BOYERS - Cost-cutting measures implemented by the federal government could end up costing more than 60 employees their jobs this summer.

Employees who are responsible for mostly administrative support services at U.S. Investigations here are facing possible layoffs as early as late summer.

The layoffs are due to a decision made by the company's Washington, D.C., office based on a study focusing on ways to cut back operating costs to help save taxpayer money, according to Doris Hausser, senior policy advisor to the acting director of Office of Personnel Services.

USIS is part of that office.

"A fair amount of work government employees are doing is considered commercial, meaning the private sector can do it and usually at a lesser cost to taxpayers," Hausser said.

The company was bought in 2003 by the New York-based Welsh, Carson, Anderson and Stowe.

USIS, which has about 900 employees at its Boyers plant, does background checks, drug and alcohol testing and provides security for government and corporations. According to the company's Web site, it handles about 1.2 million cases a year.

Other USIS branches have been targeted with similar cuts in the past year, but this is the first time the Boyers office is being affected, Hausser said.

A study indicated taxpayer savings could be made if the company agreed to contract out some of its less-sensitive work, Hausser said. It is usually data-entry or administrative assistance work that doesn't require reviewing or dealing with sensitive or secure data, she said.

Recently, it was decided that similar work at the Boyers plant could be contracted out, so the move to do so was made.

As with other bidding jobs that affect USIS work, Hausser said the employees who will be affected are able to bid on the work as well.

The Boyers workers made a proposal for the work, Hausser said, but it was not the lowest bid, so they lost it. Hausser said it is the first time contracted work has been lost by USIS employees during the bidding process.

"We've had this happen at other plants before, but this is the first time the employee proposal didn't win," she said. "So that's why this is of some concern to us."

The lowest bidder was Transtecs, a small business-certified company founded in 1988 in Wichita, Kan.

Even if the current employees' bid had been accepted, Hausser said some layoffs still would have been necessary.

However, those who are now affected have several options:

Early retirement incentives will be offered, Hausser said. This will be done on a volunteer basis.

A buyout offer also will be made to any employee who offers to be voluntarily laid off, she said.

The third option is a restructuring plan, which will help place some of the workers into other positions in the company.

Hausser said one thing that will help is that any outside contractor who is awarded work with USIS must first offer any openings it has to current USIS employees who will be losing their jobs because of the contract.

However, the contractor only has to consider the employees, not actually offer them employment.

Hausser said the company will do whatever it can to help place affected employees in other positions before layoffs are considered.

"Our desire is that it be clear that we are very concerned about our employees," she said.