Introduction

 

On October 19, 2007, the National Laboratory Directors entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to establish the National Laboratory Directors’ Council (hereafter referred as the “Council”).  The Council seeks to advance the various DOE missions and increase the effectiveness of the national laboratories by encouraging collaboration and material support regarding issues and concerns of common interest, and to provide a forum for presenting consensus views on matters that affect effective and efficient mission execution.  The Council established a standing Working Group of the National Laboratory Chief Operating Officers (hereafter referred to as the “COO Working Group”) to advise the Laboratory Directors on issues and/or opportunities for improvement in al operational areas including environmental, safety, health, safeguards, security, emergency management, real property management, etc.

 

Purpose

 

The COO Working Group advises the Council and provides an interface to the United States Department of Energy (DOE) on department-wide operational issues and/or opportunities for improvements in environmental, safety, and health, safeguards and security, emergency management, requirements management, training and qualification, nuclear and facility safety, nuclear materials management, and contractor assurance.  The COO Working Group is also tasked with addressing the resource impacts of administrative and regulatory requirements to facilitate productive and cost-effective utilization of DOE’s national laboratory system; promoting practices based on performance-based management; and sharing best practices and lessons learned.

 

Membership

 

The COO Working Group consists of the COOs or equivalent position for the following national laboratories:

 

• Ames Laboratory
• Argonne National Laboratory
• Brookhaven National Laboratory
• Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
• Idaho National Laboratory
• Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
• Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
• Los Alamos National Laboratory
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory
• National Energy Technology Laboratory
• Nevada Test Site
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory
• Pacific Northwest national Laboratory
• Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
• Sandia National Laboratories
• Savannah River National Laboratory
• Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
• Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility

 

It is expected that the membership will attend all regularly scheduled meetings or send a delegate fully authorized to represent them.

 

Voting

 

Decisions will normally be taken by consensus.  Where voting is appropriate, each member laboratory will have one vote.  Ballots may be cast by members during meetings or by electronic mail to the Chair, within 3 working days of COO Working Group meetings, by voting members who were not present.  A decision of the COO Working Group is not binding on member laboratories.

 

Officers

 

The Officers (hereafter referred to as the COO Executive Council) shall consist of a Chair-elect, Chair, and an offgoing-Chair.  On the first meeting of every other year, the Chair-elect shall be elected by the full membership.  The Chair will form a nominating committee to identify appropriate candidate(s) for elections.

 

The Chair appoints the Secretary who becomes an ex-officio (non-voting) member of the COO Executive Council.

 

The voting membership of the COO Executive Council includes a member each from a multi-program, weapons, and single purpose national laboratory.

 

Relationships

 

The COO Executive Council will be the primary interface (spokesperson) with the COOs from the three Under Secretaries (NNSA, Science, and Energy and Environment) and the Executive Committee of the Field Managers’ Council.

 

The COO Executive Council will advise the National Laboratory Directors’ Council on operational issues of interest to the Laboratory Directors.

The COO Working Group through its members who also serve in the Energy Facility Contractors Operating Group (EFCOG) Board of Directors will interface on matters of mutual interest and concern to both organizations.  It is not the intent of the Working Group to duplicate the efforts of EFCOG, but where appropriate, leverage the work of EFCOG working groups and subgroups to develop best practices, standards, and guides.

 

Activities

 

The COO Working Group shall undertake such studies and activities assigned as its membership proposes and agrees, and as requested by the National Labortor Directors’ Council.  Task teams will be formed to examine specific matters of importance to the national laboratories.  Recommendations from the task teams will be addressed by the COO Working Group membership.

 

Meetings

 

Regular meetings of the COO Working Group shall be scheduled by the Chair.  They shall be scheduled at times and places to be most effective in conducting the business of the group, but in no case shall there be less than two meetings per calendar year.  Meetings will be announced via electronic mail.  Members are permitted, when necessary, to bring subject area experts to assist them with agenda items.  Meetings are generally considered open unless the Chair deems it necessary to call meetings of the COO Working Group membership only. 

 

Cost

 

Each member will cover the cost of their participation, to include labor and non-labor, in the COO Working Group.  The Chair may elect to make arrangements for members to share in the cost of hosting a meeting of the COO Working Group or to fund additional technical or administrative support.

 

Amendments