POLICY IDEAS CHANNEL
(CT:GEN-612; 12-05-2024)
(Office of Origin: S/P)
2 FAM 081 SCOPE
(CT:GEN-612; 12-05-2024)
The Policy Ideas Channel is a platform for Department employees to submit ideas that offer fresh approaches to diplomatic challenges, introduce creative ways to improve diplomatic tradecraft, and/ or propose modifications to existing foreign policy decisions, directions, and programs. In contrast to the DG’s Innovation Portal serves as the Department's clearinghouse for workforce initiatives, and the Dissent Channel serves as the mechanism for offering dissenting or alternative views on substantive foreign policy matters.
2 FAM 082 APPLICABILITY
(CT:GEN-575; 10-29-2021)
Any U.S. citizen who is a U.S. direct hire or re-employed annuitant employee of the Department of State may use the Policy Ideas Channel.
2 FAM 083 RESPONSIBILITIES
(CT:GEN-612; 12-05-2024)
a. The Secretary's Policy Planning Staff (S/P) is responsible for management of the Policy Ideas Channel.
b. Chiefs of mission (COMs)/principal officers (POs) are responsible for ensuring that guidance on the Policy Ideas Channel is circulated at post and that all eligible employees are aware of Policy Ideas Channel procedures; Bureau front offices will provide guidance to domestic offices.
c. Users have a responsibility to make every effort to use normal channels of communication to put forward their ideas before utilizing the Policy Ideas Channel.
2 FAM 084 POLICY ideaS channel use
(CT:GEN-612; 12-05-2024)
a. The value of the Policy Ideas Channel is to ensure that employees can put forward to Department leadership policy ideas and solutions-oriented initiatives to advance our diplomatic priorities that might otherwise have gotten stuck or lost in the bureaucracy. The objective is not to circumvent the discipline of a bureaucratic review process, but to ensure that sound ideas or initiatives that may not advance through that process can still have an audience with and be evaluated by leadership.
b. Users should ensure that their ideas are well-grounded, well-researched, and well-argued. While a user should have discussed their ideas within their chain of command, they do not need their chain of command’s approval before submitting to the Policy Ideas Channel.
c. Submissions that are not in the scope of the Policy Ideas Channel will be sent back to the submitter with instructions about how to submit to the appropriate channel.
d. Though not required, employees considering submissions to the Policy Ideas Channel may wish to contact S/P in advance of their submission to discuss their idea. S/P can help employees determine the appropriateness of Policy Ideas Channel use in a particular case or direct the employee to other mechanisms.
2 FAM 085 POLICY IdEAS CHANNEL TRANSMISSION
(CT:GEN-578; 02-07-2022)
a. A Policy Ideas Channel message requires no clearance.
b. Policy Ideas Channel messages must be submitted to the Policy Ideas Channel email address IdeasChannel@state.gov or IdeasChannel@state.sgov.gov. Submitters should use the template provided on the Policy Ideas Channel SharePoint site. If needed, submitters may also attach supplemental documents or materials with the template via email. The Subject Line of Policy Ideas Channel submissions must have the words “Ideas Channel,” followed by a brief description of the idea being offered.
c. In order for S/P members to consider ideas submitted via the Policy Ideas Channel, submitters must include the following information, as outlined in the template:
· A concise summary of the idea;
· The strategic impact of the idea on U.S. foreign policy;
· Relevance of the idea to the submitter’s experience within or outside the Department;
· The submitter’s assessment of the pros and cons of the idea;
· The efforts undertaken by the submitter thus far to engage with supervisors and stakeholder bureaus and offices to advance the idea; and
· An explanation of the submitter’s decision to use the Ideas Channel.
2 FAM 086 ROLE OF POLICY PLANNING STAFF (S/P)
(CT:GEN-612; 12-05-2024)
a. The Secretary's Policy Planning Staff (S/P) is responsible for management of the Policy Ideas Channel, including receipt, tracking, distribution, and acknowledgment of all Policy Ideas Channel messages received, and drafting, clearance, and timely transmission of all Ideas Channel responses.
b. Upon receipt of all incoming Policy Ideas Channel messages, S/P assigns the idea to an S/P member to serve as the main interlocutor with the employee.
c. The contents of any Policy Ideas Channel message may be shared with others in the process of assessing the idea, but the identity of a Policy Ideas Channel submitter remains internal to S/P unless the submitter authorizes further dissemination , except as otherwise authorized by law or regulation.
d. S/P is responsible for acknowledging receipt of all Policy Ideas Channel messages within five working days and for providing a written initial substantive reply normally within 60 working days via email.
e. S/P will facilitate review of the idea with relevant office or bureau leadership, and S/P will provide a written substantive reply to submitters.
2 FAM 087 Questions
(CT:GEN-575; 10-29-2021)
Direct questions regarding any aspect of the Policy Ideas Channel to the S/P Ideas Channel email IdeasChannel@state.gov.