The Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS) is looking for a researcher/consultant for an exciting new project entitled The Ombudsman in Federal Agencies . If I weren’t already working on ACUS’s project on federal agencies in the legislative process , I’d definitely be interested in consulting on this project. These offices can play a critical role in federal agencies. In particular, theTaxpayer Advocate Service within the IRS may be an excellent model for other agencies to incorporate—especially agencies that engage in substantial adjudication.

At any rate, here are the details on the project with a link to the request for proposals:

The Administrative Conference is currently seeking a researcher for this project. The goals of the project are to identify which federal agencies currently make use of ombuds and describe the scope of ombuds activities, identify and evaluate ombuds activities that have aided in agency dispute resolution or assisted program function, provide updated best practices for the establishment and operation of ombuds offices, and recommend situations in which expanded use of ombuds may benefit agencies. Project proposals are due by May 11, 2015. For additional information on the project and instructions for submitting a proposal, please see the RFP: https://www.acus.gov/rfp/ombudsman-federal-agencies-rfp.