ML21089A208
| ML21089A208 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 03/30/2021 |
| From: | Kerri Kavanagh NRC/NRR/DRO/IQVB |
| To: | Chris Miller NRC/NRR/DRO |
| Armstrong A | |
| References | |
| Download: ML21089A208 (4) | |
Text
March 30, 2021 MEMORANDUM TO:
Chris G. Miller, Director Division of Reactor Oversight Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation FROM Kerri A. Kavanagh, Branch Chief /RA/
Quality Assurance and Vendor Inspection Branch Division of Reactor Oversight Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
SUBJECT:
TRIP REPORT BY THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION STAFF OF THE ELECTRIC POWER RESEARCH INSTITUTE JOINT UTILITY TASK GROUP PROCUREMENT VIRTUAL FORUM On February 9-11, 2021, Aaron Armstrong and Paul Prescott of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR), Division of Reactor Oversight, attended the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) Joint Utility Task Group Procurement Virtual Forum. The procurement forum provides open communication for EPRI members and their suppliers to discuss issues related to procurement engineering. The purpose of the staffs participation was to inform industry stakeholders on current regulatory guidance and trends in inspection findings with potential impact on procurement issues. The trip report of the staffs participation and observations is enclosed.
Enclosure:
Trip Report CONTACT:
Aaron Armstrong Paul Prescott NRR/DRO (301) 415-8396 NRR/DRO (301) 415-3026
ML21089A208 NRR-106 OFFICE NRR/DIRS/QVIB NRR/DIRS/QVIB NAME AArmstrong KKavanagh DATE 03/23/2021 03/30/2021
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ELECTRIC POWER RESEARCH INSTITUTE JOINT UTILITY TASK GROUP PROCUREMENT VIRTUAL FORUM TRIP REPORT Subject This trip report documents the virtual participation and observations made by members of the Nuclear Regulatory Commissions (NRCs) Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR),
Division of Reactor Oversight (DRO), during the Joint Utility Task Group (JUTG) Procurement Virtual Forum held on February 9-11, 2021.
Background/Purpose The JUTG, sponsored by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), was formed in 1989.
The purpose of the JUTG is to provide open communication amongst utilities and suppliers to discuss issues related to procurement engineering. The JUTG is comprised of procurement engineering, quality assurance, and management personnel from various utilities and equivalent positions from suppliers. The EPRI JUTG has been meeting virtually since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
The purpose of the NRC staffs participation at this forum was to inform industry stakeholders on current regulatory guidance and trends in inspection findings with potential impact on procurement issues. Additionally, the NRC staff identifies and addresses issues of concern that need clarification regarding regulatory compliance for implementation of procurement processes.
Discussion Topics discussed during the forum included announcement of a 2021 NRC Virtual Town Hall meeting, types of NRC vendor inspections conducted for the year 2020, Covid-19 challenges in licensing and inspections activities, NRC staff extension of 25 percent to the triennial audit frequency for supplier audits and commercial-grade surveys for exigent circumstances. The NRC also discussed Energy Northwests request to implement guidance found in EPRIs Technical Report 3002019436, Remote Source Verification During a Pandemic or Similar State of Emergency: Screening Criteria and Process Guidance, for performing remote source verification. The NRC staff reviewed the alternative screening criteria developed in the EPRI Report and determined that it provides licensees and vendors acceptable guidance for using remote communication and video capabilities to perform remote source verification in exigent circumstances where it is not possible to perform on-site due to conditions that threaten the health and safety of individuals performing the verification. The NRC staff provided an update on the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) extension for the transition period to the 2017 Edition of the International Organization for Standardization and the International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) 17025 from November 30, 2020, to June 1, 2021. The NRC staff intends to recognize ILACs extension of the transition period in the draft approval of Revision 1 to Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI)14-05A, as an acceptable date for laboratories to transition to the 2017 edition of ISO/IEC 17025. While the NRC finalizes its review and approval of the safety evaluation report endorsing Revision 1 of NEI 14-05A, the NRC extended its provisional recognition of the 2017 edition of ISO/IEC 17025 from November 30, 2020 to June 1, 2021 in a letter dated November 20, 2020 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML20325A192).
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Additionally, there were presentations provided by licensees and major suppliers of the nuclear industry. Topics presented included: knowledge transfer and retention, obsolescence, pandemic response, reverse engineering and innovation techniques for auditing during exigent conditions.
All the questions and clarifications that were raised during the presentations are not new to the staff. The NRC staff and stakeholders continue to work on processes to address the current exigent conditions in the nuclear industry.
The slides from the staffs presentation are publicly available in the ADAMS via accession No.