USPTO Performance and Accountability Report - U.S. Patent and ...

setting process, recognized our efforts at communicating
with stakeholders, and encouraged the USPTO
to build on these successes in the future. We have
actively engaged with the PPAC and stakeholders to
solicit feedback on the patent fee structure. A preliminary
proposed patent fee structure was delivered to
PPAC, released to the public, and discussed during
two public hearings held by the PPAC in February.
Subsequently, the Office considered comments and
incorporated changes suggested by the PPAC and
the public in the fee setting NPRM published in the
Federal Register in September.
The AIA was a major milestone in helping the USPTO
to achieve financial stability. However, we are ever
cognizant of the need to balance the agency’s
tremendous opportunities for growth and improvement
against its challenges and risks associated
with operating in an environment of numerous
unknowns and uncertainties. Looking ahead, there
are many variables that we cannot predict—
changes in the fiscal climate; fluctuations in demand
for USPTO’s services; and continued turbulence in
economic conditions. As such, the agency is
committed to smart, scalable growth that allows us
to continually make adjustments and course corrections,
which will enable us to achieve our goals
without putting the financial and operational health
of the USPTO unnecessarily at risk.
We are also mindful of the added responsibility that
comes with fee setting authority. More than ever the
agency is operating with an eye toward efficiency,
cost-consciousness, and improved service and
accountability. In the financial management area,
this is translating into efforts to enhance outreach
and transparency around our FPNG initiative, which
aims to improve our stakeholders’ payment experience.
We’re also looking to facilitate USPTO’s mission
success by improving our service to internal stake-
FINANCIAL SECTION
holders through efforts to provide more meaningful
financial analysis to decision-makers and to improve
the acquisition process with a focus on instilling a
customer-centric service culture.
In addition, our financial management team helped
to manage the many challenges of planning,
funding, procuring, staffing, monitoring, and ensuring
continued operations at the agency’s first-ever
satellite office, which opened in Detroit, Michigan in
July 2012. These challenges were met successfully,
and this experience will inform the agency’s
approach as we look to open the agency’s next
three satellite offices around the country in upcoming
fiscal years.
Our talented and committed employees continue to
display great dedication toward producing a high
standard of financial management at the USPTO.
Our employees approach challenges as future
rewards, both for the agency and for themselves.
We look to the future with confidence, as we continue
to support the strategic direction of the USPTO by
working as a trusted partner within the organization
and providing sound advice to enable informed
program and financial decision-making.
Anthony P. Scardino
Chief Financial Officer
November 7, 2012
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