ML13007A231

Subject: RES Office Instruction (ADM-014)Title: Participation in Domestic Conferences, Symposia and Code Committee Meetings Approved by: Brian W. Sheron, RES Office Director

ML13007A231
Person / Time
Issue date:	12/22/2010
From:	Sheron B Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research
To:
References
FOIA/PA-2012-0309
Download: ML13007A231 (6)

Text

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OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REGULATORY RESEARCH RES OFFICE INSTRUCTION Office Instruction No. ADM-014, Revision 0 Approved bY: Brianw., Sheron fat.' 11J2/2212 10 1 +.-,i :.+ *,.

Office Instruction Title PARTICIPATION IN DOMESTIC CONFERENCES, SYMPOSIA AND CODE COMMITTEE MEETINGS Effective Date 1212712010 Primary Contact RES Web Listing of Primary Contacts Responsible Division RES/DE ADAMS Accession No. ML102710651 Training None

SUMMARY

OF CHANGES: Update of ADM-014, Revision 0. Changes reflect guidance received from the RES Office Director, changing the number of travelers that need to be approved from ten (10) to three (3).

Name Action Signature Date Carol Moyer Concurrence Carol Moyer 10/12/2010 D:PMDA Concurrence Stephanie Coffin 12/22/2010 RES Mailroom Logging Kevin Johnson 12/22/2010 D:RES Approval James Lyons 12/22/2010 Primary Contact For Follow-on Jazel Parks 12/27/2010 Actions ztacan~zw*r ~ Zfl

Paae 2 of 6 RES Office Instruction ADM-014 Paae 2 of 6

1. PURPOSE The purpose of this Office Instruction (01) is to provide guidance to the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) staff on the policies and procedures relating to participation in domestic conferences, symposia, and meetings of codes and standards organizations.

2. BACKGROUND The RES office supports staff attendance at conferences and symposia. Reasons to attend may include organizing the conference, chairing a session, presenting a paper, attending an embedded or concurrent meeting, and training. Also, it is important to determine and represent NRC positions in codes and standards development activities, as well as to facilitate endorsement of the products of such activities. RES has established policies to be followed by RES staff who wishes to attend a domestic conference or code meeting, to ensure that consistent guidance is followed with regard to the use of travel funds and staff effort associated with these meetings.

The RES PMDA Announcement (Announcement No.:06-91) dated November 15, 2006, outlined the policies and procedures governing participation in domestic conference, symposia, and code meetings. The guidance from this Announcement and subsequent new directives provided by RES management are provided in this 01.

3. DEFINITIONS Conference or Symposium- Any formal public meeting of interest to NRC convened for the interchange of views and information of the programmatic, management, or administrative aspect of the regulatory process and related confirmatory research. These meetings are typically characterized by formal agendas and the issuance of invitations. The publication and distribution of transactions or proceedings may be involved. Not included in this definition are press conferences, formal or informal NRC staff meetings, including those to which applicant, vendors, constructors, or contactors may be invited, and meetings of informal working groups and standards committees, with or without participation of non- NRC personnel.

Code Meeting - Periodic committee meeting of a consensus codes and standards development organization (also known as a standards developing organization (SDO)). Occasionally, code meetings are held in conjunction with conferences; participants in one of these activities may not necessarily be involved in the other. Staff members may be assigned to one or more committees as NRC representatives. NRC Management Directives 6.5 and 7.3 and OMB Circular A-119 contain additional guidance concerning participation on codes and standards committees.

Paper- The formal written transcript of a speech or a formal written manuscript suitable for publication in transaction proceedings, and journals following peer review and acceptance by the conference sponsors or a journal. If a speech is not to be published in abstract, summary, or paper form, the formal written paper may not be required except as a public record, as in a press release and in ADAMS.

Speech - The oral presentation of a paper.

RES Office Instruction ADM-014 Page 3 of 6

4. RESPONSIBILITIES AND AUTHORITIES 4.1 RES Office Director (D: RES)

The D: RES approves attendance by four or more travelers, including RES staff members and RES-sponsored contractors, at a single conference or symposium, or code meeting. If events are scheduled concurrently, representing that Agency in an SDO committee meeting or topical embedded meeting will be considered separately from conference participation. For staff members who have been designated by the Agency Standards Executive as NRC representatives on SDO committees, D: RES approval is not required for domestic travel to SDO committee meetings.

For a list or representatives, refer to http://www.nrc.,qov/about-nrc/requlatory/standards-dev/sdo-comm.html 4.2 RES Division Directors (DDs)

The DDs are responsible for approving staff (or contractors) to serve as conference organizers or session chairs, or to present a paper at a domestic conference or symposium. The DDs are responsible for approving attendance of less than four total travelers, including RES-sponsored contractors, at a single domestic conference or symposium. The DDs may approve additional travelers to code committee meetings if they have been designated by the Agency Standards Executive as NRC representatives on those committees.

4.3 RES Branch Chiefs The Branch Chiefs shall verify that the requirements identified under the INSTRUCTION Section are properly implemented.

4.4 RES Staff Staff will be responsible for obtaining appropriate approvals before committing (or directing contractors to commit) to participate in a conference or symposium, or code meeting. Staff will be responsible for planning, coordinating and reporting on their conference and meeting activities.

5. INSTRUCTION 5.1 Planning for Conference Participation 5.1.1 Each RES Division (Director and Branch Chiefs) shall a) Prioritize its participation in conferences, symposia and code meetings based on whether the proposed activities are important to fulfill the performance goals and strategies of the NRC Strategic Plan, and are sufficient benefit to RES to warrant travel, if required for participation; b) Assess whether participation in the proposed conference, symposium or code meeting will provide the necessary information relevant to ongoing or planned work, and facilitate the dissemination of information important to the activity;

RES Office Instruction ADM-014 Paae 4 of 6 c) Select the appropriate staff and/or contractor to participate in the conference, symposium or code meeting, based on the individual's current priority work assignments, knowledge of the topic and issues, expertise in the area of focus, and the sensitivity to work and communicate well in a public forum; and d) Assign preference to staff presenting a paper or those who hold appointments on SDO committees where activity relevant to NRC is anticipated. An example of an order of preference is as follows: individuals presenting a paper, staff participating in an SDO committee meeting or conference embedded meeting, those chairing or organizing a session, and those attending for training purposes. For additional guidance, refer to OEDO Procedure 0260, "Tracking Agency Participation with External Organizations,"

and the list of staff participants, at: http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/reuýoator/standards-dev/sdo-comm.html 5.1.2. The number of travelers should be limited to those who have an essential, active role in the trip. If the number of travelers for a trip exceeds three (3) individuals, a memorandum signed by the Division Director(s) should be sent to the D: RES providing an explanation for each traveler's need for the trip, requesting and obtaining the D: RES's approval. For staff members who have been designated by the Agency Standards Executive as NRC representatives on SDO committees, D: RES approval is not required for domestic travel to SDO committee meetings. The focus of the memorandum should be on justifying each of the traveler's need to participate and his/her role, and not on justifying the trip itself, although the purpose of the trip should be explained. The memorandum should provide a signature block for the D: RES approval.

5.2 Pre-Meeting Actions 5.2.1 RES Division management is responsible for:

a) Providing guidance to the staff and/or contractors who participate in conferences, symposia or code meetings to ensure that there is a clear understanding of the issues of greatest interest to RES programs and the Agency position regarding the topic and related issues, and that any applicable policy implications or sensitive matters are conveyed to the participants; b) Ensuring that appropriate planning and preparation takes place to enable quality interactions.

5.2.2 If travel is required for participation, the traveler is responsible for:

a) Consulting and complying with the current agency travel policy. Refer to Management Directive 14.1, "Official Temporary Duty Travel," for additional guidance, at http://www.internal.nrc.gov/policv/directives/cataloo/md14.1 ,ldf.

RES Office Instruction ADM-014 Page 5 of 6

6. PERFORMANCE MEASURES There are no specific performance measures associated with this Office Instruction.

7. REFERENCES Management Directive 3.9, "NRC Staff and Contractor Speeches, Papers, and Journal Articles on Regulatory and Technical Subjects" Management Directive 6.5, "NRC Participation in the Development and Use of Consensus Standards" Management Directive 7.3, "Participation in Professional Organizations" Management Directive 14.2, "Official Temporary Duty Travel" RES Office Instruction ADM-008, "Office Administrative Practices and Delegation of Authority" RES Office Instruction COM-011, "Tracking Agency Participation with External Organizations for Other than Standards Development" RES-PMDA Announcement No.:06-91, "Attendance at Conferences and Symposia"

RES Office Instruction ADM-014 Pae 6 of 6 APPENDIX A CHANGE HISTORY RES OFFICE INSTRUCTION NO. ADM-014 Effective Revision Description of Changes Date No.

0 Update of ADM-014, Revision 0. Changes reflect guidance received from the RES Office Director, changing the number of travelers that need to be approved from ten (10) to three (3).