No employer-employee relationship is created by an agency's use of private sector temporaries under these regulations. Services furnished by temporary help firms shall be performed by their employees who shall not be considered or treated as Federal employees for any purpose, shall not be regarded as performing a personal service, and shall not be eligible for civil service employee benefits, including retirement. Further, to avoid creating any appearance of such a relationship, agencies shall observe the following requirements:

(a) Time limit on use of temporary help service firm. An agency may use a temporary help service firm(s) in a single situation, as defined in §300.503, initially for no more than 120 workdays. Provided the situation continues to exist beyond the initial 120 workdays, the agency may extend its use of temporary help services up to the maximum limit of 240 workdays.

(b) Time limit on use of individual employee of a temporary help service firm.

(1) An individual employee of any temporary help firm may work at a major organizational element (headquarters or field) of an agency for up to 120 workdays in a 24-month period. The 24-month period begins on the first day of assignment.

(2) An agency may make an exception for an individual to work up to a maximum of 240 workdays only when the agency has determined that using the services of the same individual for the same situation will prevent significant delay.

(c) Individual employees of a temporary help firm providing temporary service to a Federal agency may be eligible for competitive civil service employment only if appropriate civil service hiring procedures are applied to them.

(d) Agencies shall train their employees in appropriate procedures for interaction with private sector temporaries to assure that the supervisory responsibilities identified in paragraph (a) of §300.501 of this subpart are carried out by the temporary help service firm. At the same time, agencies must give technical, task-related instructions to private sector temporaries including orientation, assignment of tasks, and review of work products, in order that the temporaries may properly perform their services under the contract.

[54 FR 3766, Jan. 25, 1989, as amended at 61 FR 19511, May 2, 1996]