Mr. Zuckerman, the owner of U.S. News & World Report, has asked to be permitted to evaluate the news staff for 18 months and replace those he regarded as not meeting standards of journalistic excellence.

Most vehicles are evaluated over a two-week period; some are evaluated for six to 12 months.

The seven-member panel consists of members of the House Armed Services Committee and will evaluate the Department of Defense's procurement policies for six months, looking for signs of financial waste and ways to change the procurement system to avoid that waste.

Mayor Mary Moran evaluated the bankruptcy option with her closest advisers for many months and filed only when it appeared there would be no assistance from labor, state or Federal sources.

The parties have been trying to strike a deal on how to construct a system of evaluating teachers for five months.