ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF
ENERGY
SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL INFORMATION POINTS OF CONTACT |
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It is important to understand the responsibilities of the scientific
and technical information (STI) points of contact (POC) and their role
as the primary focal point for their particular Operations or Field
Office, contractor site, or Headquarters Program Office. The Contractor
Requirements Document (CRD) in DOE Order 241.1 lists the STI Management
requirements to be carried out by DOE Contractors. To facilitate
carrying out these requirements, the STI POCs have agreed to a number of
best business practices for managing the Department's STI; those
practices are described in great detail throughout DOE
Guide 241.1-1.
This orientation information is not intended to replace the CRD or
the related sections of the Guide. However, for purposes of
providing useful orientation information, several of the best
business practices have been summarized below.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION OFFICERS
Technical Information Officers (TIO) serve as the principal
Operations or Field Office POC and assistant to, and liaison with, the DOE
Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) and DOE
Headquarters regarding the Scientific and Technical Information Program
(STIP). The TIOs have oversight of contractor STI activities; setting
clear expectations. They must maintain a knowledge-base of contractor
activities in terms of STI activities and provide timely feedback on
issues as they emerge. While roles and responsibilities may differ, each
major DOE element shall designate a TIO to perform STI-related
activities.
Roles and Responsibilities
- TIOs coordinate with and have oversight of the contractor STI
Manager's activities as they pertain to STI to ensure contractor
compliance with the CRD portion of DOE O 241.1, Scientific and
Technical Information Management, including oversight of site
contractor STI resources.
- TIOs participate in preparing Operations or Field Office responses
to STI-related action items relevant to DOE and contractors.
- TIOs serve as the Operations or Field Office representative and
advocate to ensure that STI objectives and requirements are
incorporated as appropriate into the Operations or Field Office's
strategic plans, DOE management information plans, DOE and
contractor information architecture plans, life-cycle management
plans and procedures, contractor-developed institutional plans, and
contract language for new or modified contracts and grants.
- TIOs are responsible for coordinating and communicating DOE STI
goals and objectives and initiating the promotion/education of STI
and STIP-related activities at the Operations or Field Office and
contractor sites. This includes the progression of timely and
acceptable electronic formats of announcement records and full-text
STI.
- TIOs represent their organization's STI objectives/perspective by
keeping abreast of the latest technology and trends in coordination
with contractors and OSTI and by participating in numerous STI-related
activities and meetings such as Meet-Me Calls, Spring and Fall
Meetings, STIP activities, and special focus teams. They actively
participate in the STIP collaboration to establish best business
practices for STIP.
- TIOs ensure that appropriate sensitivity reviews are conducted of
the STI generated by DOE and DOE contractors before it is released
outside of site jurisdiction.
- TIOs participate in rewrites of DOE O 241.1 and DOE G 241.1-1 and
communicate the requirements and best business practices to DOE and
DOE contractors.
- TIOs ensure contractor development of an order-compliance
self-assessment and are responsible for reviewing and responding to
the self-assessment.
- Through STIP, TIOs recommend the need for new or revised policies
and comment on the new or revised policies put forth. They also
ensure that implementation procedures for the new or revised
policies are put in place by DOE and contractors.
- TIOs serve as the Operations or Field Office STIP liaison with DOE
Contracts Management staff by assessing the local internal STI
program, identifying needs or inadequacies, and communicating
changes in STI-related policies and activities. They are responsible
for monitoring the direct procurement process (DOE's contractors
that are not management and integration/management and operating
contractors) by using the Technical Information Monitoring System (TIMS)
and ensuring that DOE contract administrators are aware of the
status and trends related to the timely provision of deliverables to
OSTI.
- TIOs serve as their Operations or Field Office STIP liaison with
site Business Management Oversight Program (BMOP) coordinators and
the OSTI and HQ BMOP coordinators. They are responsible for
developing internal DOE STI performance measures for BMOP and for
developing and providing comments to the contractor STI performance
measures developed by the contractors for the Program/Technical
Reviews. They review, evaluate, and comment on Operations or Field
Office and contractor STI program performance as documented in the
BMOP and TR self-assessments for the STI Program, including
timeliness and quality of deliverables, and respond to OSTI's review
of the Operations or Field Office and contractor BMOP or TR
self-assessment. They are also responsible for validating DOE/HQ
program office's contractor evaluations.
SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL
INFORMATION MANAGERS
The role of STI Managers is to stay abreast of DOE's STIP and
coordinate the implementation of STIP practices and procedures at their
sites. They serve as the main POC between OSTI, TIOs, and their
respective contractor-operated facility or national laboratory. Normally
one STI Manager is appointed at each contractor site. While roles and
responsibilities may vary from site to site, depending on the specific
language of DOE contracts, the STI activities of STI Managers generally
are the same.
Roles and Responsibilities
- STI Managers provide oversight and coordination of contractor
compliance with the CRD portion of applicable DOE directives,
currently DOE O 241.1, Scientific and Technical Information
Management.
- STI Managers provide oversight and coordination of contractor
application of the recommended practices contained in applicable DOE
guides, currently DOE G 241.1-1, Guide to the Management of
Scientific and Technical Information.
- STI Managers participate in conference calls, meetings, and
working groups convened by OSTI and TIOs in DOE Operations or Field
Offices.
- STI Managers provide general liaison with DOE OSTI management and
the TIOs.
- STI Managers participate in preparing contractor responses to STI-related
action items received from the responsible DOE contracting officer.
SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL INFORMATION COORDINATING GROUP
The Scientific and Technical Information Coordinating Group (STICG)
authorized by DOE O 241.1, assists in the stewardship of STI, a key
deliverable of the Department's research and related endeavors.
STICG is chaired by the Director of OSTI, the office that has the
lead responsibility for coordinating Departmental STIP. The STICG
membership is comprised of Departmental elements (HQ) that fund research
and development or related activities that create STI or set policies or
practices affecting STI, as well as representatives from one
Departmental Operations or Field Office, one contractor weapons complex,
one multi-program non-weapons laboratory, and one single-program
non-weapons laboratory/facility.
The Group meets three times per year at the request of the chair.
Roles and Responsibilities
- STICG representatives serve as the primary POCs of their
respective organizations for STIP and STI policies and practices;
they are responsible for coordinating issues within their respective
organizations and representing their organizations' views.
- STICG identifies, reviews, analyzes, and makes recommendations on
STI-related issues that have Department-wide implications and
addresses procedural and implementation issues as needed.
- STICG provides advice and consultation for the Research and
Development programs that produce STI in the conduct of their funded
activities and for HQ staff offices that have corporate
responsibilities for managing information as a DOE resource.
- STICG provides the vehicle for Departmental policy development and
coordination in addition to providing implementation direction and
assessment concerning information life-cycle (i.e., creation,
processing, dissemination, accessibility, and use) of all STI
developed for or on behalf of DOE, including classified, limited,
and unclassified information.
- STICG maintains up-to-date knowledge and awareness of similar STI
practices and policies by consulting with and/or inviting external
speakers from other government agencies, industry, and other
stakeholders.
SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL INFORMATION PROGRAM
The Scientific and Technical Information Program (STIP) is comprised
of the Department's program managers, researchers, and scientific and
technical information professionals who work collaboratively to fulfill
DOE's obligation for the timely collection and broad dissemination of
the Department's STI. The STIP fundamentally involves the government's
responsibility to be accountable for tax dollars spent on R&D and
its role in technology awareness and transfer to the domestic and global
user community.
Although coordination of STIP is the responsibility of OSTI, the
success of the Program depends on the active participation and
involvement of each of the STI representatives.
Roles and Responsibilities
STIP is executed through strategic goals and objectives
established jointly by the Department's program managers and field
elements and implemented in partnership with the contractors who manage
DOE facilities. The STIP community members collaboratively establish the
Department's STI policy; therefore, they play a major role in the
success of the Department's STIP. Their primary responsibility is to:
- Effectively manage the DOE-sponsored STI, therefore ensuring that
U.S. citizens are realizing a maximum return on investment
- Ensure that the STI is accessible for contributing to the
advancement of science and technology.
OSTI FIELD AND POLICY TEAM
The Field and Policy Team of the Office of Assistant Manager for
Program Integration (PI) at OSTI serves as the primary day-to-day
interface with the STIP community. This does not, however, preclude STIP
members from contacting others within OSTI on specific topics.
Roles and Responsibilities
The Team members normally are involved in activities or discussions
concerning:
- STIP collaboration business
- Cross-cutting field issue resolutions
- STI order and guide topics
- Performance objectives and measures
- Research and Development tracking issues
- Copyright and patent questions
- Policy and procedures questions
- Research and Development Visibility Special Interest Group
- STIP special interest groups
- E-Link product management
- Planning and reporting
- Congressional interaction
- Library Operations Working Group
- Headquarters STICG
- Business management oversight process
- Headquarters program or technical reviews
- Formal presentations and papers concerning program mission and
objectives.
In many ways, the Field and Policy Team is the STIP members'
representative or advocate on internal OSTI projects and issues. Being
primarily STIP, or externally, focused allows the Team to maintain the
background and knowledge necessary to provide such representation to
OSTI management and staff. The development of E-Link within OSTI
provides a classic example. The Field and Policy Team members
constantly represent the decisions, views, and plans of the STIP members
to the internal OSTI E-Link developers.
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