WOULD YOU PROCURE RADIOACTIVE CONTAINERS WITHOUT A SUPPLIER QUALITY EVALUATION?

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) sites/contractors purchase several different types of containers (such as boxes, drums, large bulk dump trucks, railcars, cargo containers, burrito wraps, and super sacks) for use in the storage and transportation of low-level waste. These containers are purchased from several suppliers—all of whom must be pre-approved according to DOE rules, orders and guidelines—and the suppliers must manufacture the containers to exact specifications and designs supplied by the DOE site/contractor. DOE studies and qualitative evaluations indicate that the current supplier evaluation process is too costly and inefficient. Therefore, DOE, in coordination with sites/contractors, instituted a corporate approach to centralize the supplier quality evaluation program for the procurement of containers. That effort resulted in the development of this Container Suppler Evaluation Program. The program was implemented when two suppliers were evaluated using this program. In the course of any day, DOE may have in progress hundreds of shipments of material regulated by the Department of Transportation (DOT). This regulated material may be in the form of radioactive sources, normal regulated material, or liquid or solid waste. The quantities can range from a few milligrams to thousands of pounds. Each one of these shipments is made in a packaging that has been designed and/or tested specifically for the type and form of the item being offered for transportation into commerce.