Recent Reports

	Assessment of the Results of External Independent Reviews for U.S. Department of Energy Projects (BICE) Released 03.14.07 External independent reviews (EIR) and independent project reviews are essential parts of the U.S. Department of Energy's project management. These reviews were established as part of the critical decision process for project management set forth in DOE Order 413.3 issued in 2000. In addition, Congress continues to support the use of EIRs to validate project performance baselines. For EIRs to be most effective in a time of growing budget pressure, DOE must ensure that they are effectively planned, efficiently executed, and provide added value to the projects. To assist in meeting these goals, DOE asked the NRC for advice on how EIRs can be tailored to ensure that essential information is provided at the optimum point in the critical decision process; that resources are focused on the riskiest projects; and that EIRs are cost effective. This report presents a review of characteristics of effective EIRs, an assessment of criteria for structuring review programs, and recommendations for enhancing the EIR process.
	Proceedings of a Workshop to Review PATH Strategy, Operating Plan, and Performance Metrics (BICE) Released 05/05/06 In 1998, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) started a public-private program—the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH)—dedicated to accelerating the development and use of technologies to improve all aspects of housing in the United States. In 2000, the NRC began a review of the program culminating in a report published in 2003. In 2005, HUD asked the NRC to hold a workshop to assess PATH’s most recent draft strategy, operating plan, and performance measures. This report provides an extensive summary of workshop presentations on the HUD goals, the 2003 NRC report, the value of technological innovation, and performance measures for PATH evaluation. These presentations were the basis for subsequent workshop discussions also summarized in this report. The discussions focused on the three major PATH goals and on how those goals and performance measures can be improved to increase the effectiveness of the PATH program.
	Green Schools: Attributes for Health and Learning (BICE) Released 10/2/06 Evidence has accumulated that shows that the quality of indoor environments can affect the health and productivity of adults and children. One consequence is that a movement has emerged to promote the design of schools that have fewer adverse environmental effects. To examine the potential of such design for improving education, several private organizations asked the NRC to review and assess the health and productivity benefits of green schools. This report provides an analysis of the complexity of making such a determination; and an assessment of the potential human health and performance benefits of improvements in the building envelope, indoor air quality, lighting, and acoustical quality. The report also presents an assessment of the overall building condition and student achievement, and offers an analysis of and recommendations for planning and maintaining green schools including research considerations.
	Review and Assessment of the Health and Productivity Benefits of Green Schools: An Interim Report Released: February 9, 2006 Some educational professionals have suggested that so-called green schools would result in superior performance and increased health for students and teachers. While there is no commonly accepted definition of a green school, there are a number of attributes that such schools appear to have: low cost operations, security, healthy and comfortable, and an environment that enhances learning are among them. To determine the health and productivity benefits of green schools, the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, the Barr and Kendall Foundations, the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, and the U.S. Green Building Council asked the NRC to examine available studies about the effects of green schools on student learning and teacher productivity. This interim report presents an evaluation of evidence for relationships between various health, learning, and productivity outcomes and five characteristics of green schools: the building envelope, ventilation, lighting, acoustics, and condition. The final report will present evaluations for additional characteristics, a synthesis of the results of all assessments, and promising areas of research.
	Managing Construction AND Infrastructure in the 21st Century Bureau of Reclamation Released: January 2006 In the more than 100 years since its formation, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation of the Department of Interior (DOI), through its construction program, has brought water, electric power, and recreation facilities to millions of people in the Western United States. With major water and power systems in place, the Bureau s attention has now turned to operation, maintenance, repair, and modernization of those facilities in an environmentally and economically sound manner. To help with this effort, DOI asked the NRC to advise the Bureau on appropriate organizational, management, and resource configurations to meet its construction, maintenance, and infrastructure requirements for its missions of the 21st century. This report presents an assessment of the requirements facing the Bureau in the 21st century, an analysis of good practices and techniques for addressing those challenges, and a review of workforce and human resource needs. The report also provides alternative scenarios that describe possible future organizations for infrastructure management.
	The Owner's Role in Project Risk Management Effective risk management is essential for the success of large projects built and operated by the Department of Energy (DOE), particularly for the one-of-a-kind projects that characterize much of its mission. To enhance DOE’s efforts in this area, the department asked the NRC to prepare a summary of the most effective risk management practices used by leading owner organizations. This report presents the results of that study. The report provides DOE’s project managers with a basic understanding of both the project owner’s risk management role and effective oversight of those risk management activities delegated to contractors. It presents a discussion of the steps in the risk management process, the elements of a proactive approach, and tools that can be used for risk management of one-of-a-kind projects.
	Measuring Performance and Benchmarking Project Management at the Department of Energy In 1997, Congress, in the conference report, H.R. 105-271, to the FY1998 Energy and Water Development Appropriation Bill, directed the NRC to carry out a series of assessments of project management at the Department of Energy (DOE). The final report in that series noted that DOE lacked an objective set of measures for assessing project management quality. The department set up a committee to develop performance measures and benchmarking procedures and asked the NRC for assistance in this effort. This report presents information and guidance for use as a first step toward development of a viable methodology to suit DOE’s needs. It provides a number of possible performance measures, an analysis of the benchmarking process, and a description ways to implement the measures and benchmarking process.
	Intelligent Sustainment and Renewal of Department of Energy Facilities and Infrastructure (BICE) A significant portion of the facilities and infrastructure (F&I) of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is more than 60 years old and has deteriorated to a point that threatens the ability of DOE to accomplish its missions. This problem has been of great concern to Congress for some time and in 2001, it directed DOE to contract with the NRC to evaluate steps being taken to improve facility and infrastructure management at the department. This report presents the results of that evaluation. It provides a review of current infrastructure management practices and organization at DOE; a discussion of challenges and opportunities for DOE’s infrastructure management; and an analysis of key performance measures for infrastructure management including an example application of an integrated facility management system.

Updated 5/16/07