[DOE
LETTERHEAD]
May 6, 2004
The Honorable John T. Conway
Chairman
Defense Nuclear Facilities
Safety Board
625 Indiana Avenue, NW, Suite
700
Washington, DC 20004-2901
Dear Mr. Chairman:
The purpose of this letter is to
provide a status of the commitments on Software Quality Assurance (QA) and QA
and to transmit the revised Office of Environmental Management (EM)
Headquarters (HQ) Functions, Responsibilities, and Authorities (FRA) document
(enclosed). This document defines safety
management responsibilities and the roles and responsibilities within EM HQ for
implementing and assuring safe conduct of EM work activities, including
Departmental QA requirements.
The revision to the FRA
addresses the EM HQ portions of the three existing commitments contained in the
October 2002 Quality Assurance Improvement Plan (QAIP) and the Implementation
Plan (IP) for Recommendation 2002-1 as follows:
(1)
QAIP
Action 1.4.3: Update the EM HQ and Field
FRA documents to incorporate Federal responsibilities defined in the QA Rule
and Order, including the responsibilities for overseeing the contractor’s QA
program.
(2)
QAP
Action 3.4: EM will promulgate processes
and procedures for FRA and QA document requirements.
(3)
IP 2002-1 Commitment 4.1.6: Revise the HQ and Field Element FRA documents
to incorporate Federal responsibilities and authorities for Software QA.
The EM Field Element FRAs are
being updated and will follow within 2 months. If you have any questions, please call me at
(202) 586-0738 or Patrice M. Bubar, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Integrated
Safety Management and Operations Oversight, at (202) 586-5151.
Sincerely,
Inés Triay
Deputy Chief Operating Officer
Environmental Management
cc: M. Whitaker, DR/DOE