[DOE LETTERHEAD]

 

National Nuclear Security Administration

 

February 14, 2006

 

The Honorable A. J. Eggenberger

Chairman

Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board

625 Indiana Avenue, N.W., Suite 700

Washington, D.C. 20004-2901

 

Dear Mr. Chairman:

 

The purpose of this letter is to provide you the status of Commitment 4.3.3 of the Implementation Plan for Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board Recommendation 2002-1, Quality Assurance for Safety Software at Department of Energy Defense Nuclear Facilities.  Commitment 4.3.3 required the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and Site Offices to review safety Software Quality Assurance (SQA) directives and determine the actions necessary to implement the requirements.

 

The Department of Energy (DOE) Order 414.1C, Quality Assurance, that includes the safety SQA requirements, has been added to all NNSA contracts with management and operating contractors except for those with Honeywell Federal Manufacturing Technologies (Honeywell FM&T), Kansas City Plant (KCP), and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).  There is no safety software in use at KCP and, as such, SQA directives are not applicable to Honeywell FM&T and KCP.  The Los Alamos Site Office (LASO) is in the process of establishing a new contract for LANL which will require implementation of DOE Order 414.lC.  LASO expects to complete this action by no later than May 2006.  I have asked LASO to advise you when they have approved the new contract containing the appropriate SQA requirements. Once this is done, NNSA will consider the commitment complete. The requirements of DOE Order 414.1C are being implemented as part of the NNSA Roadmap for Nuclear Facility Quality Assurance Excellence.

 

Should you have any questions, please contact Rabi Singh at (301) 903-5864.

 

Sincerely,

 

Thomas P. D’Agostino

Assistant Deputy Administrator

  for Program Integration

 

cc:   M. Whitaker, DR-1

J. Shaw, EH-1

J. Paul, NA-2

E. Wilmot, LASO