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DOECAP History
Consolidated annual audits of participating government
owned contractor operated (GOCO) analytical laboratories;
commercial environmental analytical laboratories;
and commercial waste treatment, storage, and disposal
facilities (TSDFs) are conducted under the DOECAP.
This auditing approach eliminates redundant audits
of laboratories and TSDFs otherwise conducted by individual
DOE field element sites. Benefits derived include
reduced Department/taxpayer cost and minimized disruption
of work activities at the audited laboratories and
TSDFs.
In the mid-1990s, the DOE Office of the Inspector
General and the General Accounting Office issued reports
citing inefficiency, redundancy and ineffectiveness
regarding audits conducted by the Department of GOCO
and commercial analytical laboratories. The reports
were critical of using funds for individual DOE field
elements to perform redundant audits of the same laboratories,
employing disparate audit protocol and criteria.
In response, the Office of Environmental Management
at DOE Headquarters (HQ-EM) mandated implementation
of a consolidated, uniform audit program for conducting
annual audits of GOCO and commercial laboratories
with the following goals and objectives:
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Eliminate audit redundancy by involving all DOE
program line organizations and field elements
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Provide a pool of trained auditors sufficient
to support consolidated audits
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Standardize terms and conditions of existing
and proposed contracts to allow acceptance of
consolidated audit results
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Interface with state and Federal regulatory agencies,
as well as other industry standard-setting groups,
such as The National Environmental Laboratory
Accreditation Conference
The DOECAP continues to meet that mandate broadening
its scope to include all program line organizations
through:
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Consolidated audit planning, scheduling, and
coordination achieving cost savings for the Department
and taxpayers, as well as minimizing impact to
contractor laboratories and commercial waste treatment,
storage and disposal facilities (TSDFs)
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Development and maintenance of standard audit
procedures, including standardized audit reports
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Development of standard qualification requirements
for audit team leaders and members, and establishment
of a qualified auditor pool from across the complex
to support audits of both laboratories and TSDFs
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Coordination and centralized tracking of corrective
actions and closure of audit findings and observations
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Establishment of a cadre of DOE and contractor
points-of-contact (POCs) from across the complex,
with bi-weekly teleconferences to update POCs
and auditors of program-related activities
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Establishment and maintenance of the Electronic
Data System (EDS) to share information
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Interface with state and Federal regulatory agencies,
as well as other industry standard-setting groups,
such as the National Environmental Laboratory
Accreditation Conference (NELAC)
DOECAP ownership rests within the Office Health,
Safety and Security (HSS). A Federal Analytical Services
Program (ASP) manager located in Germantown, Maryland
provides overall policy direction, guidance, funding,
and DOECAP complex-wide leadership. A manager from
the DOE Oak Ridge Operations Office (ORO), Office
of the Assistant Manager for EH&S, provides Federal
oversight of the contractor DOECAP operations team
(DOECAP Operations Team), also located in Oak Ridge,
Tennessee. The DOECAP Operations Team is responsible
for program administration and implementation from
audit scheduling and coordination through closure
of corrective actions.
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