Download or read book Contract reform DOE has made progress but actions needed to ensure initiatives have improved results written by and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on with total page 46 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Contract Reform written by United States Government Accountability Office and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-03-16 with total page 46 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Contract Reform: DOE Has Made Progress, but Actions Needed to Ensure Initiatives Have Improved Results

Download or read book Contract Reform written by United States. General Accounting Office and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 42 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Environmental Liabilities written by United States. Government Accountability Office and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 72 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Independent Research Assessment of Project Management Factors Affecting Department of Energy Success written by Civil Engineering Research Foundation and published by ASCE Publications. This book was released on 2005-01-01 with total page 106 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy by the Civil Engineering Research Foundation. This report presents the findings of a research study to improve the project management undertaken by the U.S. Department of Energy. It identifies key components affecting project performance, evaluates performance factors, measures, and metrics in relation to their correlation with project success; and makes recommendations with regard to improving performance on different types of projects. Sixteen projects were selected by the DOE Office of Engineering and Construction Management, and then examined by the independent research team, which grouped and prioritized factors affecting success and formulated recommendations.

Download or read book Major management challenges and program risks Department of Energy written by United States. General Accounting Office and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2003 with total page 42 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Nuclear and Worker Safety written by Gene Aloise and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2008-04 with total page 46 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Department of Energy written by Robin M. Nazzaro and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: DOE spends more money on contracts than any other civilian federal agency because it relies primarily on contractors to operate its sites and carry out its diverse missions. These missions include maintaining the nuclear weapons stockpile, cleaning up radioactive and hazardous waste, and supporting basic energy and science research activities. For fiscal year 2001, DOE spent about 90 percent of its total annual budget, or about $18.2 billion, on contracts. Of that amount, DOE spent about $16.2 billion on contracts to manage or operate 28 major DOE sites. For over a decade, GAO, DOE's Office of Inspector General, and others have identified problems with DOE's contracting practices and the performance of its contractors. Projects were late or never finished; project costs escalated by millions and sometimes billions of dollars; and environmental conditions at the sites did not significantly improve. At the same time, contractors were earning a substantial portion of the profit (fee) available under the contract. Because of these problems, since 1990 we have designated DOE contract management as a high-risk area vulnerable to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement. To address these and other problems, DOE began a series of reforms in the 1990s that were intended to, among other things, strengthen DOE's contracting and project management practices, hold contractors more accountable for their performance, and demonstrate progress in achieving the agency's missions. In this context, contracting practices include, among other things, selecting the type of contract (such as fixed price), deciding whether to ask contractors to compete for the contract or offer it only to a single contractor, and determining the performance measures that will be used to assess and reward the contractor's performance. Similarly, project management practices include, among other things, planning, organizing, and tracking project activities and costs; training to ensure expertise of federal project managers; and project reporting and oversight. In addition, in February 2002, DOE's environmental management team launched an improvement initiative that places additional emphasis on contracting and project management reforms in the cleanup program, which represents almost a third of the department's overall budget. This initiative followed a review by DOE managers, who concluded that the waste cleanup program was not achieving the desired results and that further improvements were needed to make the program effective, including improvements in contracting and project management. This testimony focuses on (1) describing DOE's progress in implementing contracting and project management reforms, (2) assessing the extent to which these reforms have resulted in improved contractor performance, and (3) providing observations on DOE's latest improvement efforts. Since the mid-1990s, DOE has made some progress in implementing initiatives to improve both its contracting practices and its management of projects, but it continues to encounter difficulties in implementing these reforms. Contract reform began in 1994 and consisted primarily of initiatives in three key areas--developing alternative contracting approaches, increasing competition for contracts among potential bidders, and using performance-based incentives in the contracts. For example, DOE now requires performance-based contracts at all of its major sites. These contracts incorporate performance-based statements of work and identify performance measures and objectives that DOE will use to evaluate the contractors' performance. DOE has also increased the proportion of contractors' fees tied to achieving the performance objectives. Nevertheless, difficulties remain in implementing the reforms. DOE continues to modify and test its performance measures by, for example, developing multiyear and multisite measures that are more closely aligned with the department's missions. Regarding project management reforms, DOE began its reform effort in 1999 in response to recommendations from the National Research Council that were intended to improve DOE's oversight and management of projects. Among other things, DOE implemented new policy and guidance for developing and controlling projects and established a project office to lead the initiative. However, in November 2001 the National Research Council reported that, although DOE had taken some positive steps to address its recommendations, the department still did not adequately plan projects before starting them and had no training program for federal project managers. DOE is continuing its efforts to implement its project management initiative. While DOE has made some progress in implementing its contracting and project management initiatives, available information raises doubts about the extent to which these reforms have resulted in improved contractor performance. DOE has developed little objective information to demonstrate whether the reforms have improved results. However, in September 2002, we reported that, based on a comparison of 25 major DOE projects in 1996 with 16 major projects in 2001, it did not appear that DOE's contractors had significantly improved their performance over the period. In both sets of projects, over half had both schedule delays and cost increases. And the proportion of projects with significant cost increases and schedule delays was actually higher in 2001 than in 1996. For example, 38 percent of the projects we reviewed in 2001 had doubled their initial cost estimates, compared with 28 percent in 1996. Furthermore, problems with individual projects and with site operating contracts continue to appear. These include a 3-year delay and $2.1 billion cost increase to submit the license application for the Yucca Mountain waste repository project in Nevada and allegations of contractor fraud, waste, and abuse at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. In 2002, we saw DOE's management team take encouraging steps that could help to foster improvements in contract and project management. The Environmental Management program, which administers DOE's waste cleanup program, completed a frank and open assessment of problems with the program and initiated a number of additional reforms. These initiatives included improving contract and project management and streamlining business practices. DOE has also been working on agencywide initiatives, including developing an integrated budgeting and program results information system and placing increased emphasis on human capital initiatives to develop the department's future leaders. Although these management actions are encouraging, making these new policies a matter of practice will require strong leadership, clear lines of accountability and responsibility, and effective management systems to monitor results.

Download or read book Highrisk series an update written by and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2007 with total page 62 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Beyond Sputnik written by Homer Alfred Neal and published by University of Michigan Press. This book was released on 2010-09-22 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Science and technology are responsible for almost every advance in our modern quality of life. Yet science isn't just about laboratories, telescopes and particle accelerators. Public policy exerts a huge impact on how the scientific community conducts its work. Beyond Sputnik is a comprehensive survey of the field for use as an introductory textbook in courses and a reference guide for legislators, scientists, journalists, and advocates seeking to understand the science policy-making process. Detailed case studies---on topics from cloning and stem cell research to homeland security and science education---offer readers the opportunity to study real instances of policymaking at work. Authors and experts Homer A. Neal, Tobin L. Smith, and Jennifer B. McCormick propose practical ways to implement sound public policy in science and technology and highlight how these policies will guide the results of scientific discovery for years to come. Homer A. Neal is the Samuel A. Goudsmit Distinguished University Professor of Physics, Interim President Emeritus, and Vice President for Research Emeritus at the University of Michigan, and is a former member of the U.S. National Science Board. Tobin L. Smith is Associate Vice President for Federal Relations at the Association of American Universities. He was formerly Assistant Director of the University of Michigan and MIT Washington, DC, offices. Jennifer B. McCormick is an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Ethics in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the Mayo College of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota, and is the Associate Director of the Research Ethics Resource, part of the Mayo Clinic's NIH Clinical Translational Science Award research programs. GO BEYOND SPUTNIK ONLINE--Visit www.science-policy.net for the latest news, teaching resources, learning guides, and internship opportunities in the 21st-Century field of science policy. "Beyond Sputnik is a readable, concise, yet remarkably comprehensive introduction to contemporary science policy. It is devoid of 'wonkishness' yet serves the needs of policymakers and students alike. Because science and technology policy is of central importance in the twenty-first century this accessible volume is a godsend." ---Charles M. Vest, President of the National Academy of Engineering and Vice Chair of the National Research Council of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering "This highly researched book is a treasure trove for anyone concerned with science policy relating to such challenges as providing energy, preserving the environment, assuring healthcare, creating jobs, and more." ---Norman Augustine, retired Chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corporation and recipient of the 2008 Vannevar Bush Award from the National Science Board "Science policy is a subject of growing importance in the United States, yet there has long been a vacuum among textbooks in the field. Beyond Sputnik fills it splendidly and will be greeted with enthusiasm by students and faculty alike. Even those who have practiced the art for years will learn from it." ---Albert Teich, Director of Science and Policy Programs at the American Association for the Advancement of Science "Homer A. Neal, Tobin L. Smith, and Jennifer B. McCormick have written a landmark work calling for a national effort to restore our nation's power in the fields of science, energy, and education, as we did in the remarkable year following Sputnik. The next preident should read Beyond Sputnik and accept this call to action as did President Eisenhower." ---Ambassador David M. Abshire, President of the Center for the Study of the Presidency, Cofounder and Vice Chairman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and President of the Richard Lounsbery Foundation "At last we have a text that tells the story from where A. Hunter Dupree left off; an excellent core text for courses in science and technology policy, DC policymakers, and anyone who needs to get up to speed in the field . . . The book that we have all been waiting for." ---Christopher T. Hill, Professor of Public Policy and Technology, George Mason University

Download or read book Department of Energy mission support challenges remain at Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories report to congressional requesters written by and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on with total page 43 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Beyond Sputnik written by Homer A. Neal and published by Kris Nia. This book was released on 2008 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Federal Programs at Risk from Abusive Or Wasteful Practices written by David M. Walker and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2003-12 with total page 86 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A report on high-risk problems faced by the government, to help the Congress in crafting its oversight and legislative agenda. High-Risk Areas in 2003 include: Addressing Challenges in Broad-based Transformations; Ensuring Major Technology Investments Improve Services; Providing Basic Financial Accountability; Reducing Inordinate Program Management Risks; and Managing Large Procurement Operations More Efficiently. Charts and tables.

Download or read book Nuclear waste absence of key management reforms on Hanford s cleanup project adds to challenges of achieving cost and schedule goals report to the Committee on Government Reform House of Representatives written by and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on with total page 55 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Federal Acquisition written by John P. Hutton and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2008-11 with total page 74 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A growing portion of federal spending is related to buying services such as administrative, management, and information technical support. Services accounted for about 60% of total FY 2006 procurement dollars. The Services Acquisition Reform Act (SARA) of 2003 established a Services Acquisition Advisory Panel to make recommendations for improving acquisition practices. In Jan. 2007, the panel proposed 89 recommendations to improve fed. acquisition practices. This report determines how the panel recommendations compare to past work and identifies how the Office of Fed. Procurement Policy expects the recommendations to be addressed. Includes recommendations. Charts and tables.

Download or read book Competition for Department of Energy Laboratory Contracts written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Science. Subcommittee on Energy and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Joint Hearing with the New Mexico State Joint Legislative Committee on Los Alamos National Laboratory written by California. Legislature. Senate. Select Committee on Oversight of the Department of Energy Laboratories Operated by the University of California and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 114 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: