ML20154L389
| ML20154L389 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 05/12/1988 |
| From: | Zech L Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Lafalce J HOUSE OF REP. |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8805310272 | |
| Download: ML20154L389 (2) | |
Text
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UNITED STATES N
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
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W ASHINGTON, D. C. 20555 May 12, 1988 CHAIRMAN The Honorable John J. LaFalce Chairman, Committee on Small Business United States House of Representatives Washington, D. C.
20515
Dear Mr. Chairman:
I am writing to clarify the position of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) concerning our FY 1988 participation in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program.
The NRC supports the SBIR Program and its goal of fostering technological advances by the small business community.
We believe our past participation and our current plans to fully participate in FY 1989, based on our FY 1989 budget request to Congress, reflect this support.
Budget constraints and a legal coacern about violating the 4
Competition in Contracting Act of 1984 had caused us to conclude that we could not participate in the SBIR Program in FY 1988.
Subsequently, on March 1, 1988, the NRC staff outlined its concerns regarding our FY 1988 participation in the SBIR Program at a hearing before your Committee.
Since the March I hearing, several events have occurred which have led us to reevaluate our position.
On March 15, 1988, the Director of the NRC's Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research met with the Small Business Administration's (SBA) Office of Innovation, Research, and Technology to resolve our views on the amount of NRC's FY 1988 extramural research budget and to communicate NRC's position on continued partici-pation.
NRC and SBA reached agr tement that our extramural research budget level was appro:.imately $89 million in FY 1988, but the discussion on NRC's participation in the SBIR Program was not conclusive.
Subsequently, the NRC received an opinion from the General Accounting Office (letter B-230594.2 dated March 15, 1988), which concluded that the NRC is not precluded from volun-tary participation in the SBIR Program even though our extramural research budget is less than $100 million.
This opinion resolved NRC's concern about violating the Competition in Contracting Act of 1984.
On April 14, 1988, NRC's Executive Director for Operations, Mr. Victor Stello, met with you to review NRC's concerns.
During that meeting, Mr. Stello explained that our level of participatiun in FY 1988 was directly related to the impact of the NRC's FY 1988 appropriation reduction of $35 million on our ability to maintain necessary program funding levels and the fact that we were already 8805310272 880512 PDR COMMS NRCC CORRESPONDENCE PDR
2 in the seventh month of this fiscal year.
Following this discussion, we reevaluated our FY 1988 situation (based on our current mid-fiscal year review) and have concluded that we can participate in the SBIR Program for FY 1988 by providing $500,000 for seven or eight Phase I awards and for initial funding of approximately three or four Phase Il contracts.
The specific Phase I and Phase 11 awards may vary depending on the quality and merit of proposals received.
We believe that this approach will enable us to continue a viable SBIR Program in FY 1988.
Sincerely,
{cas Cu.1wk o-Lando W.
Ze c/, J r cc:
Mr. James Abdnor, Administrator Small Business Administration 1441 L Street, N. W.
Washington, D. C.
20416
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