Capabilities

• Assessment and selection research—ICF's staff has experience developing and validating a variety of assessment instruments, including situational judgment tests, training and experience questionnaires, accomplishment records, in-basket assessments, structured interviews, psychometric tests, and tests of core knowledge. We provide clients with guidance on establishing scoring systems, setting cut-scores, and establishing feedback systems that are informative for their job candidates. ICF also has extensive experience and expertise developing and supporting performance assessment and promotion systems. 
• Competency development—ICF specializes in conducting customized and well-integrated job analyses and competency modeling for public and private sector clients. Our team combines proven methodologies, advanced tools, and a sound understanding of cutting-edge research into customized human resources solutions for our clients.
• Psychometric analysis—ICF has considerable expertise in the design, construction, and validation of testing instrumentation for valid and reliable personnel assessment, as well as in the equating, evaluation, and improvement of such measures. We ensure that instruments meet professional, ethical, and legal standards, including the American Educational Research Association (AERA), American Psychological Association (APA), and National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing; the U.S. Department Of Labor (DOL) Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures; and the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) Principles for the Validation and Use of Personnel Selection Procedures.
• Workload analysis—ICF is a leader in the development of methodologies and tools to translate mission requirements into staffing requirements, allowing the strategic management of unit and individual competencies and capabilities. We help clients establish reliable measures of work requirements and staff capabilities, understand the factors affecting variance in both, and properly manage the relationship between capabilities and requirements fulfillment so organizations can improve operational efficiency.
• Workforce analysis—ICF helps organizations conduct a thorough internal workforce analysis by evaluating the current and future workload and workforce requirements and determining current workforce capabilities. We also help clients identify competency and skills gaps and analyze the external environment (e.g., labor market), resulting in cost-efficient and effective workforce solutions.
• Recruitment and retention—For more than 15 years, ICF has conducted programmatic research in the areas of recruitment and retention, ranging from comprehensive best practice reviews to in-depth organizational assessments involving the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data. ICF helps organizations evaluate their internal resources and skills gaps, benefits structure, job design, organizational culture, performance management techniques, communication techniques, and other factors that may contribute to the success of their recruitment and retention efforts.
• Leadership—ICF applies proven methods based on scientific research and state-of-the-art technologies to assess leadership and leader development needs. We work in partnership with our clients to understand their corporate environment, assess leadership and leader development needs, and tailor solutions to improve leadership and organizational performance.
• Training—ICF has expertise in all aspects of the training lifecycle: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation. Our staff has the specialized expertise necessary for conducting data-driven training needs assessment, gap analysis, and evaluations of training programs. In addition, we have a history of conducting research related to the learning processes and motivations involved in employee training and education.
• Organizational assessment—ICF approaches organizational assessment with a systematic process that utilizes the most appropriate and efficient data collection methods to make accurate interpretations and recommendations. Our approach involves gathering qualitative and quantitative organizational data through interviews, focus groups, and/or surveys, then working with the organization to interpret the results, develop a common understanding, overcome any resistance that may result from the feedback, and develop actionable steps for moving forward.
   

Clients

• Army Research Institute
• Florida Department of Corrections
• Florida Department of Transportation
• National Endowment for the Humanities
• Sprint
• Texas Workforce Commission
• The Center for Army Leadership
• Transportation Research Board
• U.S. Census Bureau
• U.S. Department of Defense
  • National Guard
  • U.S. Air Force
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security
• U.S. Department of Justice
• U.S. Department of Transportation
  • Federal Aviation Administration 
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
• U.S. Joint Staff
• U.S. Marine Corps
• U.S. Marshals
• U.S. Postal Service
• U.S. Social Security Administration

Projects

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  Research Studies to Improve MSAF Implementation

  ICF conducted four separate research studies to identify ways in which the U.S. Army's Multi-source (360) Assessment and Feedback (MSAF) program could be most efficiently executed while maintaining its effectiveness.

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  Focus Groups Follow-up to the 2006 Federal Human Capital Study

  ICF was engaged by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to conduct a series of focus groups to follow up on the results of the 2006 Federal Human Capital Study (FHCS) and to solicit further input from a national sample of supervisory and non-supervisory employees. The FHCS measures federal employees' perceptions and provides agencies with information on the extent to which they are successfully managing human capital in accomplishing their missions.

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  USPS Equating Study

  ICF designed and conducted an equating study on the 473 Postal Exam, which used to select thousands of employees and was converted from paper-and-pencil to an Internet platform.

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  Organizational Analysis and Staffing Model

  ICF was engaged by the Office of Fraud Detection and National Security (FDNS) to conduct an analysis of the current workload and structure to assist in making decisions regarding staffing levels for field operations spanning more than 70 offices across the U.S. The ultimate objective was to develop a staffing model to enable FDNS management to forecast staffing needs based on varying workload.

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  Training Needs Assessment

  For USDA Veterinary Services (VS), ICF was responsible for merging the division’s Animal Emergency Response Organizations (AERO) concept with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Incident Command System (ICS), which is used across agencies to define personnel roles in an emergency.

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  Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) Form S Effective Analysis

  ICF evaluated the newest operational versions of the test (Form S) used in the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) since 1953 as a component in the selection of new officers.

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  Validation of Army Core Leader Competency Model

  ICF International collaborated with the Army Research Institute and the Center for Army Leadership to validate the Core Leader Competency framework that guides training, leader development, self development, and education.

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  Guide to Implementing Strategies to Attract and Retain a Capable Transportation Workforce

  ICF was contracted by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) to develop a guide to implementing effective strategies for attracting and retaining a capable transportation workforce for public sector agencies.

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  Development and Validation of Cognitive and Personality Measures for Job Classes

  The U.S. Bureau of the Census contracted with ICF International to conduct job analyses to determine how 25 field operations jobs, held by more than 500,000 workers, have changed.

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  Service Asset Forfeiture Program Workforce Analysis

  ICF conducted a comprehensive evaluation to identify the current and future workload and workforce requirements to meet the mission of the U.S. Marshals Service Asset Forfeiture Program (AFP), which has changed substantially over the past 24 years.

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  Officer, NCO, Warrant Officer, and Army Civilian Studies and Consolidation

  ICF worked with the U.S. Army to conduct one of the largest organizational assessments the U.S. Army has ever undertaken.

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  Development of Assessments for Special Agent Promotion

  ICF developed and validated assessments for Special Agent Merit Promotion Process to ensure that a DHS agency can effectively address its mission.

Insights

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  Strategies to Attract and Retain a Capable Transportation Workforce

  This report provides information on workforce challenges, industry strategies, and detailed descriptions of noteworthy practices within each of 15 recruitment and retention categories.