DOE O 251.1A, Directives System

CANCELE D DISTRIBUTION: INITIATED BY: All Departmental Elements Office of Information Management U.S. Department of Energy ORDER Washington, D.C. Approved: 01-30-98 SUBJECT: DIRECTIVES SYSTEM 1. OBJECTIVES. The Department of Energy (DOE) Directives System is the means by which DOE policies, requirements, and responsibilities are developed and communicated throughout the Department. Directives are used to inform, direct, and guide employees in the performance of their jobs, and to enable employees to work effectively within the Department and with agencies, contractors, and the public. Directives include Policies, Orders, Notices, Manuals, Regulations, Technical Standards and related documents, and Guides. This Order sets forth requirements for the development, coordination, and review of certain internal Directives System documents (Policies, Orders, Notices, Manuals, and Guides). Objectives of the Directives System include the following: a. issuance of clear, succinct, cost-effective, and outcome-oriented Directives System documents; b. early involvement of affected Departmental Elements and appropriate contractor organizations in the development of Directives System documents; c. timely development, coordination, and issuance of Directives System documents; d. effective communication, program direction, accountability, and performance assurance; e. elimination and avoidance of unnecessary or redundant Directives System documents and unnecessary, prescriptive requirements; and f. prevention of information that should be included within the Directives System from being issued outside the system. 2. CANCELLATION. DOE O 251.1, DIRECTIVES SYSTEM, dated 10-16-95, and DOE M 251.1-1, DIRECTIVES SYSTEM MANUAL, dated 10-16-95. 3. APPLICABILITY. a. DOE Elements. Departmental Elements shall follow this Order when using the Directives System for Policies, Orders, Notices, Manuals, and Guides. DOE O 251.1A CANCELE D 2 DOE O 251.1A 1-30-98 b. Contractors. The Contractor Requirements Document (CRD), Attachment 1, sets forth intended requirements to be applied to contractors responsible for management and operation of Department-owned facilities and for other contractors as determined by the contracting officer, when involvement in the directives process is required. Compliance with the CRD will be required to the extent set forth in a contract. c. Exclusions. This Order does not apply to the development and issuance of DOE Regulations, Technical Standards and related documents, or any type of directive when it contains classified information. 4. REQUIREMENTS. a. Departmental Elements and contractor organizations that will be affected by a directive shall have the opportunity to participate in the development, coordination, and sunset review of directives. b. Directives shall be developed, coordinated, and issued in a timely manner and shall be kept current. c. A Directives Management Document (DMD) (see DOE M 251.1-1A, Chapter I and Attachment II-1) shall be used to announce and solicit information concerning the proposed issuance of new and significantly revised Orders and Manuals. d. Preliminary cost documentation shall be included in the DMD and a Cost Impact Estimate shall be provided during the coordination of each Order, Notice, or Manual that contains new, revised, or canceled requirements that are likely to cause a significant increase or decrease in cost. Other considerations beside cost, such as safety, may play a greater role in the decision about whether a directive will be issued or not. (Note: This requirement will not be implemented until approval and issuance of DOE G 251.1-2, COST ESTIMATING GUIDE.)

e. Draft DMDs, Orders, Notices, and Manuals shall be reviewed prior to their coordination to ensure internal consistency, clarity, and compatibility with other directives. Orders, Notices, and Manuals shall be reviewed again prior to issuance. Any changes made as a result of such reviews must be concurred in by the Office of Primary Interest. f. Offices of Primary Interest and commentors shall attempt to resolve conflicting positions on major issues. The Office of Primary Interest shall apprise the reviewer of how it proposes to address the issue before the directive is approved. The commentor shall have the option of referring to the Directives Management Board those issues where the proposed resolution is not satisfactory. (See DOE M 251.1-1A, Chapter III, Paragraph 3f.) CANCELE D DOE O 251.1A 3 1-30-98 g. Provisions in Guides shall not be construed as requirements in any audit or appraisal for compliance with the Order, Notice, or Manual concerned. Guides describe suggested approaches to meeting requirements. h. Intended requirements for contractors are to be set forth in the portion of the directive titled “Contractor Requirements Document,” which can be incorporated by reference into a contract. i. Supplemental directives issued by Field or Headquarters Elements shall not contradict or delete provisions in any applicable DOE Policy, Order, Manual, or Notice (see DOE M 251.1-1A, Chapter IV). j. Policies, Orders, and Manuals shall be reviewed every 2 years to determine whether they should be continued without change, updated or revised, or canceled (see DOE M 251.1-1A, Chapter VI). k. The Directives System is the only process by which one DOE organization can issue a document establishing requirements that affect other DOE organizations. l. With the exception of line management direction concerning functions or activities under their direct responsibility, Offices of Primary Interest shall issue policies, requirements, responsibilities, and guidelines through the Departmental Directives System. m. Additional requirements for Defense Nuclear Facilities: (1) Guidance provided in implementation guides (including referenced standards) describes acceptable methods to satisfy intended requirements contained in Orders, Notices and Manuals. Alternative methods that satisfy the requirements of an Order, Notice, or Manual are also acceptable. Any implementation method selected must ensure an adequate level of safety commensurate with the hazards associated with the work. (2) In addition to requirements imposed by statute, the Department sets safety and health requirements for its laboratories and other contractors through requirements (a) contained in Department Regulation to the extent provided by the terms of each Regulation and (b) to the extent that intended requirements contained in directives other than Regulations are provided in the relevant contract. (3) Policies, Orders, and Manuals that contain safety and health requirements applicable to defense nuclear facilities should be reviewed every 2 years by the Office of Primary Interest and implementing organizations to determine if revision is appropriate. However, such directives are not subject to sunset/expiration provisions in DOE M 251.1-1A, Chapter VI. CANCELE D 4 DOE O 251.1A 1-30-98 5. RESPONSIBILITIES. See DOE M 251.1-1A, DIRECTIVES SYSTEM MANUAL, dated 1-30-98, for specific responsibilities. 6. CONTACT. Questions concerning this Order should be addressed to the Office of Information Management, (202) 586-4716.

BY ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF ENERGY: ARCHER L. DURHAM Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Administration CANCELE D DOE O 251.1A Attachment I 1-30-98 Page I-1 (and I-2) CONTRACTOR REQUIREMENTS DOCUMENT DOE O 251.1A, DIRECTIVES SYSTEM, dated 1-30-98 Contractors shall– 1. participate in the development of draft directives when the originator and the contractor determine that participation may be beneficial for the development of a sound directive; 2. provide analyses of Directive Management Documents and draft directives, when requested, and advise DOE of– a. the impact on contractor operations, b. the need for the directive, c. the value added by the directive and the requirements contained therein, and d. any constructive alternatives to a directive’s contents when such alternatives allow the Department to attain its objectives more quickly or at lower cost without sacrificing effective program direction, accountability, and performance assurance; 3. evaluate and respond to cost impact estimates, when requested. ORDER Objectives Cancellation Applicability Requirements Responsibilities Contact CRD