Code of Federal Regulations Title 5. Administrative Personnel § 5.304.102 Definitions

(a) An agency is an executive department, a military department, or an independent agency.

(b) A consultant is a person who can provide valuable and pertinent advice generally drawn from a high degree of broad administrative, professional, or technical knowledge or experience. When an agency requires public advisory participation, a consultant also may be a person who is affected by a particular program and can provide useful views from personal experience.

(c) A consultant position is one that requires providing advice, views, opinions, alternatives, or recommendations on a temporary and/or intermittent basis on issues, problems, or questions presented by a Federal official.

(d) An expert is a person who is specially qualified by education and experience to perform difficult and challenging tasks in a particular field beyond the usual range of achievement of competent persons in that field. An expert is regarded by other persons in the field as an authority or practitioner of unusual competence and skill in a professional, scientific, technical or other activity.

(e) An expert position is one that requires the services of a specialist with skills superior to those of others in the same profession, occupation, or activity to perform work on a temporary and/or intermittent basis assigned by a Federal official. For example, a microbial contamination specialist may apply new test methods to identify bacteria on products, a computer scientist may adapt advanced methods to develop a complex software system, or a plate maker may engrave a novel design.

(f) Intermittent employment, as defined in part 340, subpart D, of this chapter, means employment without a regularly scheduled tour of duty.

(g) Temporary employment means employment not to exceed 1 year. An expert or consultant serving under a temporary appointment may have a full-time, part-time, seasonal, or intermittent work schedule.

(h) Employment without compensation means unpaid service that is provided at the agency's request and is to perform duties that are unclassified. It is not volunteer service.