[DOE LETTERHEAD]

 

January 29, 2004

 

The Honorable John T. Conway

Chairman

Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board

625 Indiana Avenue, NW

Suite 700

Washington, D.C. 20004-2091

 

Dear Mr. Chairman:

 

The purpose of this memorandum is to provide you with a status of the October 2003 commitments identified in the Department of Energy Software Quality Assurance Implementation Plan (IP) which the Office of Environmental Management (EM) is responsible for as the Cognizant Secretarial Officer.  The commitments are in response to the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board Recommendation 2002-1, Quality Assurance for Safety Software at Department of Energy Defense Nuclear facilities.

 

Deliverables for Commitment No. 4.1.3, No. 4.2.1.5, No. 4.2.3.2 and No. 4.2.4.2 are attached.  Schedules are submitted for all EM sites except Portsmouth and Paducah Field Office (PPFO).  PPFO identified no software quality assurance codes applicable to the Office of Environment, Safety and Health survey.  Therefore, PPFO assessment schedule for Commitment No. 4.2.4.2 is not included.  Several schedules provide the assessment completion dates.  Please contact the site point-of-contact if any specific assessment performance date is needed for your staff visits.

 

Commitment No. 4.1.3 (Attachment 1)

 

Deliverable:  Identify the Federal positions whose duties and responsibilities require them to provide assistance, guidance, direction, oversight, or evaluation of safety software QA activities.

 

Commitment No. 4.2.1.5 (Attachment 2)

 

Deliverable:  Conduct a survey of design codes currently in use to determine if any should be included as part of the toolbox codes.

 

Commitments No. 4.2.3.2 (Attachment 3)

 

Deliverable:  Establish a schedule to complete the identification, selection, and assessment of safety system software and firmware at defense nuclear facilities.

 

Commitment No. 4.2.4.2 (Attachment 3)

 

Deliverable:  Establish a schedule to complete the assessment of the processes in place to ensure that safety software currently used to support the analysis and design of defense nuclear facilities is adequate.

 

If you have any questions, please call Ms. Patrice Bubar, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Integrated Safety Management/Operations Oversight, at (202) 586-5151.

 

Sincerely,

 

Dr. Ines Triay

Deputy Chief Operating Officer

Office of Environmental Management

 

Attachment

 

cc:

Patrice Bubar, EM-2.2

Mark Whitaker, DR-1

Beverly Cook, EH-1

 

Commitment No. 4.1.3 (Attachment 1)

Commitment No. 4.2.1.5 (Attachment 2) – Please call P. Bubar at 202.586.5151

for a copy of this attachment.

Commitment No. 4.2.3.2 (Attachment 3)

Commitment No. 4.2.4.2 (Attachment 3)