ML20028A117
| ML20028A117 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 04/30/1982 |
| From: | Hoyle J NRC |
| To: | Mark Flynn NRC |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20028A083 | List: |
| References | |
| FOIA-82-355 NUDOCS 8211160440 | |
| Download: ML20028A117 (3) | |
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A ril 30, 1982 P
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i NOTE FOR MARK FLYNN Here is a statement of SECY requirements relating to our conversation on April 27, 1982, regarding the subcontracting of NRC's transcription requirements.
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SECY'S OPItil0N ON TRAtiSCRIPT C0f1 TRACT REQUIREMEtiTS The Office of the Secretary utilizes the Reporting Contractor to provide verbatim transcripts of both open and closed Commission meetings and briefings.
The Comission meeting presents an unusually formidable task for the reporter because they are held in a conference-type setting with nearly continuous dialogae between the five Commissioners and an equal number of staff members assembled around a large oval table.
Set forth below are the primary require-ments to be met by the contractor when covering meetings of the Commission:
(1) Reporters are not permitted to interrupt at Commission meetings in order to clarify what was previously said.
This requires the use of highly proficient reporters.
(2) The reporter must sit at one end of the room at right angles to Commissioners and staff (see diagram) and on occasion will not be able to lip read the speakers.
This seating arrangement is made necessary by the configuration of the Commission meeting room and the Commission's desire to maintain a large measure of informality and free flow of discussion with the staff.
In addition, the acoustics in the meeting room are not ideal and recording conversations of highly technical language under such conditions has proven difficult (in the opinion of all reporters).
This places considerable strain on even qualified reporters, many of whom have declined to take Commission meetings, and generally proves to be an insurmountable difficulty to novices.
(See attached correspondence)
(3) Reporters are expected to deal with a large vocabulary of terms in a number of technical fields (nuclear engineering, geology, seismology, physics) which are not in common usage elsewhere.
It is therefore highly desirable for a reporting firm to maintain a core of reporters who by repeated exposure can become familiar with Commission speakers and the specialized language.
Also, since the Commission on I
occasion schedules meetings on short notice and since requirements of the boards or other users of the service may peak at the same time, the reporting contractor needs adequate depth in this core to provide coverage with minimal notification.
(4) The contractor is required to provide next day delivery (8 a.m.)
on all Commission meeting transcripts.
This procedure is necessary to ensure Commission compliance with the Sunshine Act's requirement for prompt p blic availability of meeting transcripts.
The Commission expects the ieporting contractor to have available a sufficiently large group of trained staff to meet tight delivery schedules under heavy workload conditions with high quality product.
To successfully accomplish this, experience indicates that the transcribing process must be initiated while afternoon meetings are still in progress.
The reporting company requires an adequate administrative and support staf f to accomplish this.
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(5) The contractor is expected to obtain Q-clearances for all reporters assigned to Commission meetings.
A significant percentage of Commission meetings are closed to members of the public because subjects of a highly sensitive or classified nature are discussed.
It is the Commission's practice to require Q-cleared reporters and transcribers to handle all closed meeting transcripts and documents whether or not they contain national security information.
The reporting firm is required to absorb the costs incurred in obtaining -
a significant number of properly cleared individuals.
(6} The contracting company must promptly correct and return all transcripts considered to be below standard.
The Office of the Secretary conducts a quality control program for Commission transcripts; letters are periodically sent to the reporting firm for corrective action. Any significant decrease in the quality of transcripts would increase the strain on SECY resources.
At the same time, if large numbers of transcripts are returned to the contractor for revision, they would necessarily compete for time with new transcriptions.
The above requirements in our opinion, point to the need for a contractor capable of performing under this contract by relying on its own staff resources rather than through subcontracting arrangements.
In SECY's opinion, the NRC's reporting firm should be one with a large enough central administrative apparatus to transcribe while meetings are in progress and to perform their own quality control review of each meeting transcript before each 8 a.m. delivery.
The reporting firm should also be able to retrieve, revise and return corrected transcripts as needed without serious disruption to delivery of new Commission meeting transcripts.
Although it would not be impossible for a small firm to meet these requirements, it is less likely that it can do so, particularly
-in the first year of the contract's term.
The above views of the Office of the Secretary do not necessarily reflect the views of the Commission and are based solely upon SECY's experience as a major contributor to the requirements of this contract.
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