The value of NNSA Field Offices at LANL and LLNL?
What is the value added of the NNSA Local Field Offices at LANL and LLNL? How have LANS and LLNS operations, efficiencies, and business practices materially improved with NNSA on site presence? Are the NNSA Field Office staff active and impartial evaluators, or passive transcribers of lab contractor activities? Does it take DOE IG investigations (LANS Deputy Director, WIPP, etc.) to get the NNSA Field Offices to finally act against "established relationships" with their assigned contractor?
What is the value added of the NNSA Local Field Offices at LANL and LLNL? How have LANS and LLNS operations, efficiencies, and business practices materially improved with NNSA on site presence? Are the NNSA Field Office staff active and impartial evaluators, or passive transcribers of lab contractor activities? Does it take DOE IG investigations (LANS Deputy Director, WIPP, etc.) to get the NNSA Field Offices to finally act against "established relationships" with their assigned contractor?
Comments
Neither. They' don't know what they are doing.
And who benefits from that?
No one. They just do a bunch of stupid stuff that impairs everyone.
A better model for running an FFRDC - hire a real contractor and hold the contractor responsible for the FFRDC's operations.
The local field office is essential for rapid approvals of essential programmatic activities that now require NNSA approval.
The new contact and its implementation policies, along with department orders, require many approvals. Local presence speeds the review and approval process,
Cushy profit without the risk. Where have we heard that before? The field offices and the labs are only separated by a few sheetrock walls and unique stationary logos.
Before or after the WIPP spotlight was shining unbearably bright on both the LAFO and LANS? There is a difference you see.
January 24, 2015 at 5:27 PM
Nope. It's been that way for at least 15 years that I can attest to. The WIPP thing is a drop in the bucket.
January 24, 2015 at 9:10 AM
One of the reasons the LANL Weapon Program has been successful is that LAFO has no weapon expertise to oversee (i.e. pester) the LANL weapon program. The reason the LANL facilities are so screwed up, is that you have folks like Chris "Viscous" Fischahs (LAFO) beating on the staff at the LANL nuclear facilities. The Field Office leader Kim Davis Lebak is even afraid of him and known to make her cry; literally. The LANL management has done nothing to control this tyrant.