COST EFFECTIVELY ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGES OF MPC&A PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION

The Department of Energy's (DOE) Material Protection Control and Accounting (MPC&A) program continues to place a high priority on implementing sound program management practices as a means to cost effectively achieve its nuclear nonproliferation objectives. Considerable time and effort has been invested to develop strategies that maximize proliferation risk reduction as well as U.S. taxpayer return on investment. Congress and the executive branch have emphasized the importance for the program to remain fiscally responsible when installing MPC&A upgrades at Russian sites containing weapons and weapons-usable nuclear material. To address this “customer” concern, the MPC&A program has taken steps to implement broad measures that increase program efficiencies while reducing administrative costs. Developing consistent MPC&A upgrade guidelines, reducing travel costs by increasing the productivity of U.S. project teams on trips to Russia, and working with DOE Laboratories to streamline contract management/administration practices have all contributed to a dramatic increase in the percentage of program funds spent in Russia. These savings have been redistributed into projects to accelerate the completion of MPC&A upgrades in Russia. This paper will discuss the various MPC&A management strategies that have been implemented to more effectively utilize program resources and maximize the effectiveness of installed MPC&A upgrades in Russia.