager followed his older brother to the gym where he trained Muay Thai with Beny, his future coach.
Beny trained Itay with an eye to fight at Muay Thai tournaments in Europe and especially Russia IFMA competitions, where fighters are technically better than Israel. At the age of 15, he became a junior fighter in the IFMA circuit, the very same organization behind this first Muaythai University World Cup.
Itay says he fought over 90 matches in Muay Thai and K1 kickboxing with a record of 30 KO's, and only 2 losses. He's a national champion whose training and rise in international amateur Muay Thai parallels IFMA's aspirations for Olympic status.
"I want to be the best in the world. Right now I'm top champion in Israel in kickboxing and Muay Thai. But it's a small country, not many boxers," he says.
For these amateur fighters, making Muay Thai an Olympic sport means their governments would sponsor them to travel to international competitions, schools and universities would invest in classes, and more gyms would open.
"What you see right now is a lot of junior Muay Thai fighters moving to boxing or taekwondo because they are Olympic sports," says Erdogan Aydin, a University Cup referee from Turkey. "There they can get funding. Especially women fighters who get pressure from their families to find a paying career. They are making this choice to leave Muay Thai for a paying sport."
Itay's first match against Thai opponent Jakapet made an example out of the unsuspecting fighter for the rest of the World Cup. In the first round, Itay jumped into an ominous spinning back kick into Jakapet's head. The Thai fighter went down like a rock, never regaining consciousness in the ring.
"First one I won by KO. I KO'd with a round spinning kick," describes the Israeli champion. "In Thailand you call it crocodile kick. 'Muay boran.' They call it like that."
"When you approach a fight against a Thai, as a trainer I brought other techniques in from ancient Muay Thai," says Beny. "Our strategy was to fake him and throw a blow he was not used to in Thailand. It's an ancient kick in Thai, called the crocodile kick. We kicked his left leg many times. Then we attacked his right side with a spinning back kick."
When that crocodile kick dropped Jakapet like a sack, Itay sprang a cartwheel in the boxing ring and did a little jiggy dance.
"I was just worried about his attitude when he was so happy to KO the first Thai," a referee shared in confidence. " He forgot to show some respect to the loser especially if he is injured. But he was so happy and forgot."
"Itay was really jumping around doing a somersault," Coach Beny defends his fighter. "But you have to know Itay. It was no disrespect. It was pressure."
Two days later Beny, also owner of Cogan's Gym in Jerusalem, said that ancient Thai kick created ripples beyond the tournament. "All of Thailand is talking about Itay's KO against the Thai fighter. There are thousands of hits on the Youtube video already."
The second fight with Swiss fighter Roth Killian was also short-lived. In the first round, Itay put a knee in Roth's face and followed up with a round kick to his head.
"Second fight was like kickboxing. I put my left knee to his face. And I think he broke his teeth," says Itay. "Sorry for him, but this is tough sport. I think I give up too if my teeth broke. Maybe not, I'm crazy."
With a bloody mouth, the Swiss fighter chose to retire in the first round.
By the time the third fight arrived with Thai fighter Worawit Khamding, everyone was talking about Itay's lethal strikes. The Best Technique Award he received during semi-finals the previous night only raised the stakes. Thai pride was on the line.
"I kicked with my jumping knee to his face, and he goes down. I heard him breathe and make a sound like 'huh'," says Itay. "Knee in the neck. Sorry for him."
Itay KO'd Worawit in just over one minute in the first round with a knee to the chin, sending the 156 pound/71 kilograms division fighter sprawling to the floor. The Thai stirred for a moment on his stomach trying to raise his head, but then became still.
As paramedics crowded around Worawit's limp body in the ring and a stretcher was hoisted, Itay snapped out of his joy and crouched down next to the fallen Thai fighter in concern.
Later at the changing rooms flanking the boxing ring, some locals came to congratulate Itay on his third victory. "He's a superstar," said a stocky Thai man with clear admiration and disbelief.
At the end of the tournament, the Israeli champion ends up bringing home the Gold in his light middleweight division of 156 pounds/71 kilograms, Best Boxer award, and Best Technical Performance award during semi-finals.
It's a special distinction for a junior fighter who entered the IFMA circuit at 15-years-old and grew up with the organization pushing for Olympic status.
In the world of sports, patronage of FISU is widely viewed as a stepping stone to becoming an Olympic sport. Closely aligned to the International Olympics Committee (IOC), FISU selects sports for inclusion to the Summer and Winter Universiade. That's the goal of IFMA organizers, acceptance to the (IOC). It's political and involves cleaning up the image of Muay Thai from bloodsport to fair play worthy of international Olympic standards.
"IFMA exists solely to make amateur Muay Thai an Olympic sport," explains Stephan Fox, General Secretary of the IFMA.
In only 20 years, IFMA has achieved same ring rules for male and female amateur fighters, mentored junior fighters through international competitions, and created an international culture built on the five pillars of Muay Thai: respect, honor, fair play, excellence and tradition.
"Then we have the Royal Muay Thai Council, which is pro Muay Thai. We work together. It's a marriage that's never gonna break," continues Stephan. "After athletes finish high school, we're there to protect them and monitor them."
In amateur Muay Thai, there are 130 member countries worldwide with five continental federations. Amateur teams get sent to competitions by their government. They get flags, doctors, and training camps. Olympic recognition for Muay Thai would mean national teams would be able to tap into government funding.
It's been a long road to the Olympics and organizers are optimistic the end is in sight. In 1999 the Olympic Committee of Asia recognized IFMA. In 2006 IFMA got world recognition with the inclusion to Sport Accord. In 2013, the International World Games Association included IFMA. The next step for amateur Muay Thai is inclusion into the Universiad supervised by FISU.
In this historical first University World Cup, Thailand proves it still produces the best fighters in its national combat sport. In the women's five weight divisions, Thailand won four out of five gold medals. But in twelve men's divisions, Thailand took home three gold medals with the remaining medals spread between Australia, Uzbekistan, two for Ukraine, Israel, Morocco, Belarus, Lebanon and Russia.
Author Joe Cummings says Muay Thai fighters in Thailand start training much younger than their counterparts elsewhere, so generally have more experience and better conditioning.
But in the last two decades the growth of amateur Muay Thai among international fighters has elevated the sport to global standards. Thais know their homegrown fighters are losing their edge as the international competitions have evolved to include heavier weight divisions, more boxing, and westerners who have learned to master the "clinch," neck wrestling.
Although Thais still dominate lower weight divisions, when it comes to the big boys, Central Asia and Russia have taken the lead. And IFMA predicts within a few years, amateur Muay Thai will be an elite sport.
"In the end the highest games of all are Olympic games. Olympic recognition is what we're after," says Stephan. "By end of 2015 our goal is to be recognized by IOC. We've been working on it many years."
Check out these related stories:
Just Three Hours a Day: Isaan Girls and the Importance of Muay Thai
New York City Nak Muay: The Preparation of Elijah Clarke
Life After Fighting: Muay Thai Legend Pornsanae Sitmonchai Retires
The Mixed Martial Arts of Victorian London
Before BJJ, there was Bartitsu.
Jonathan Maicelo: The Last Inca
Peru's up-and-coming boxing star.
Kron Gracie on Jiu-Jitsu, Skateboarding, Older Brothers, and Famous Fathers
The ties that bind are strong.
Joel Tudor on the Art of Surfing, Fighting, and Style
A surf icon helps MMA keep its sense of tradition.
Japan's Karate Kid: Kyoji Horiguchi
Japan's brightest MMA prospect.


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So how about we get a bit nostalgic for the old days. Despite all those criminal issues and stuff, I've always had a soft spot for Mike Tyson. He seems vulnerable, impressionable, probably thoughtless and definitely thought-for. I don't think it's uncommon for people to feel a bit sorry for him these days. But back in his prime, we were in awe of him. Tyson was a weapon, and watching him work was like witnessing some vessel of human perfection. His talent was probably the pivot that turned boxing into the bloated money-maker it is now.
Part of his effect stemmed from his entrances into the ring, my faves of which I've listed below - with the music added in case you need to psyche yourself up to punch someone's face off.
Versus Pete McNeeley
I think someone is shouting "Allahu Akbar" in the background, which only makes this better.
Song: Time 4 Sum Aksion - Redman
Versus Francois Botha
Tyson walked out to 'It's Dark And Hell Is Hot', by DMX. It may have served as a better opening to the fight than it did to the actual album of the same name.
Song: DMX - Intro (It's Dark & Hell Is Hot)
Versus Michael Spinks
When he entered the ring with no robe and plain black shorts to the drone of Coil, he looked like he was incapable of doing anything but dominating in a boxing ring. It's probably why Spinks looked as if he knew he was about to die. Fucking intense!
Song: Coil - 7-Methoxy-B-Carboline (Telepathine)
If you haven't seen the excellent documentary Tyson, I highly recommend you get on Netflix and fire it up. One of the best moments features Tyson describing his walk into the ring.
Don't Panic attempt to credit photographers and content owners wherever possible, however due to the sheer size and nature of the internet this is sometimes impractical or impossible. If you see any images on our site which you believe belong to yourself or another and we have incorrectly used it please let us know at firstname.lastname@example.com and we will respond asap.


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KAMLOOPS - Bobbi-Joe Nicholson was sitting in her West End home this morning when her son left to catch the bus for school.
But he came inside almost immediately after leaving, to let his mother know the tires from her truck had been stolen.
Nicholson was shocked, saying in the two years her family has lived in their Battle Street home nothing like this has happened before.
"This is definitely a first," Nicholson says.
Her home and a few of her neighbour's homes had been broken into about six weeks ago, Nicholson says, so she knew it was time to get a security system.
"We didn't want to," Nicholson says. "This is a great part of the city."
She hopes outdoor surveillance cameras will help deter any future criminal activity in the area.
The thief, or thieves, used cinder blocks to hold the vehicle up after taking the tires. Nicholson says each chrome rim is worth about $2,000.
"Kamloops has got a reputation for being a great city. That's why we moved here," Nicholson said. "But I still love it."
Nicholson says this hasn't prompted her or her family to consider moving.
A neighbour who has lived down the street since 1989 says he has never seen any crime like this in the area.
Kamloops RCMP confirms they're investigating the incident.
"We received a report on Battle Street of four tires being taken off a truck," Cpl. Jodi Shelkie says.
Nicholson says a resident in Knutsford also had the tires taken off of their vehicle as well.
Shelkie says to prevent tire theft, vehicles should be parked in a garage if you have one. If you don't, she recommends several tips to prevent your tires from being stolen:
To contact a reporter for this story, email Ashley Legassic or call 250-319-7494 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.


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Superlative Technologies, Inc.
B-310489.4: Jun 3, 2008
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
(202) 512-8278
Kenneth E. Patton
(202) 512-8205
Office of Public Affairs
(202) 512-4800
Superlative Technologies, Inc. (SuperTec) protests the failure of the Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), to establish and document the facts surrounding the agency's prior cancellation of a procurement, where that cancellation was based on the agency's concerns that communications with and disclosure of information to various offerors, including ManTech International Corporation, created potential procurement integrity violations and/or organizational conflicts of interest.
We sustain the protest.
B-310489.4, Superlative Technologies, Inc., June 3, 2008
The decision issued on the date below was subject to a GAO Protective Order. This redacted version has been approved for public release.
Matter of: Superlative Technologies, Inc.
Kenneth D. Brody, Esq., and Thomas K. David, Esq., David, Brody & Dondershine, LLP, for the protester.
Rafael A. Madan, Esq., John L. Pensinger, Esq., Melinda D. Hart, Esq., and Rhonda Jones, Esq., Department of Justice, for the agency.
Glenn G. Wolcott, Esq., and Ralph O. White, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision.
1. Agency's cancellation of solicitation, based on a potential unfair advantage provided to one or more of the offerors as a result of the agency's communications with and disclosure of information to the various offerors, cannot be reasonably reconciled with the agency's subsequent sole-source contract award to a team comprised of one of the offerors with whom the various communications occurred and to whom the information was disclosed, absent the agency's determination and creation of documentation regarding the substance of the communications with and the specific information disclosed to the various offerors.
2. Where agency has canceled a solicitation on the basis of concerns regarding procurement integrity violations and/or organizational conflicts of interest, and subsequently reopened the procurement under another contract vehicle, the agency must comply with Federal Acquisition Regulation requirements regarding identifying and resolving procurement integrity issues and/or organizational conflicts of interest.
Superlative Technologies, Inc. (SuperTec) protests the failure of the Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), to establish and document the facts surrounding the agency's prior cancellation of a procurement, where that cancellation was based on the agency's concerns that communications with and disclosure of information to various offerors, including ManTech International Corporation, created potential procurement integrity violations and/or organizational conflicts of interest.
In June 2007, the agency issued request for quotations (RFQ) No. 2007Q-025 to provide information security support services for OJP's Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO); the tasks contemplated under this solicitation are to be directed and managed by the OCIO's Information Technology Security Division (ITSD).[1] The solicitation contemplated award of a contract for a 12'month base period, with four 12-month option periods and a total estimated value of $13.5 million, established various technical and cost/price evaluation factors, and stated that technical merit is more important than cost or price. First Agency Report (AR1), RFQ No. 2007Q-025, Tab 1, at A'3.[2]
The ITSD director, who was also the contracting officer's technical representative (COTR), was primarily responsible for determining the substance of the solicitation's statement of work (SOW), and for presenting the procurement request to DOJ/OJP executives for funding and approval.[3] Prior to issuance of the solicitation, the ITSD director/COTR engaged in various communications regarding the solicitation requirements with personnel employed by ManTech, SuperTec, and another contractor.
On or about July 12, proposals were submitted by ManTech, SuperTec, and a third offeror;[4] these proposals were thereafter evaluated and discussions were conducted. Shortly thereafter, the ITSD director/COTR became concerned that the substance of her communications with ManTech and the third offeror had been improper. Specifically, in an email to the contracting officer dated July 24, 2007, the ITSD director/COTR notified the contracting officer that, in preparing the solicitation's requirements, she had consulted with ManTech and [the third offeror] regarding requirements, pricing and labor categories, and that these communications may have provided an unfair advantage to ManTech and [the third offeror] because they had an idea what the labor categories might be in advance. AR1, Tab F. She concluded that she should be recused from further proceedings. [5]
On July 25, the contracting officer canceled the solicitation, summarizing the basis for cancellation as follows:
Prior to receipt of revised proposals, [I] learned of a potential procurement integrity issue that occurred during market research activities. The COTR, an OCIO employee, engaged in activity that appeared to raise concerns about the integrity of the pending procurement because of the disclosure of information about pricing and labor categories to the offerors. Upon further research and consultation with the Office of the General Counsel, [I] canceled the solicitation due to the tainted procurement.
Contracting Officer's Statement,
The agency record indicates that, at the time the solicitation was canceled, there was virtually no documentation establishing the scope of the agency's communications with the offerors or the specific information that had been disclosed. In this regard, the agency stated, in response to the protester's subsequent request for documents, that: [After cancellation] [t]he agency did not proceed with any further investigation because of its decision to cancel the RFQ. The CO [contracting officer] determined that no further action was needed under these circumstances. Letter from DOJ/OJP Counsel to SuperTec Counsel, Nov. 26, 2007, at 2.
Shortly after the solicitation was canceled, and despite the ITSD director/COTR's statement that she should be recused from further proceedings, she engaged in additional market research to identify procurement vehicles under which the solicited services could be obtained. Contracting Officer's Statement,
Found out tonight that [a named DOJ employee] is adding ManTech to his BPA and found out that they are on the JCON contract already[.] [W]ould either of those be easier for us?
On August 20, the agency met with Technical Management Resources (TMR), a small disadvantaged business contractor with a General Services Administration (GSA) 8(a) STARS (streamlined technology acquisition resources services) GWAC (government-wide acquisition contract) with whom ManTech had a prior relationship; the meeting was set up by DOJ/OJP to discuss performance of the requirements sought under the canceled solicitation. At the GAO hearing conducted in connection with this matter,[7] the contracting officer acknowledged that ManTech personnel attended the August 20 meeting.[8] Hearing DVD at , .
On August 24, the agency issued RFQ No. 2007Q-045, which contained a SOW virtually identical to the SOW contained in the canceled solicitation. However, RFQ No. 2007Q-45 contemplated only one 12-month performance period, with an estimated procurement value of $2.7 million. This new solicitation provided that, pending an acceptable proposal, the agency anticipated a sole-source award to TMR pursuant to its GSA 8(a) STARS GWAC, stating: Since the estimated value of this award will not exceed the 8(a) STARS competitive threshold of $3.5 million for directed 8(a) awards, the resultant award will be issued to your company on a sole source basis.[9] AR1, Tab 9, at 1.
Thereafter, TMR submitted a proposal that responded to the new RFQ, offering to provide ManTech as its primary subcontractor to perform a substantial portion of the contract requirements. The record establishes that the proposal TMR submitted was prepared by ManTech, and that the ManTech-prepared proposal was substantially similar to the proposal ManTech had previously submitted in response to the canceled RFQ. The ManTech-prepared proposal was subsequently evaluated by the ITSD director/COTR as technically exceptional under each of the evaluation factors,[10] AR1, Tab 3, at 6, and a sole-source contract was subsequently awarded to the TMR/ManTech team.
To summarize, the record establishes that: (1) the agency canceled RFQ No. 2007Q'025 based on the ITSD director/COTR's disclosure of information regarding proposed staffing, pricing, and labor categories that may have provided an unfair advantage to ManTech, which the contracting officer characterized as a potential procurement integrity issue and agency counsel characterized as a potential organizational conflict of interest, Contracting Officer's Statement, Nov. 5, 2007; Legal Memorandum, Nov. 5, 2007;[11] (2) the agency stated that, because of the cancellation, it did not proceed with any further investigation and concluded that no further action was needed under these circumstances, Letter from DOJ/OJP Counsel to SuperTec Counsel, Nov. 26, 2007, at 2; and (3) approximately two months after canceling the solicitation, the agency awarded a sole-source contract to a team comprised of TMR and ManTech, based on a ManTech-prepared proposal that was substantially similar to the proposal ManTech had submitted under the canceled solicitation.
In September 2007, SuperTec filed its initial protest, challenging, among other things, the bad faith and improper transfer of work from [the canceled solicitation] to a directed source task order. SuperTec Protest,
In January 2008, this Office sustained SuperTec's protest. Superlative Technolgies, Inc., B-310489, B-310489.2,
In our decision sustaining the protest, we recommended that the agency rescind the prior cancellation and document its consideration of the procurement integrity and/or OCI issues presented by the [ITSD director/]COTR's disclosure of information.
By letter to our Office dated
On March 17, SuperTec filed this protest alleging, among other things, that the agency had failed to address or document any determinations regarding the potential procurement integrity violations or organizational conflicts of interest that led to cancellation of RFQ No. 2007Q-025.[13]
On April 7, the agency submitted a report responding to SuperTec's March 17 protest. With regard to our recommendation that the agency document its consideration of the procurement integrity and/or OCI issues, the agency report stated:
Agency documentation of the procurement integrity and/or OCI issues occurred at the point where the COTR acknowledged the extent of her market research. Upon discussion of this issue between the Contracts Office and the General Counsel's Office, the solicitation was canceled. No further documentation was developed.
AR2, Tab 3, para. 2.
With regard to our recommendation that the agency determin[e] what information was disclosed and to whom, whether ManTech or any other offeror should be disqualified from the competition, and/or whether a level playing field can be established, the agency report stated:
The extent of information disclosed . . . by the COTR to the three vendors (SuprTek, ManTech and [deleted]) was provided by the COTR in earlier emails. The agency determined the GSA 8(a) STARS GWAC was the most feasible vehicle to meet the GAO's recommendation regarding establishing a level playing field. By utilizing this vehicle, the protester's assertion of favoritism for ManTech would be mitigated since both ManTech and Missing Link are not eligible as prime contractors on this GWAC. With regard to disqualifying ManTech or any other vendors, this issue becomes moot utilizing the agreed procurement strategy.
AR2, Tab 3.
In short, contrary to the agency's representation that it was implementing our recommendations, and despite the agency's express acknowledgment that it had not investigated the scope of the communications with the offerors nor identified the specific information that was disclosed, the agency responded to SuperTec's March 17 protest stating that no further inquiry or documentation regarding these issues was necessary. Additionally, the agency asserts, as it did in defending against SuperTec's prior protest, that ManTech's status as a subcontractor renders any potential procurement integrity and/or OCI issues moot.[14]
Following receipt of the agency report, this Office advised the parties that a hearing would be conducted during which testimony would be taken from the ITSD director/COTR and the contracting officer. On April 21, the day prior to the scheduled hearing, the agency for the first time acknowledged the existence of--and produced--documents identifying certain specific information that had been disclosed by the ITSD director/COTR to ManTech personnel. Among other things, the documents produced, along with hearing testimony the following day, established that the ITSD director/COTR provided ManTech personnel with a document[15] containing the following list of labor categories and corresponding hours that the ITSD director/COTR believed would be required under the subsequently-issued, and subsequently-canceled, solicitation.
|Labor Category
|Estimated Hours
|Program Manager
|C&A Subject Matter Expert
|Information System Security C&A Spec.
|DR/COOP Subject Matter Expert
|Lead Information System Security Officer
|Information System Security Officer (3)
|Lead Senior Security Engineer
|Senior Security Engineer
|Mid-level Security Engineer
|Trainer I
|Trainer II
|Technical Writer
|Administrative Assistant
Briefing to DOJ/OJP Executives (
The ITSD director/COTR testified that she provided the above information to ManTech personnel in the April/May 2007 timeframe, requesting that they provide applicable labor rates for good people for the various labor categories. Hearing DVD at 11:26-27,-41, . She also testified that the information above was not provided to SuperTec personnel because they didn't have time [to respond].
Following our review of the hearing testimony, this Office requested that DOJ/OJP produce all recoverable email communications between the ITSD director/COTR and ManTech personnel during the time period from
One of us needs to contact [DOJ/OJP's] Director of Procurement . . . first thing Monday AM. I spoke with him late Wed afternoon. He said he had a $3.5M a year IT security program he wanted us to work. He was out Thursday and I missed him Friday but owe him a call. He wants a vehicle he can use, prefers no competition or vehicle we can compete where he retains control. I spoke with [named ManTech employee] on this Thursday; not sure if this ties with other DOJ stuff CFIA is working. Send a note or call me so we can move on this quickly. Thanks.
Agency Post-Hearing Comments, attach. 9.
The following day, ManTech's subsequently-proposed program manager sent an email to the ITSD director/COTR, to which the above email was attached, stating:
Looks like we will be able to talk to [DOJ/OJP's director of procurement] about contracting options, see below. . . . I talked to our contracting shop and they said MOBIS is just like any other GSA schedule so I think it would be best if we do something with our GSA schedule 84 which will work for all the services you want. We will call [the DOJ/OJP director of procurement] Monday morning. . . . I'll keep you pos[t]ed.
Following production of the email quoted above--which indicates that DOJ/OJP's director of procurement, as well as the ITSD director/COTR engaged in various communications with ManTech prior to issuance of the solicitation--this Office initiated a telephone conference call with counsel for the parties. During that call, in response to this Office's questions regarding the existence of email between DOJ/OJP's director of procurement and ManTech personnel, counsel for the agency stated that there has been no attempt to obtain such documentation.[20] Additionally, consistent with this Office's practice of providing outcome prediction alternative dispute resolution (ADR),[21] during the call this Office expressly advised agency counsel that there was a substantial chance SuperTec's protest would be sustained due to the agency's failure to meaningfully address, and document, the scope of communications between DOJ/OJP and ManTech personnel, on which the procurement integrity and OCI concerns leading to cancellation of RFQ No. 2007Q'025 were apparently based. Notwithstanding our specific advice, the agency has not indicated that it intends to take any further action with regard to these issues.
The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) establishes various responsibilities for procuring agencies and contracting officers with regard to identifying and resolving potential procurement integrity and OCI issues. With regard to procurement integrity, the FAR states: A contracting officer who receives or obtains information of a violation or potential violation of [procurement integrity provisions][22] must determine if the reported violation or possible violation has any impact on the pending award or selection of the contractor. FAR sect. 3.104-7(a). With regard to OCIs, the FAR provides that contracting officers must [i]dentify and evaluate potential [OCIs] as early in the acquisition process as possible. FAR sect. 9.504. With regard to the general conduct of procurement officials, the FAR states:
Government business shall be conducted in a manner above reproach and, except as authorized by statute or regulation, with complete impartiality and with preferential treatment for none. Transactions relating to the expenditure of public funds require the highest degree of public trust and an impeccable standard of conduct. The general rule is to avoid strictly any conflict of interest or even the appearance of a conflict of interest in Government-contractor relationships. While many Federal laws and regulations place restrictions on the actions of Government personnel, their official conduct must, in addition, be such that they would have no reluctance to make a full public disclosure of their actions.
FAR sect. 3.101.
On the basis of the record discussed above, the agency has failed to establish that its cancellation of RFQ No. 2007Q-025 can be reasonably reconciled with the agency's subsequent sole-source award of a contract to the TMR/ManTech team. In short, the agency's unwillingness or inability to establish and document the scope of communications between DOJ/OJP and the offerors, and the specific information that was disclosed to each offeror, precludes a conclusion that the cancellation, followed by the subsequent sole-source award under which ManTech is performing a substantial portion of the services sought under the canceled solicitation, was reasonable and appropriate.
Further, as discussed above, the FAR establishes various responsibilities for procuring agencies and contracting officers with regard to identifying and resolving potential procurement integrity and OCI issues. Here, the agency canceled RFQ No. 2007Q-025, following submission and evaluation of proposals, on the basis of what the agency described as potential procurement integrity violations and/or OCI concerns flowing from communications with and disclosure of information to, ManTech and other offerors. Thereafter, the agency essentially re-opened the procurement under a different contract vehicle, and awarded a sole-source contract under which ManTech is performing a substantial portion of the contract requirements--while failing to meaningfully address the FAR requirements regarding identification and resolution of procurement integrity and/or OCI issues. On this record, the agency's actions are not reasonable, nor are they consistent with the FAR requirements.
The protest is sustained.
We, again, recommend that the agency, as expeditiously as feasible, establish and document the scope of communications that took place between DOJ/OJP and the various offerors, which led the agency to cancel RFQ No. 2007Q-025 because of procurement integrity and/or OCI concerns, as contemplated by the procurement integrity provisions of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act, 41 U.S.C. sect. 423, and FAR sect. 3.104, and the OCI requirements of FAR Subpart 9.5. The agency's actions should include, but not necessarily be limited to, determining what information was disclosed and to whom, whether ManTech or any other offeror should be disqualified from the competition, and/or whether a level playing field can be established.
We also recommend that the agency review all recoverable email communications between all ManTech personnel and all DOJ/OJP procurement personnel during the period prior to cancellation of the RFQ, including email between ManTech personnel and DOJ/OJP's director of procurement. We further recommend that, until the agency completes its documented determination with regard to the facts surrounding the prior RFQ cancellation and its documented resolution regarding the procurement integrity and/or OCI issues presented, no subsequent contract be awarded under which any of the offerors participating in the prior, canceled solicitation will participate in contract performance. Finally, we recommend that SuperTec be reimbursed its costs of filing and pursuing its protest, including reasonable attorneys' fees. SuperTec should submit its certified claim for costs, detailing the time expended and costs incurred, directly to the agency within 60 days of receipt of this decision. 4 C.F.R. sect. 21.8(f)(1) (2008).
Gary L. Kepplinger
General Counsel
[1] SuperTec was the incumbent contractor for a portion of the services sought; however, the scope of work under RFQ No. 2007Q-025 was substantially expanded from the prior SuperTec contract.
[2] The agency submitted its first report, responding to SuperTec's initial protest and supplements thereto, in November 2007; this decision refers to that report as AR1. The agency submitted a second report, responding to SuperTec's most recent protest, in April 2008; this decision refers to that report as AR2.
[3] In February 2007, the ITSD director/COTR was recruited by DOJ/OJP management from DOJ's Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to perform a 120-day temporary assignment as the acting director of ITSD; in June 2007, she was hired by DOJ/OJP as the permanent ITSD director. Prior to February 2007, the ITSD director/COTR had performed information security services for the FBI; ManTech was the support contractor for those services. During her 120-day temporary assignment, the ITSD director/COTR negotiated with DOJ/OJP's Deputy Assistant Attorney General to provide two ManTech employees, with whom the ITSD director/COTR had previously worked, to assist her in performing her duties pursuant to a reimbursable agreement between DOJ/OJP and DOJ/FBI.
[4] Although the solicitation identified itself as an RFQ, the term proposal, as opposed to quotation, appears repeatedly throughout both the solicitation and the agency's procurement record and the solicitation contemplated an evaluation and source selection scheme similar to those used in negotiated procurements. For the sake of consistency, our decision adopts the terminology used by the solicitation and the agency record.
[5] More specifically, the email stated:
I am the Director of ITSD for the office of the OCIO. I am handling my first big procurement and felt that I had enough on the job training to see my way through the process. Because this is my first big contract, I have had to rely on information from other staff, contractors and my own skill set of knowing what was needed to get the job done for OJP. I am taking the COTR certification course and today is day two. I am learning many things in the class, which indicated to me that I have made mistakes.
I was told that I could discuss the procurement before it was let. When figuring out requirements, pricing and labor categories, I consulted with ManTech and [the third offeror]. Because our labor categories were so restricted and every one failed, but ManTech came close, I felt that I may have provided an unfair advantage to ManTech and [the third offeror] because they had an idea what the labor categories might be in advance. As I was listening in class today, I also learned that a protest could happen if the contract was too restrictive. After learning there are laws with civil penalties associated with them for disclosure that provides unfair advantage, I felt that I needed to disclose what I had done in order to protect the reputation of OJP as well as my reputation as Director of ITSD. . . . I feel that it is in the best interest of
the government and OJP if I am recused from further proceedings and to start the procurement over to make sure that the playing field is level for all parties.
AR1, Tab F.
[6] Agency counsel characterized the situation as an organizational conflict of interest, and further acknowledged that cancellation was intended to avoid the scrutiny of a bid protest, stating:
The COTR was new to the position and disclosed information about proposed staffing, pricing, and labor categories to the offerors. After negotiations concluded, prior to the receipt of revised proposals, the CO learn[ed] of this potential organizational conflict of interest (OCI) issue. . . . Upon further research and consultation with the OGC, the contracting officer canceled the solicitation due to the tainted procurement.
. . . . .
Also, this cancellation was a prudent course of action under the circumstances, as . . . the agency was concerned about a possible bid protest (on the basis of the OCI). . . .
Legal Memorandum,
[7] In responding to this protest, this Office conducted a hearing during which testimony was taken from the contracting officer and the ITSD director/COTR. The hearing was recorded on digital video disc (DVD).
[8] Prior to the hearing, the agency's various submissions discussing the August 20 meeting referenced only attendance by TMR personnel.
[9] The 8(a) STARS GWAC is a set-aside contract for small disadvantaged businesses under which directed-source (that is, non-competed) task orders valued at less than $3.5 million may be issued.
[10] Again, the ITSD director/COTR's evaluation was made despite her prior statement that she should be recused from further proceedings. AR1, Tab F.
[11] At the hearing conducted by this Office, the contracting officer testified, We felt strongly that there was a conflict of interest. Hearing DVD at .
[12] The agency further stated that it intends to conduct a competitive procurement for the information security services following expiration of the 12-month TMR/ManTech contract, performance of which has continued during the prior protest process.
[13] The DOJ/OJP's February 20 letter was not sent to SuperTec; counsel for SuperTec subsequently obtained the letter on March 7.
[14] DOJ/OJP is fundamentally mistaken. As we stated in our prior decision, it is well settled that, where a subcontractor's knowledge or interests create an unfair competitive advantage, that advantage is generally imputed to the prime contractor. See, e.g., Ktech Corp., B-285330,
[15] The document was provided to the specific ManTech employee who was subsequently proposed to serve as project manager under the contract.
[16] In responding to SuperTec's earlier request for production of documents reflecting communications between ManTech and the ITSD director/COTR, agency counsel stated: The communications with all three of the vendors was by phone or oral. Email from DOJ/OJP Counsel to Protester's Counsel (
[17] The ITSD director/COTR also testified that she similarly discussed the solicitation requirements with, and sought information from, other contractors, including SuperTec.
[18] It appears that some of these emails went to or from the ITSD director/COTR's FBI email account. FBI representatives have stated that such emails are no longer recoverable.
[19] The email between ManTech personnel was an attachment to an email sent to the ITSD director/COTR by the ManTech employee who was subsequently proposed to serve as the program manager under the canceled procurement, and who has served as program manager under the sole-source contract awarded to the TMR/ManTech team.
[20] The agency subsequently submitted a declaration from DOJ/OJP's director of procurement acknowledging his communications with ManTech personnel, but maintaining that his statements were taken out of context, asserting that, [w]hen the full context of my conversation is known, nothing inappropriate was said or intended, and providing an explanation regarding his basis for this assertion. Agency's Post-Hearing Comments, attach. 10.
[21] In outcome prediction ADR, the GAO attorney handling the case convenes all of the participating parties, usually by teleconference, and advises them of what he or she believes the likely outcome will be and the reasons for that belief.
[22] The Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act contains various restrictions regarding disclosing or obtaining bid or proposal information, or source selection information before the award of a Federal agency procurement to which the information relates. 41 U.S.C. sect. 423 (2000).
Oct 27, 2020
Silver Investments, Inc.
We dismiss the protest as untimely because it was filed more than 10 days after the protester knew, or should have known, the basis for its protest.
CareFusion Solutions, LLC
We dismiss the protest.
Open SAN Consulting, LLC
We deny the protest.
Oct 26, 2020
Chronos Solutions, LLC; Inside Realty, LLC; BLB Resources, Inc.
We sustain the protests.
Chronos Solutions, LLC
We deny the protest.
Weston-ER Federal Services, LLC
We sustain the protest.
Oct 23, 2020
Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Inc.
We deny the protest.
Oct 22, 2020
Academy Medical, LLC
We deny the protest.
Colonna's Shipyard, Inc.
We dismiss the protest in part, and deny it in part.
Knight Point Systems, LLC
We sustain the protest.
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If you like, you can use a seven-inch pan to make individual omelets. If you're doubling the recipe, cook two large or four small omelets rather than trying to assemble one very big one. More Brunch Recipes
How to Make It
In a small pan of boiling water, cook the potato and chayote until just tender, about 4 minutes. Drain the vegetables and transfer to a plate.
Heat the olive oil in a small skillet. Add the onion and red pepper and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the potato, chayote and garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the parsley and cilantro, cover and keep warm.
In a 10-inch omelet pan, preferably nonstick, melt the butter until the foam subsides; tilt the pan to coat the bottom and sides. In a bowl, combine the eggs and cream, and season with salt and pepper. Add the eggs to the pan and cook over high heat without stirring just until the edges set. Lower the heat to moderate and lift the sides of the eggs, tilting the pan to let the uncooked eggs spread underneath. Cook until the bottom is browned and the top is still slightly runny, about 2 minutes.
Spread the vegetables on top of the eggs. Tilt the pan and fold over one-third of the omelet to partially cover the vegetables. Roll the omelet onto a cutting board, flipping it over itself. Cut the omelet in half and serve on warmed plates.


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How to get talent in the door, keep them engaged and soften the blow of the retirement wave.
When it comes to workforce management, government technology professionals are getting squeezed on all sides. IT recruiting is famously difficult, with more than 200,000 unfilled jobs just in cybersecurity, according to a Stanford University Peninsula Press study. A survey by Indeed found that 86 percent of employers discover it challenging to hire technical professionals. Tech skills are in high demand, and government's traditional allure — good benefits, a nice retirement package — don't always stand up when private industry dangles a fat paycheck and access to cutting-edge technology.
Mid-careerists may be wooed by the private-sector paycheck too, and on the far end of the career trajectory, the so-called silver tsunami looms: Anywhere from 30 to 40 percent of state workers are eligible for retirement, according to the National Association of State Personnel Executives.
"It worries me daily," said Louisiana CIO Dickie Howze — and so it should. For state and local IT executives, the workforce crunch presents a potential operational nightmare. Jobs sit vacant for months; mid-careerists may have one foot out the door; and the senior people who built the legacy systems are rounding the bend on retirement.
Nonetheless, many top IT leaders find cause for hope. They are developing creative recruitment strategies. They're winning the loyalty of mid-career professionals and successfully tapping the institutional wisdom of those in the later stages of their careers. Here's how some of the most successful champions are making IT workforce management happen.
On the front end, cities and states are getting increasingly creative in their efforts to on-board new IT talent.
For some, a new approach to recruiting starts with a deep dive into the positions themselves. "A lot of the job descriptions in the public sector are old. They reference technology that literally doesn't exist anymore. It's not like jobs in accounting, where the job is always the same as it was 15 years ago," said Michael Coakley, CIO of White Plains, N.Y.
"I had to work with the personnel department to update those official job descriptions so they would reflect the skill sets we actually needed," he said. "Then we also had to make sure the hiring exams have the appropriate questions to reflect those descriptions."
At the state level, Louisiana's Howze turns to academia for support. He's partial to university job fairs, where government IT gets a chance to tell its story to a new cadre of potential recruits.
"The public sector has traditionally not done a good job of defining the benefits that come with working for state government," he said. Many students don't even have state work on their radar, "so we look at this as a venue where they can start to learn about us."
For others, successful hiring requires even bolder steps. In Seattle, the consolidation of 15 technology offices into a single citywide IT department has been a boon to recruitment.
"We have an incredible amount of talent, but there was also an incredible amount of competition. We saw departments competing with each other for talent, which was not helping the city," said CTO Michael Mattmiller. With a single IT organization, the city no longer trips over itself in the scramble to fill positions. The consolidation also has streamlined the workforce, eliminating the need for some duplicate positions.
One County's JourneyIn Oakland County, Mich., Deputy County Executive and CIO Phil Bertolini has his hands full managing workforce issues for a 160-strong IT staff. "It is easy to lose sight of your existing people while you are bringing in new people, or else you lose track of recruiting because you are so focused on retention," he said.
Thirty percent of the workforce will retire over the next three years; vacancies have run as high as 22 percent in the past. Bertolini has taken a four-pronged approach to the challenge.
Go pro: The county engaged a professional recruiting company. "We needed someone who could go national, someone who knew that space and could find the right people," he said.
Get metrics: A salary study found the county lagged private-sector IT employers by 30 percent, and so the county reworked the pay scale, adding as much as $450,000 annually to the budget. "That helped with recruiting and retention. I could offer more money to bring people in, and for the people who were on the fence, now they saw a chance for upward mobility," Bertolini said.
Modernize: The county has added flexible work schedules and a work-from-home option, in an effort to stay competitive with private-sector employers. "That was a big change for us. Government is used to having people work in a government office," he said.
Tear down the walls: Workplace collegiality is key to IT retention, so Bertolini opened up the floor space in the application development area. "We looked at the factors of a modern IT shop," he said. "I visited Google and Quicken Loans and everybody had these low walls. They could stand while they worked, they could talk to each other."
The multi-pronged approach is needed in the face of a complex workforce dynamic. "You are trying to figure out multiple generations and at the same time you are trying just to manage the workload in front of you," he said. "You have to optimize the use of your people, and it's a complicated effort."
Virginia Beach, Va., also took a structural approach, working with Gartner to develop a comprehensive Master Technology Plan that has had a big impact on recruiting. "Our findings and recommendations included the creation of the Workforce Team, which includes a workforce coordinator, workforce technician, and two HR/payroll account clerks," said Susan Salafranca, the city's IT department workforce manager. The team develops new IT job descriptions, aligning salaries to be competitive in the regional market, and ultimately reducing time to hire.
Social media helps too. Illinois CIO Hardik Bhatt is constrained by union rules for much of his hiring, but when a non-union position does open up, he turns to his network of some 5,000 LinkedIn followers. "We have made significant good hires through social media," he said. "My CTO was hired that way; we have hired a bunch of CIOs across different agency clusters that way."
For IT leaders, getting talent in the door is only half the battle. Mid-career technologists always have options available and many are enticed by the higher salaries and other advantages available in the private sector.
Ed Blayney recognizes the risk. He's laying plans to launch an internal hackathon as a way to keep professionals engaged. "We want to identify the potential of people who are already in government," said Blayney, innovation project manager at Louisville, Ky., Metro Government. "Maybe there is someone who enjoys working in government but who is feeling some inertia. If we can find them and get them engaged, they may be less likely to hop."
Others seek to bolster retention through technological means. In Keene, N.H., for instance, officials use a talent management system from Halogen Software to give mid-career employees visibility into their career trajectories. Talent management systems can help managers and employees track performance appraisals, organize learning and development activities, illuminate succession plans and personalize career paths.
"Employees can enter and log their activities, and supervisors can use it to track activity. It's a little more robust than just keeping track of dates in an Excel spreadsheet," said Assistant City Manager Elizabeth Fox. "We create goals and objectives, and this allows you to keep track of what you are doing and what you want to do."
In the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget, surveys play a key role in ensuring mid-careerists stay on track and satisfied. In a recently conducted employee engagement survey, the fourth since 2011, some 20 percent of employees identified training as a top priority. Among the 1,800-strong IT team this meant not just technical training, although that's important, but also managerial training to help them further their careers.
To scratch that itch, department leadership makes training an explicit priority. "People map out their goals at the beginning of the year. We map the technical proficiencies of that specific job and we put together a curriculum that will satisfy those requirements," said James McFarlane, the department's Agency Services director. This approach yields results: From 2013 to 2015, the number of employees who identify themselves as highly engaged and likely to stay increased by 7 percent.
This kind of effort is key to winning hearts and minds among up-and-coming IT professionals who may be tempted by the siren song of private industry. "If the salaries aren't as high as in the private sector, then you need to continually find new and innovative ways to keep and attract talent," McFarlane said. "You want to have an engaged workforce; you want to have people who are excited to come to work. Promoting professional development excites people."
Many government IT leaders talk about selling the mission: You keep mid-career IT people engaged by reminding them about the tangible good that they do. Illinois CIO Bhatt is big on this. He touts IT wins in monthly meetings with agency CIOs. He hosts town halls and webcasts for the IT crew, and blogs ardently about tech achievements.
In addition to talking up success stories, he also uses these communications to promote all the ways in which state IT efforts stand on the technological cutting edge. "We are talking smart state, we are talking about blockchain, talking about mobility and predictive analytics," Bhatt said. "This motivates people inside government to start stepping up."
Still, some caution that selling employees on the latest-and-best technologies can be a double-edged sword.
"That increases employee morale but it also cuts both ways," Mattmiller said. "People gain incredible new skills and then they take those and go looking for new opportunities. So we want to give people access to this modern technology, and then show them that there is a path to stay and use those new skills in the city."
Consolidation of the city's IT structure has helped Mattmiller make that case. With all tech jobs under one roof these days, it's easier to help mid-careerists see how their skills could be parlayed within the city's workforce structure. "With a quarter of the workforce eligible to retire, now we have supervisory positions and managerial positions that open up practically weekly. So for people who get the big picture, they see opportunity after opportunity," he said. "Mid-range employees can step up and take the reins. They can become supervisors and directors over our various verticals."
In Illinois 36 percent of a 1,500-strong workforce will become eligible to retire in the next year and a half. About 20 percent of them will likely depart right away, with further exits expected. But Bhatt won't let them get far: Most will come back on as contractors soon after they leave.
"These are people who have been in the job for a long time," he said. "They are managing and maintaining systems they built 30 years ago. We are on a very aggressive modernization path and their institutional knowledge is extremely helpful in that effort, because they know how these systems and processes work."
Institutional knowledge is a big motivator when it comes to managing late-career IT professionals. Department chiefs want to tap that expertise before it walks out the door, but at the same time, these senior people tend to have their hands full. That's where the post-retirement rehire becomes a valuable play.
In Louisiana, Howze typically has at least 20 retirees on board as contractors at any given time. The department operates a vast inventory of legacy systems, "and in many cases we have no one else available with the knowledge of how to operate and maintain those systems," he said. Often a retiree won't have time before leaving to train someone else on the minutiae of older systems and applications. Rehiring that retiree "gets us over the hump. It gives us time to properly transition someone in, time to properly plan for the modernization of that product."
At the same time, some are looking to capture that institutional knowledge pre-retirement, to codify and transfer the long-timers' insights before they leave the workforce.
"Our IT department is in the process of building a knowledge base that details our systems and services. The knowledge base is a good place to capture how systems are configured and supported and aids in troubleshooting issues that arise by including incidents and their resolution," Salafranca said.
In White Plains, Coakley takes a hands-on approach to this. As often as possible, he wants his mid-career people working side-by-side with his senior players.
"Some of the younger people have never seen some of that legacy technology, so it's important for them to learn it from someone who understands it well," he said. "It also helps to have the tacit knowledge that comes with having been there at the time the decisions were made: Knowing why things were done the way they were done represents an important dynamic."
There's a feedback loop here. By preserving that institutional knowledge, management sets up mid-careerists to achieve success, and this in turn builds the kind of workplace that attracts new recruits. In this sense, IT workforce management is by necessity a holistic endeavor. Investments made at any point in the chain inevitably ripple backward and forward, boosting recruiting, driving retention and ensuring those at the end of their career can make the maximum contribution, thus fueling future cycles."
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A news report highlights Highmark Charter School just north of Salt Lake City with a focus on business and financial literacy. Teachers integrate the topic into the everyday curriculum, much to the delight of both students and parents who appreciate the "real-world" approach.
Go, Highmark! But one doesn't have to attend or teach at a designated charter school to study economics, business and personal finance. Those subjects can be incorporated into pretty much any subject. Learn how by attending our many workshops and training programs, especially during the summer. Click here to find out more.


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Remember PI that's right, the never-ending number (3.14159265359…)
It is celebrated every March 14th with … You guessed it, pie!
What kind of pie is best to honour such a sacred day?
I want to do justice to the wonderfully seasonal ingredients that are filling our farmers markets this spring. So, I went to my local farmers market and bought some fresh fruit including blueberries for this wonderful pie.
• 1 roll store bought shortcrust pastry,
• 1 kilo) of fresh (or frozen) blueberries, rinsed and stems removed (if using frozen, defrost and drain first)
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 cup (about 30g) corn-starch, or all-purpose flour, (for thickening)
• 1/2 cup white granulated sugar (100g)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Egg wash ingredients:
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon milk
- Prepare the bottom crust, remove a dough disk from refrigerator and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes to take the chill off. Place it on a lightly floured clean, flat surface then roll it out into a circle about 13 inches wide. Place the rolled-out dough on to a 9-inch pie pan.
- trim the edges to 1/2 inch over the edge of the pan then place in the refrigerator to chill.
Make the blueberry filling: Place the blueberries, sugar, corn starch (or flour), cinnamon, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Gently stir them so that all the blueberries are coated with some sugar and flour.
- Remove the bottom crust from the refrigerator and place the sugar-coated berries into the pan.
- Roll out the second dough disk to the same size and thickness as the first. Place on top of the berry filling. Tuck the top dough over and under the edge of the bottom dough and crimp the edges with your fingers then place in refrigerator while you make the egg wash.
- Preheat oven to 220°C. Whisk egg and milk together to make an egg wash, brush the top crust with egg wash and score the pie on the top with several cuts. (so the steam can escape when cooking).
- Place the pie on the middle rack of the oven with a foil lined baking pan positioned on the lower rack to catch any filling that may bubble over.
- Bake for 20 minutes at 425°. Reduce heat to 350°F and bake for 30 to 40 minutes more or until juices are bubbling and have thickened.
- And finally serve with cream or custard.


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This year, we turn 100!
For over 90 years, Auckland Music Theatre Inc has provided audiences with thousands of memorable experiences. From full length musicals to pantomimes to plays and revues, we've made it our mission to continue to bring you your favourite shows whilst providing a training ground for up and coming performers and theatre technicians.
Auckland Music Theatre Inc, the longest-established musical theatre company in the Auckland region, has a proud and distinguished history. The Society was founded in 1919 as the Auckland Amateur Operatic Society, renamed the Auckland Operatic Society in 1962, and Auckland Music Theatre Inc. in 1995. The changes of name symbolize the progressive stance adopted by the Society in its attempt to maintain a contemporary image in line with the vibrant and ever-developing genre of musical theatre. This enlightened approach has been one of the major strengths of the Society, enabling it to survive against all odds.
Many high-profile citizens have been associated with the Society since its inception over ninety years ago. The inaugural patron was His Excellency the Governor-General Viscount Jellicoe, K.G.C.B., O.M., G.C.V.O., while the original committee included Mr W. J. Crowther, Mayor of Auckland from 1891-93, and Mr H.T. Goldie, a mill owner whose father had been Mayor of Auckland from 1898-1901. The Gondoliers (1919), our inaugural production, was sponsored and produced by Tom Pollard, a member of the famous Pollard theatrical family.
The Society has presented musicals, revues, concerts and plays in a variety of venues over the years. Productions range from the spectacular Glory Day musicals in His Majesty's Theatre and St James Theatre to the more intimate shows staged in the Grafton Road Hall, St Andrews Church hall, Auckland Concert Chamber, Centennial Theatre, Customhouse Theatre, Symphonia Theatre, the Bowen Studio Theatre, and the Westpoint Performing Arts Centre.
Since its inception, the Society has been domiciled in three separate locations, reflecting the changing demographics and evolution of the Auckland region. From 1919 to 1969 our home was at 33 Grafton Road, Grafton Gully. When this was sold for motorway construction the money received was vested in the Auckland Musical Arts Trust which was set up by the Society in 1966 to protect its assets. In 1970 we moved to the old synagogue, a heritage building, on the corner of Princes Street and Bowen Avenue where we constructed our Bowen Studio Theatre. However, due to the extremely high costs of maintaining the premises, the Trust sold the lease back to the Auckland City Council in 1987, rendering the Society 'homeless' for approximately five years. The Westpoint Performing Arts Centre, our current home, was built in 1992-93 and is located between Motions and Meola Roads in leafy Western Springs. The complex consists of a versatile 120+ seat theatre with dressing rooms, a large separate area which is used for building sets and rehearsing, and the historic 'shed' which houses our costumes and props. Moreover, we have a large parking area, a priceless asset in this day and age.
In June 2009, we proudly celebrated our ninetieth year and now look forward to 2019 when we will celebrate 100 years of showcasing quality community theatre.


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What is it like to visit the Conservation Research team during their fieldwork? Calgary Zoo Educator Melissa Ledingham got the chance this summer, and gave us a peek of the experience in her vlog!
Each year the Calgary Zoo's Conservation Research team hits the field in the spring and summer, working on a myriad of conservation projects. Carrying out studies in the animal's natural environments and collecting data is an integral part of studying conservation species like black-tailed prairie dogs, burrowing owls and leopard frogs.
During the summer of 2016, a group of individuals from the zoo's Education department joined the Conservation team on one of their treks to Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan.
How did we the team document? Andrea Beaty captured it all in her journal, while the zoos Corporate Program Coordinator for Outreach Education, Melissa Ledingham, vlogged a portion of her visit to the iconic home of the black-tailed prairie dogs.
From the video footage, you can see that Melissa and the group of educators camped out in the park, and then rose early in the morning, working side by side with conservation staff. During this specific trip they were monitoring the prairie dogs, creating safe release traps to tag them (seen in the video above), among other techniques that aid the researchers' efforts to preserve the threatened species.
This experience wasn't just vlogging- Melissa quickly had a first-hand experience with black-tailed prairie dogs in their natural environment. While the video above only shows the beginning of her trip, she was able to help with the release of the prairie dogs caught, and also observed burrowing owls… and a surprise bison!
The traps used are safe for the black-tailed prairie dogs, baiting them to enter by using a yummy treat of oats and peanut butter. Each trap is covered so the captured mammals don't get scorched in the hot sun while they're waiting for the researchers to reach them.
Once they do, the Calgary Zoo team measure the individual, checks for fleas and ticks, give them a small tracker, and paint them with a non-toxic stripe on their back- researchers don't want to be accidentally catching the same prairie dogs every time!
Those captured prairie dogs are then released back to their burrows so the team can study their habits. Field work in Conservation Research can be an exhausting experience, with long hours, but Melissa was thrilled by the opportunity to help her fellow employees. Every trip to the field is an opportunity to gather data, and to help save these iconic animals.
Preserving Canadian species is well work the effort.
Learn more about the zoo's work in conservation and about the work we do in Canada and across the world.


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WARNING, the batterypack can and will kill you if you contact the hot terminals, so do not try this if not fully comfortable with working on HV DC circuits.
A look at the Saturday workshop efforts will show that Ian has rebalanced the silver Insights battery pack using the Triton smart charger. A lot of work, as the pack must be pulled and disassembled. James Frye from Reno, has duplicated the procedure for his consistantly recalibrating pack, and we await the results.
Another approach to this rebalancing has been suggested by Armin Kusig who has been grid charging his battery pack each night with a gentle 300MA charge. Since the info on NIMH batteries would indicate that a low current charge of the batteries should not do any damage or substantially reduce the life of the batteries, it may be a better way to do a rebalancing.
The battery pack current control/interconnect board allows access to both ends of the battery pack, and therefore is the best place to connect a series charger. The indicated points are only HOT when the main switch is on.We will be building up a constant current charge system to give this a try, and will report the results here.


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Tim Tebow drew a crowd of 4,000 fans when he made a guest appearance at Canyon Ridge Christian Church in Las Vegas on Saturday. But he's not the only Tebow to be making his mark from the pulpit.
The weekend before, Tim's older brother, 27-year-old Peter Tebow, delivered his first sermon at Highline Community Church in Littleton. And while he attracted a significantly smaller throng than did his famous sibling, he's seen as a rising star in the Christian worship community.
On February 26, Highline's regular congregation was bolstered by members of Peter's young adult ministry, which he started last November. During the ministry's early days, Peter was preaching to a fifteen members who met Friday evenings in a small living room. Within a month, however, the group had grown to almost 100 young adults, forcing it to relocate to a larger space at the church.
Prior to the service, Peter tweeted to his approximately 6,500 followers (so far), expressing his uneasiness:
But by the grace of God I am what I am!Preaching in big church tomorrow and could use some prayers
— Peter Tebow (@petertebow) February 26, 2012
Early that Sunday morning, when Denver was still sleeping, Peter was awake, nervously preparing a 45-minute talk. In his speech, he would speak of his internal battle with an addiction, of God, and of what it was like growing up in a Christian household.
On my quest to understand the off-the-football-field persona of Tim Tebow -- and the story behind his signature bow, "tebowing" -- I found myself sitting in a pew at Highline at 10:15 that morning.
Unfortunately, the rest of theTebow family couldn't make it because of their busy traveling schedules; Tim spent the evening at the Vanity Fair Oscar party in Los Angeles, where he met Taylor Swift, his reported dinner date the next night. Regardless, I was excited to be in the presence of someone so close to Tim, but also nervous, because I hadn't attended a traditional church service in over a decade.
I took the RTD bus into Littleton, passing by four other churches within a five-mile radius along University Boulevard. Some of the other passengers on the bus were clearly dressed for formal church services -- I was in jeans. The bus let us off in front of our respective churches, and upon my arrival, I was relieved to find that the other Highline members were dressed casually, too.
Page down for more about Peter Tebow and a photo from his sermon. Not suprisingly, Peter made references to Corinthians 15:10 -- growing up in a Christian household, that's how he relates to the world. In his sermon, he said, "Gosh, I grew up in the South, and the denomination I grew up in, man, when I was a kid, we went around knocking on doors and trying to lead people to Jesus, ya know. I was probably fifteen years old doing that. The first sermon I ever preached, I was sixteen-years old and it was in Jamaica in this big, like, cathedral. And with a pulpit that was way raised up, like literally where you're like eye to eye with the balcony.
"And on the other hand, there was the dark side," he continued. "There were the addictions, the internal battle. There was the side I wanted everyone to see: 'It's Preacher Peter! And then there was this other guy. I didn't like that guy. This other guy killed me. See, this guy was addicted. He struggled. He put on a good face on the outside, and then he'd go home and be all alone."
Following the sermon, I had a chance to sit with some of the young adults from Peter's ministry. One member of his young adult ministry described Peter in two words: "passionate" and "authentic." After seeing him deliver his sermon, I could see what she meant.
The way he delivered his sermon recalled one of Michael Jackson's live performances of "Man in The Mirror." The crew literally had to drag Michael from the stage after he managed to extend the song by three minutes, shouting his signature moans and completely consumed by his dance moves. Some would say he wasn't sensible, and that's usually the case when passion takes the stage.
Okay, so I'm clearly exaggerating. But like Michael, Peter expressed a similar surge in emotion. The microphone hooked to his sweater would continuously move out of place when his emotions were at a peak, raising his arms and tightly gripping the edge of the lectern. And each time he was brought back to his sensibility, he seemed a little embarrassed.
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"I'm working really hard at this thing," he said in his sermon. "I love it. I love what I get to do and I'm working hard at it. I love the conversations I get to have.... I loved sitting there Friday night after I preached my heart out. And meeting all these guys and girls and encouraging them, I love it!"
Today, in between the prayers and religious references, I found a guy filled with energy and passion. I found a guy brave enough to share his struggles with a room full of complete strangers, making it a little bit easier for everyone else to open up about their problems, too. And I found someone, like Tim, who everyday serves as a mentor for young adults and children who would be otherwise lost in a sometimes loveless world.
"My Dad always used to say, 'Peter, love is choosing the best interest of another and acting on their behalf," he allowed. "The other day, I got to sit there alongside one of our young adults as she for the first time met her biological father. And I sat there across the table for moral support."
More from our Tim Tebow archive: "Video: Robert Downey Jr. Tebows at the Oscars."


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Soundproof and non-smoking room (13-16m²) with HVAC system (personal settings), a double bed or twin beds (in certain rooms).
The boutique rooms in our charming hotel in the Hérault region have been fully refurbished and decorated in a classic yet modern style. The modern bathrooms have a rain shower system. Enjoy views of our pretty garden or the historical "Les Arceaux" monument. Other facilities: minibar, flat screen TV (Canal+ and CanalSat), shower, toilet, hairdryer, direct telephone and free Wi-Fi connection.


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Webinar Series: Sustainable Energy in Humanitarian Settings
Productive Uses of Energy (PUE) in Humanitarian Contexts - This webinar will provide an overview of different types of PUE activities in displacement settings, followed by two case studies from Kenya and Rwanda. SELCO Foundation will introduce the topic and Practical Action and Energy for Impact will then share their experiences and lessons learned from Rwanda. SNV Kenya will discuss their market-based approach from Kenya. Read more...
Thurs 29 Oct at 11:00 a.m. CET (Registration link)
As compared to traditional stoves, improved cookstoves generate less emissions and this reduced emissions is calculated as the product of the amount of woody biomass saved, the fraction that is considered non-renewable biomass, the net calorific value of the biomass, and an emission factor for the fuel used[1]. The reduced emissions can further be converted into carbon credits and sold under international programs such as Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol (Kyoto Protocol), the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM), the Gold Standard and the American Carbon Registry (ACR). The revenue generated by selling the carbon credits (carbon finance) is then used to finance the cookstove projects. Most of the cookstove projects have been credited under the Gold Standard or the CDM, and only has been credited under VCM, however none has been credited under the CDM. Similarly, only the white carbon released by the improved cookstoves has been credited so far, excluding the black carbon. However, black carbon is expected to contribute as much as 20% to the planet's warming effect, making it the largest contributer after carbon dioxide.[2]
This chapter focuses on the possibilities and challenges of successful carbon finance for stove projects. For more detailed information please refer to HERA's Guidebook Carbon Markets for Improved Cooking Stoves - A GTZ Guide for Project Operators.
For credibility of the carbon credits, the emission reductions have to be monitored periodically to ensure that the reduction level is achieved. the following factors are monitored :
A carbon credit is the emission reduction of one tonne of carbon dioxide (CO2)
Emission reduction credits can be an additional source of funding for household energy projects. Through the CDM valuable carbon credits for certified emission reductions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) can be generated in developing countries. The generated funds must be used to enable emission reductions, which would otherwise not be possible (additionality).
The CDM is one of the three flexible mechanisms to reduce GHG under the Kyoto Protocol; the others being Emissions Trading and Joint Implementation. Emissions reduction credits that have been achieved through the CDM in a project in a developing country can be sold to a country with commitments listed in Annex I of the Kyoto Protocol (Annex I Countries).
The CDM has two primary goals:
The CDM encompasses renewable energy, energy efficiency, and avoidance of GHG sources projects. Relevant GHGs are Carbon dioxide (C02), which also serves as reference value, Methane (CH4), Nitrous oxide (N20), Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), Perfluorocarbons (PFCs), Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6). Certified Emissions Reductions (CERs) of a project are measured in tCO2 euqivalents compared to emissions of the baseline scenario
All countries that wish to participate in the CDM must (a) have ratified the Kyoto Protocol and (b) designate a national CDM authority (the Designated National Authority (DNA)) which evaluates and approves the projects and serves as a point of contact. As each DNA can establish its own working procedures, the project developer should be well informed about the requirements of the national DNA.
In December 2007, stove projects were accepted under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol. In February 2008 two small-scale methodologies for reduced use and displacement of non-renewable biomass were accepted by the CDM Executive Board (EB): "Switch from Non-Renewable Biomass for Thermal Applications by the User" (AMS-I.E) and "Energy Efficiency for Thermal Appliances by the user" (AMS-II.G).
AMS I.E only applies to projects introducing 100% renewable energy and zero emission technologies such as solar or biogas cookers and therefore cannot be used by stove projects disseminating efficient biomass cooking stoves. It is AMS-II.G, "Energy Efficiency for Thermal Appliances by the user" that provides the opportunity for conducting efficient biomass stove projects under the CDM. However, under CDM, the projects receive credits for reducing only CO2 emissions and does not account reduction in other green house gases.[1]
The methodology assumes that in the absence of the project activity, a fossil fuel (kerosene, liquefied petroleum gas, etc.) would be used to satisfy local demand for cooking energy. Hence baseline emissions are calculated on the basis of the CO2 emission factors of the fossil fuel that is most likely to be used to replace non-renewable biomass for cooking purposes in the project area.
For formula on calculting the emission reductions, please see http://cdm.unfccc.int/methodologies/DB/KZ6FQOCEEHD1V02ARWTW1W2R9G45BX
As of July 2013, a total of 167 clean cookstove projects have successfully registered under CDM.[3]
The Project Design Document (PDD) is the central document in a CDM project. The PDD describes the technology used in the project activity, the relevant project participants and project location(s). It defines the methodology used to calculate emission reductions, including the baseline, project boundary´, leakages and monitoring plan. The life time of the CDM-project can be a fixed crediting period of ten years or a flexible crediting period of seven years which can, if desired, be renewed twice. It has to be validated by an independent operational entity (Designated Operational Entity, DOE) and is then submitted to the CDM-Executive Board for registration. The PDD is the key document that the host country, investors, stakeholders and DOEs will use to evaluate the project's potential, and to judge its achievements - it's preparation follows UNFCCC requirements.
The process from project idea until registration as CDM project and final issuance of credits takes 6 month at a minimum; in fact the procedures normally take much longer, possibly up to two years. The CDM project cycle (see Table 1) is complex, regulations are strict and developers are always at risk that their project activity will not create any credits at the end. The development of a CDM project documentation and the involvement of different institutions throughout the project cycle generate substantial costs.
Planning a CDM project activity
Preparing the PDD
Project participants employ a concultant for PDD writing, communication with DNA, EB, etc.
The standard format for the PDD must be used.
The registration by the CDM EB is the formal acceptance of the validated project as a CDM project activity.
The registration fee is an advance payment of the share of proceeds due for the issuance of certified emission reductions likely to be achieved during the first year.
< 15.000 tCO2= no fee
= 15.000 tCO2= $0.10/CER
> 15.000 tCO2 = $0.20/CER (max. 350.000)
(No registration fee to be paid for proposed project activities hosted in least developed countries)
2% of the CERs issued must be paid as adaptation fee. Least developed countries are exempted.
Depending on national regulation other fees may accrue.
A consultant works out agreements of CER distribution among project participants.
Broker markets the CERs
5.000 - 10.000 €
To be negotiated
Small Scale CDM Projects are projects comprising the following characteristics:
Small-scale projects contribute clearly to the sustainable development aspect of the CDM; small-scale projects can use simplified baseline and monitoring methodologies. Transaction costs associated with developing small-scale projects are still high relative to the emissions benefits that may be available. Transaction costs are particularly problematic when the volume of CERs being offered is relatively low. As a rule of thumb, it can be stated that an individual project activity should generate at least 10,000 CERs to cover the costs for CDM preparation safely. Due to the combination of perceived risk factors and lack of economies of scale, small-scale projects are challenging to transact in the market.
As emission reductions of small-scale projects such as projects disseminating efficient cookstove are often too small to justify the efforts of implementing a stand-alone CDM project, several small-scale projects can become CDM programme activities (CPA) under a Programme of Activities (PoA) in order to reduce the high transaction costs.
With the PoA approach the project approval process for many individual activities that are distributed over space and time are brought together.
The program is coordinated or managed by a coordinating entity, which can be private or public, and does not necessarily achieve the reductions but promotes others to do so. The coordinating entity is responsible for the CERs distribution and communication with the EB.
For more information on PoA , see https://cdm.unfccc.int/ProgrammeOfActivities/index.html
The most challenging aspects of the PDD are dealing with establishing the baseline and assessing the project's 'additionality'. A project activity is 'additional' if GHG emissions are reduced below those that would have occurred in the absence of the registered CDM project activity. This is the central point of the CDM. It means that a CDM project activity is additional if GHG emissions are reduced below those that would have occurred in the absence of the registered CDM project activity. A CDM project must not be a project that would have been implemented under the business as usual scenario. The fulfilment of the additionality criteria is vital for the successful registration of a CDM project.
The project activity's impact outside the project boundary must also be assessed.For example, if the implementation of the project results in saving of non-renewable biomass within the project area but at the same time, there is an increase in non-renewable biomass consumption in neighbouring regions outside the project area (as there is now more biomass), then value must be adjusted to account for this leakage. Leakage assessment poses a general problem. AMS II.G requires ex-post surveys of users and biomass collection areas to gather data on leakage emissions. Illegal harvesting of wood fuel is difficult to detect. If people from outside the project boundary use non-renewable biomass that is claimed to be saved due to the project activity, exact values for leakage are difficult to define.
One approach could be to define an adjustment factor of 0.95 to account for leakage . this is however, only possible under the CDM's AMS-III.G methodology and the Gold Standard's 'Simplified methodology for Efficient Cookstoves.[4]
For more information about calculating leakages, please see https://cdm.unfccc.int/methodologies/PAmethodologies/tools/am-tool-16-v2.pdf
Monitoring is an important step in the CDM-project cycle to ensure that constant savings of non-renewable biomass are achieved. The parameters that have to be monitored are given in the methodology and the monitoring plan laid down in the PDD: annual checks on the efficiency of all appliances, or a representative sample, data on the amount of biomass saved under the project that is used by non-project households/users.
The compliance market regulated by the Kyoto Protocol is not the only option to financially benefit from emission reductions. Voluntary Carbon Markets (VCMs) are developing rapidly. They function outside of the compliance markets and enable companies and individuals to purchase carbon offsets on a voluntary basis.
Companies and individuals are increasingly concerned about their environmental impact. Some will neutralise activities they cannot avoid by "offsetting" their own emissions. Individuals may seek to offset their travel emissions and companies claim they are 'carbon neutral' by buying large quantities of carbon offsets to 'neutralize' their own carbon footprint or that of their products.
They see voluntary offsetting as part of their corporate responsibility and/or as part of their image strategy. Emission offsets in this category are usually verified by independent agents and are commonly referred to as Verified Emission Reductions (VERs).
The voluntary market comprises more different project types than the compliance market. Because the voluntary market is not subject to the same level of scrutiny, management, and regulation as the compliance market, project developers are more flexible to implement projects that might otherwise not be viable (e.g. projects that are too small or too disaggregated). This provides opportunities for innovation and experiment.
Although VER projects are not necessarily required to go through the project cycle, they should be developed and documented according to CDM rules and procedures, for example, by using the PDD format to develop the project.
To provide evidence of its effectiveness, it is recommended that the project is validated, particularly as the voluntary offset market has been criticised for its lack of transparency, quality assurance and third-party standards. To address these shortcomings, several Standards have been developed on the Voluntary Carbon Market to ensure reliable emission reductions. Each standard has a slightly different focus, and none has so far managed to establish itself as the industry standard. A good overview of the Standards has been published by WWF in March 2008 (assets.panda.org/downloads/vcm_report_final.pdf).
The Gold Standard (GS) Foundation offers a quality label to CDM/JI and voluntary offset projects, fetching premium prices. It was established in 2003 under WWF and UN's CDM. Only renewable energy and energy efficiency projects with sustainable development benefits are eligible. Under www.cdmgoldstandard.org the relevant guidance and the PDD formats for the generation of Gold Standard CERs and VERs can be found.
The GS has accepted a 'Methodology for improved Cook-stoves and Kitchen Regimes'. The methodology differs from the CDM-requirements as it allows the use of multiple fuels, includes methane reductions in the calculation of emission reductions, and is eligible for large scale projects. Despite its complexity, the GS methodology leaves room for new and innovative project outlines and for mixing fuels and technologies within one project. However, mixing stove and fuel types leads to extremely complex monitoring procedures. Prior to implementation, a project planner must carefully assess whether mixing fuel and stove types is a feasible option.
The advantage of using the GS methodology for a project's emission reduction calculations lies in its all-inclusive approach. It not only accounts for CO2 emission reductions during the cooking process, but also takes into account other GHG emission reductions, i.e. methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O), as well as emissions produced during fuel production. Although combustion of wood and charcoal does not give rise to high emissions of methane and nitrous oxide, even small amounts of these emissions constitute considerable CO2 equivalents due to their strong global warming potentials (GWP)
In 2013, the Gold Standard has approved a Simplified Methodology for Efficient Cookstoves, see: http://www.goldstandard.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/GS-simplified-micro-scale-cookstove-meth.pdf
Along with the above mentioned methodology, GS also launched a new methodology in 2015.
Black Carbon Quantification Methodology (2015): This is a pioneering development in the improved cookstove sector. This methodology will provide the tool for quantifying and monitoring the emissions from black carbon and other short-lived climate pollutants.[2] It then provides a verified outcome that can be used in a "results based finance" funding scheme.
For more information about the methodology, see http://www.goldstandard.org/articles/black-carbon-and-other-short-lived-climate-pollutants
By mid 2017, GS also want to launch the new Gold Standard for the Global Goals which will encompasses quantification of all projects working towards the Sustainable Develoment Goals.