ML12276A199

T. Carter Email to S. Roberts Path Forward for Orau/Orise Iv Work at University of Michigan Ford Nuclear Reactor

ML12276A199
Person / Time
Site:	University of Michigan
Issue date:	10/02/2012
From:	Carter T H NRC/FSME/DWMEP
To:	Castellon K T NRC/FSME/DWMEP/DURLD
References
Download: ML12276A199 (2)

Text

From:Carter, Ted To:Castellon, Krupskaya

Subject:

FW: Vetting of Potential Issue Related to Ford Research Reactor Confirmatory Surveys Date:Tuesday, October 02, 2012 12:39:05 PM Attachments:

image001.png KC,Please add this email to ADAMS with a date of today.

Thanks, Ted From: Roberts, Sarah [1]

Sent: Friday, July 13, 2012 11:20 AM To: Carter, Ted Cc: Boatner, Ivan; Vitkus, Tim; Templon, Ann

Subject:

Vetting of Potential Issue Related to Ford Research Reactor Confirmatory Surveys Ted - please see the summary below. We want to be proactive in vetting asituation that NRC needs to be made aware of.

If you require any additional details or follow-up actions, please let us know. We want to assure NRC that we take potential issues as they relate to our NRC contract VERY seriously, and will continue to keep NRC informed of any and all business decisions that may cause any questions or concerns.

Best regards, Sarah Ameriphysics, a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, requested ORAU's Independent Environmental Survey and Site Assessment Program (IEAV) to provide characterization survey and final status survey support to Ameriphysics in their pursuit of the decommissioning contract for the Georgia Institute of Technology's Neely Research Center. ORAU evaluated the proposed tasking for conflict of interest potential relative to our mission as the confirmatory/technical support contractor for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Although formerly NRC licensed, the Neely Research Center has operated under a State of Georgia materials license for a number of years. Next, ORAU specifically requested information from Ameriphysics regarding any past or future planned activities for NRC licensed facilities. We were provided assurance by the principal that their business plan did not include work for NRC licensed sites. As such, a contract was established between ORAU and Ameriphysics, such that IEAV independently prepared and implemented all necessary plans to characterize the facility and prepared the accompanying report. As the contract was through ORAU, and did not involve the ORISE contract, the radiochemistry laboratory was not involved in the project.

Recently, it has come to our attention that Ameriphysics has been contracted to perform the next phase of the decontamination and decommissioning of the Ford Research Reactorat the University of Michigan. NRC has tasked ORAU, via the ORISE contract and RFTA 12-008, to conduct confirmatory activities for this facility. Although ORAU worked independently of Ameriphysics on the Georgia Tech project, there is the potential for conflict of interest with our current scope associated with RFTA 12-008 due to the common association. We request NRC's review and evaluation of this situation. We apologize for this scenario, and rest assured that had our staff been aware of Ameriphysics' future intentions, that we would not have assisted with the characterization project.

Sarah Roberts, Vice President and DirectorOak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU)Independent Environmental Assessment and Verification (IEAV) sarah.roberts@orau.org 8 6 5 . 2 4 1 . 8 8 9 3 Phone 8 6 5 . 2 4 1 . 3 4 9 7 Fax