Invocation Official Responsibilities

Before defining what the responsibility of an invocation official is, it is first important to understand the significance of invocation. Invocation begins when a service user needs to expedite a National Security/Emergency Preparedness (NS/EP) telecommunications service provisioning, and an invocation official concurs that the importance of the service warrants TSP processing to ensure its quick and efficient provisioning.

An invocation official is a designated individual with the authority and responsibility to approve the cost and criticality of the provisioning request of a telecommunications service. An invocation official's responsibilities are to

• Certify that the NS/EP telecommunications service is so vital that it must be expeditiously provisioned
• Delegate authority to approve provisioning requests and authorize expenditure of funds to other appropriate individuals within his or her agency or organization
• Identify delegates in writing to the TSP Program Office before making an invocation.

Sponsors also must cooperate with the TSP Program Office during reconciliations and revalidations of any service they sponsor; comply with any regulations and procedures issued by the TSP Program Office; and forward all changes in TSP service information to the TSP Program Office in a timely manner.

Designation of Invocation Officials

Invocation officials include the head or director of a Federal agency, commander of a unified or specified military command, chief of a military service, commander of a major military command, and State Governors, or delegates of any of the foregoing. State Governors and their delegates can authorize priority TSP provisionings in response to State or local disasters and emergencies for which no Federal funding is expected to be requested.

Federal invocation officials may choose to delegate the authority to authorize a priority provisioning to other appropriate individuals within their agencies. Delegates of an invocation official may not further delegate this authority to another individual. Delegates must be flag officers or senior executive staff (SES) civilian employees. Invocation officials may identify delegates by name or position. When delegating to a position, the invocation official must ensure that the a flag or SES employee fills that position.

A State Governor may delegate NS/EP invocation authority to no more than five senior state officials, such as the head or director of the State's telecommunications or emergency management and services agency. The Governor may identify delegates by name or position. The State invocation official, or delegate, incurs no direct financial liability for the requested service. The service user (e.g., State, county, or city government agency or private industry) requiring the service is responsible for ensuring that funds are available to pay any service costs related to faster-than-normal provisioning.

The State Governor must identify delegates in writing to the TSP Program Office before their first invocation. A Federal organization or State government should send a memorandum or letter to the TSP Program Office on agency, organization, or State letterhead signed by the invocation official. The following information is required:

• Name, title, rank or grade, mailing address, e-mail address, and commercial phone number of the invocation official
• Name (optional), title, rank or grade, mailing address, e-mail address, and commercial phone number of the invocation official delegate(s)
• Whether the delegate identified as specified in the foregoing is a replacement for a current delegate
• Name, title, and rank or grade of the official being replaced or deleted, if identifying a replacement or deletion
• In case of questions, a point-of-contact name, title, and commercial phone number.

The TSP Program Office maintains a list of invocation officials and their delegates; however, it is the responsibility of each agency to provide the TSP Program Office with current information. All organizations should identify their delegate(s), and any changes thereto, to the TSP Program Office as soon as these individuals possible.

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