Safeguards First Principles Initiative
NNSA undertook a Safeguards First Principles Initiative (SFPI) to develop a principle-based standard for Material Control and Accountability (MC&A) Programs. The objective of SFPI was to prepare a model/standard for developing, implementing, and evaluating MC&A Programs to be adopted NNSA-wide. The model/standard:
- Establishes fundamental principles that the NNSA expects its management and operating contractors to develop and implement for their MC&A programs;
- Supports standardized implementation of effective and efficient MC&A programs that are tailored to a well-characterized risk;
- Facilitates implementation that is defensible from a risk management perspective with measurable performance; and
- Provides a basis for designing MC&A Programs in the context of the nuclear material inventory holdings, operations, and missions at the site.
Under the SFPI Project, the contractor used the model/standard to develop an MC&A Plan and associated procedures documenting how the objectives in the model/standard will be achieved. The MC&A Plan is reviewed and approved by the site office, using an established peer review process that draws upon MC&A resources across the NNSA complex. The contractor MC&A Program is reviewed and evaluated based upon their performance to the approved MC&A Plan.
To demonstrate proof of principle for the SFPI approach, the NNSA conducted test bed applications of the model at two facilities beginning in December 2006 at the Nevada Test Site [1] 
and in January 2007 at portions of the Y-12 National Security Complex [2] .
Use of the SFPI model for development, implementation, and evaluation of MC&A programs provided significant benefits. At Y-12, the facility experienced a significant increase in operational efficiency in gaining four additional operational work weeks per year and realizing a cost savings of $5.5M through 2010 while also increasing the effectiveness of the MC&A program in a single processing area. The NTS test bed application achieved a modest cost savings ($8K) in 2007, but realized significant qualitative benefits from increased coordination and cooperation with operations and training of MC&A staff.
Given the success of the SFPI Project, the NNSA will continue phased implementation of SFPI at all NNSA facilities.
