SAFEGUARDS FIRST PRINCIPLES INITIATIVE (SFPI)

The NNSA undertook an effort entitled the Safeguards First Principles Initiative to develop a principle-based standard for Nuclear Material Control and Accountability (MC&A) Programs. The objective of the Initiative was to prepare a model/standard for developing, implementing, and evaluating Nuclear Material Control and Accountability Programs to be adopted NNSA-wide. The model/standard: • establishes fundamental principles around which the NNSA expects its management and operating contractors to develop and implement their MC&A programs; • supports standardized implementation of effective and efficient MC&A programs that are tailored to a well-characterized risk; • facilitates implementation that is defensible from a risk management perspective with measurable performance; and • provides a basis for designing MC&A Programs in the context of the nuclear material inventory holdings, operations, and missions at the site. Under the SFPI Project, the contractor uses the model/standard to develop an MC&A Plan and associated procedures documenting how the objectives in the model/standard will be achieved. The MC&A Plan is reviewed and approved by the cognizant Site Office, using an established peer review process drawing upon MC&A resources across the NNSA complex. The contractor MC&A Program is reviewed and evaluated based upon their performance to the approved MC&A Plan. While this sounds simplistic, it is a complete departure from the way the Department currently conducts business. Test Bed Applications The NNSA conducted test bed applications of the model at two facilities beginning in December 2006/January 2007: the Nevada Test Site and portions of the Y-12 National Security Complex. These facilities were selected because they have very different missions, operations, and experience level of MC&A personnel. The Y-12 test bed was implemented in a dynamic processing area while the test bed applications at NTS were primarily static item storage facilities. The Y-12 MC&A program was a solid, well performing program and the NTS MC&A program for their Category I facility was relatively new and staffed by a majority of personnel new to MC&A. The different facilities allowed NNSA to evaluate whether or not implementation would be possible in both scenarios.