National Nuclear Security Administration: Key Management Structure and Workforce Planning Issues Remain As NNSA Conducts Downsizing
GAO-04-545
Published: Jun 25, 2004. Publicly Released: Jul 14, 2004.
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Highlights
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a separately organized agency within the Department of Energy (DOE), is responsible for the management and security of the nation's nuclear weapons, nonproliferation, and naval reactor programs. NNSA oversees contractors that operate its facilities to ensure that activities are effective and in line with departmental policy. In December 2002, NNSA began implementing a major reorganization aimed at solving important long-standing organizational issues. GAO reviewed NNSA's overall reorganization efforts to assess (1) the extent to which it is addressing in practice the past problems concerning the unclear delineation of authority and responsibility, (2) workforce planning, and (3) its impact on federal oversight of contractor activities.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Energy | In order to increase the likelihood that NNSA's reorganization will achieve NNSA's goal of increased management discipline and accountability in program management and contractor oversight, the NNSA Administrator and the Secretary of Energy should establish a formal program management structure, policy, and implementation guidance for directing the work of its contractors, especially concerning how program managers will interact with contracting officers at site offices to help direct and oversee contractor activity. |
On August 12, 2004, NNSA issued NNSA Policy Letter: BOP-006.001 entitled "NNSA Program Management Policy" which establishes a formal program management structure, policy, and implementation guidance for directing the work of its contractors, including interaction with contracting officers at site offices to help direct and oversee contractor activity.
|
| National Nuclear Security Administration | In order to increase the likelihood that NNSA's reorganization will achieve NNSA's goal of increased management discipline and accountability in program management and contractor oversight, the NNSA Administrator and the Secretary of Energy should establish a formal program management structure, policy, and implementation guidance for directing the work of its contractors, especially concerning how program managers will interact with contracting officers at site offices to help direct and oversee contractor activity. |
On August 12, 2004, NNSA issued NNSA Policy Letter: BOP-006.001 entitled "NNSA Program Management Policy" which establishes a formal program management structure, policy, and implementation guidance for directing the work of its contractors, including interaction with contracting officers at site offices to help direct and oversee contractor activity.
|
| Department of Energy | In order to increase the likelihood that NNSA's reorganization will achieve NNSA's goal of increased management discipline and accountability in program management and contractor oversight, the NNSA Administrator and the Secretary of Energy should complete and implement data-driven workforce planning for the longer term that (1) determines the critical skills and competencies that will be needed to achieve current and future programmatic results, including contractor oversight; (2) develops strategies tailored to address gaps in number, skills and competencies, and deployment of the workforce; and (3) monitors and evaluates the agency's progress toward its human capital goals and the contribution that human capital results have made toward achieving programmatic results. |
In October 2007, NNSA issued to the Department of Energy its latest Human Capital Management Strategic Plan. The Plan analyzes NNSA's workforce and identifies where there are gaps; discusses strategies for filling those gaps, such as NNSA's Future Leaders Program; and identifies where progress was made in the Human Capital area over the last year.
|
| National Nuclear Security Administration | In order to increase the likelihood that NNSA's reorganization will achieve NNSA's goal of increased management discipline and accountability in program management and contractor oversight, the NNSA Administrator and the Secretary of Energy should complete and implement data-driven workforce planning for the longer term that (1) determines the critical skills and competencies that will be needed to achieve current and future programmatic results, including contractor oversight; (2) develops strategies tailored to address gaps in number, skills and competencies, and deployment of the workforce; and (3) monitors and evaluates the agency's progress toward its human capital goals and the contribution that human capital results have made toward achieving programmatic results. |
In October 2007, NNSA issued to the Department of Energy its latest Human Capital Management Strategic Plan. The Plan analyzes NNSA's workforce and identifies where there are gaps; discusses strategies for filling those gaps, such as NNSA's Future Leaders Program; and identifies where progress was made in the Human Capital area over the last year.
|
| Department of Energy | In order to increase the likelihood that NNSA's reorganization will achieve NNSA's goal of increased management discipline and accountability in program management and contractor oversight, the NNSA Administrator and the Secretary of Energy should postpone any decrease in the level of NNSA's direct federal oversight of contractors until NNSA has a program management structure in place and has completed its long-term workforce plan. |
In its May 2004 comments on GAO's report, NNSA stated that it has no intention of further decreasing direct oversight of contractors. It further stated that the new contractor assurance system would be only implemented after the site office manager was convinced that the system would provide assurance at least as effective as the current system. Subsequently, in December 2005, NNSA awarded a new Management and Operating Contract for Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Part of the contract was the requirement that LANL develop a Contractor Assurance System, although NNSA reserved the right under the contract to determine the level of direct oversight it would conduct. In our June 2008 report, LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY: Long-Term Strategies Needed to Improve Security and Management Oversight (GAO-08-694), we noted that NNSA's Site Office was still maintaining direct oversight of security at LANL.
|
| National Nuclear Security Administration | In order to increase the likelihood that NNSA's reorganization will achieve NNSA's goal of increased management discipline and accountability in program management and contractor oversight, the NNSA Administrator and the Secretary of Energy should postpone any decrease in the level of NNSA's direct federal oversight of contractors until NNSA has a program management structure in place and has completed its long-term workforce plan. |
In its May 2004 comments on GAO's report, NNSA stated that it has no intention of further decreasing direct oversight of contractors. It further stated that the new contractor assurance system would be only implemented after the site office manager was convinced that the system would provide assurance at least as effective as the current system. Subsequently, in December 2005, NNSA awarded a new Management and Operating Contract for Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Part of the contract was the requirement that LANL develop a Contractor Assurance System, although NNSA reserved the right under the contract to determine the level of direct oversight it would conduct. In our June 2008 report, LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY: Long-Term Strategies Needed to Improve Security and Management Oversight (GAO-08-694), we noted that NNSA's Site Office was still maintaining direct oversight of security at LANL.
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Topics
AccountabilityContract oversightContractorsFederal agency reorganizationFederal downsizingInternal controlsLabor forceNuclear facilitiesNuclear facility securityNuclear weapons