ML18110A054

Response to Request for Information House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Subcommittee on Information Technology and Subcommittee on Government Operations - Letter Dated April 17, 2018 (Enclosure)

ML18110A054
Person / Time
Issue date:	05/03/2018
From:	NRC/Chairman
To:	US HR (House of Representatives), US HR, Comm on Oversight and Government Reform, US HR, Subcomm on Government Operations, US HR, Subcomm on Information Technology
R. Rihm, EDO
Shared Package
ML18108A062	List: ML18108A199 ML18110A050 ML18110A054
References
CORR-18-0034, LTR-18-0164
Download: ML18110A054 (2)

Text

Enclosure Response to Request for Information House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Subcommittee on Information Technology Subcommittee on Government Operations Letter dated April 17, 2018

1. Does the agency plan to establish a working capital fund in fiscal year 2018 as authorized by the Modernizing Government Technology Act?

The NRC has no plan to establish a working capital fund in fiscal year 2018.

a. If your agency does not plan to establish this fund, why?

The NRCs appropriation structure and resource levels are such that the agency does not need a revolving fund to accomplish information technology (IT) modernization, as long as the NRC continues to have reprogramming authority within its appropriation language. In addition, the NRC has IT portfolio management and governance processes in place to evaluate regularly the funding priorities for all IT investments across the agency, with the objective of optimizing spending to sustain critical IT capabilities and to support value-added IT modernization initiatives. The NRCs Chief Information Officer (CIO) is accountable for these processes and is the decision-making authority for all IT investments.

b. If your agency already has a working capital fund, please explain how you plan to use it for purposes authorized by the MGT Act.

The NRC does not have a working capital fund.

2. Who will be accountable for establishing and managing this fund? If the official in charge is not the Chief Information Officer, how is the official in charge working with the CIO on this effort?

The NRC does not have a working capital fund.

3. By what date will the agency have this fund set up and operational?

The NRC does not plan to establish a working capital fund.

4. Does your agency have sufficient authority to transfer funds into this working capital fund?

The NRC does not have transfer authority that would be necessary to transfer funds into a working capital fund.

a. Please identify the legal authority to transfer funds to this working capital fund.

Not applicable.

2

b. If you believe the agency does not have sufficient transfer authority, please explain the basis for this determination and the legal impediments to utilizing the working capital fund.

Neither the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018, nor any other statute, provides the NRC with authority to transfer funds into an information technology system modernization and working capital fund. The lack of such authority is a legal impediment to utilizing a working capital fund.

5. Please explain how your agency plans to use this fund or other appropriated funds to procure emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence.

The NRC has sufficient appropriated funds and reprogramming authority to accomplish IT modernization. The NRC follows established IT portfolio management and governance processes to plan for IT procurements (including emerging technologies) using the agencys appropriated funds for each fiscal year. These processes itemize and prioritize funding needs for all IT assets and services across the agency. The priorities inform both IT budget formulation and execution year IT spending decisions. The NRCs CIO is the approval authority for all IT acquisitions, which serves as a key control to ensure that appropriated funds are used to procure IT in alignment with agency priorities.