ESTABLISHING AN INTEGRATED PACKAGING PROGRAM IN A MULTICORPORATE ENVIRONMENT

Over the past several years the NNSA Defense Programs (DP) nuclear material packaging program (the Program) has worked to transform itself into a responsive, forward-looking program that assumes responsibility for providing an integration function for related Departmental packaging needs. This paper will describe, while underscoring the importance of government leadership, the development and implementation of management strategies employed to transition to a proactive packaging program. The Program operates in a multicorporate environment providing funding for up to seven different government and contractor organizations each year to accomplish its mission. This multi-corporate structure presents extra complexity and unique challenges for effective program management. The development of new packagings is a lengthy process and plans must be made well in advance of the need date. The paper will describe steps the Program has taken to identify needs and how it plans for new or modified packagings. The planning process implemented by the Program focuses not only on Defense Programs’ needs but integrates with the rest of the DOE. Other DOE organizations also have packaging initiatives that are specific to their needs. This paper also will touch on the integration strategies that the Program employs to minimize duplication within the Department. The paper will describe the formulation of organizations such as the Secure Transportation and Packaging Steering Committee, the Secure Transportation Asset Advisory Board, the Packaging and Transportation Integrating Working Group, and the development of several packaging plans that integrate needs. A new reality within the DOE is the need to consolidate and disposition nuclear materials and to “right-size” the nuclear weapons complex. The paper will discuss how the Program is seeking early identification of these needs and is preparing to address them in a timely and efficient manner. The main challenge is to identify the materials being considered for relocation and get enough detail on them in time to prepare Safety Analysis Report for Packaging amendments or design new packagings. Through the implementation of various management strategies, the Program has developed into a very successful and responsive entity that is capable of meeting the extremely varied needs of the Office of Defense Programs while working collaboratively with other DOE Program Offices.