Special Act or Service Award
The Special Act or Service Award provides supervisors with a mechanism to recognize significant one-time contributions of an employee or group in the public interest in connection with or related to official employment. Examples of such contributions may be exceptional participation or leadership on a project, detail, or regular or special assignment; overcoming unusual difficulties or showing extraordinary creativity in meeting an objective; achieving substantial savings of resources in meeting an objective; achieving a breakthrough (scientific or technical) that contributes significantly to the accomplishment of a goal or mission; completing an important objective in record time; or other efforts which contribute to the efficiency, economy, or improvement of IC, NIH, or another federal agency's performance.
The Special Act or Service award may be given at any time for employee or group contributions that are within, as well as outside, normal job duties or responsibilities. Award amounts should be based on the tangible and intangible benefits to the government, ranging from $2,501 to $10,000. Appendices B and C may be used to determine the amount for this type of award. Recognition should be awarded within 45 to 60 days of completion of the noteworthy contribution.
To nominate an employee for a Time-Off Award, complete the NIH Awards Nomination Form and review the NCI Awards Matrix for the appropriate delegations and justification criteria.
