Recovery.gov - Track the Money

The following is a summary of the NIST activities funded in the Construction of Research Facilities (CRF) appropriation by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).

NIST Construction Projects ($172 million):
•$43.5 million to complete funding for the NIST Boulder Building 1 Extension (B1E). The B1E is a high performance laboratory building which will provide the advanced facilities that scientists at NIST in Boulder, Colorado, need to perform 21st century research and measurements.
•With an additional $25 million, design and construction modifications can be made to the B1E to substantially improve the performance and capacity of the advanced laboratory facility.
•$31 million to carry out energy-efficient Safety, Capacity, Maintenance and Major Repairs projects that enhance the performance of NIST’s aging facilities.
•$16 million for high-efficiency cooling system, associated support infrastructure for the cooling system, and other support infrastructure including electrical substation, compressor building, cooling tower cell, and storage building for the NIST Center for Neutron Research Expansion project in Gaithersburg.
•$16 million to fund the design and construction of a National Structural Fire Resistance Laboratory for studying and measuring ways fires start and propagate in various structures, and the ways fires can be prevented and suppressed, potentially saving thousands of lives and billions of dollars in property damage.
•$15 million to fund the design and construction of new time-code radio broadcast stations in separate locations around the country. Special NIST radio broadcasts automatically synchronize to official NIST time the many millions of special radio-controlled timepieces used throughout North America.
•$9 million for relocation and consolidation of advanced robotics and logistics operations from a decommissioned NIKE missile site to the NIST Gaithersburg site would improve performance of the robotics test facility, save money, improve security and safety of NIST projects, and free the NIKE site for possible conveyance to local government.
•$5 million to fund the construction of a Liquid Helium Recovery System (LHRS) for the NIST Gaithersburg site. This project would almost eliminate helium loss, providing savings not only to NIST but also conserving a scarce national resource.
•$2.5 million to fund the construction of a LHRS for the NIST Boulder site. The Boulder laboratories are smaller than those in Gaithersburg and use less helium, permitting a smaller and less expensive recovery system.
•$7 million for design and construction of an Emergency Services Consolidated Facility in Gaithersburg to house the NIST Fire and Police services.
•$2 million for a Net-Zero-Energy Residential Test Facility at NIST Gaithersburg.
•In-house oversight and construction management support of NIST construction projects: $8 million to provide assistance with the project management, including development, implementation, and oversight of the internal NIST construction and SCMMR projects.

Competitive Construction Grants Program ($180 million):

Approximately $178 million for the competitive construction grants program, which includes up to $60 million in grants to unfunded meritorious applications submitted under the FY 2008 construction grants competition; and approximately $118 million in grants under a new FY 2009 competition. The intent of this program is to provide competitively awarded grants to U.S. universities, colleges, and not-for-profit research organizations for research science buildings through the construction of new buildings or expansion of existing buildings.

Approximately $2 million for program management support and oversight of the construction grants program.

NIST has established a robust governance and management structure to ensure that ARRA funds are managed in an effective and efficient manner. The governance and management structure includes: the ARRA Steering Committee, the ARRA Management and Oversight Committee, the ARRA Project Management Office, the ARRA Project Management Program, Standardized Action Plans, Action Plan Owners, Operating Unit Coordinators, Project Managers, and an ARRA Risk Management Team

The ARRA Steering Committee is responsible for the resolution of issues related to, and the implementation of, the numerous ARRA legal provisions, regulatory requirements, OMB and DoC policies and procedures, and NIST policies and procedures. The ARRA Management and Oversight Committee is responsible for the ongoing monitoring of ARRA Action Plans (see below) to ensure that goals are achieved and deadlines are met. The Project Management Office (PMO) was established to ensure plans are adequately developed, progress of projects is monitored, project interdependencies are identified and managed, and that risks to projects are identified and mitigated. Each ARRA project must have an Action Plan developed in a manner consistent with the requirements of the NIST Project Management Program. Each Action Plan is owned by an Action Plan Owner, who is either an Operating Unit Director or a Chief Officer. To ensure the proper coordination of ARRA activities within each Operating Unit, the role of the ARRA OU Coordinator was developed. OU Coordinators work directly with each ARRA Project Managers to ensure Recovery Act projects are successfully managed. Project Managers are responsible for developing and managing project schedules, issues, risks, budget and resources.

There are numerous projects funded by ARRA in the Construction of Research Facilities (CRF) appropriation. These projects areas include: NIST construction projects and the Competitive Construction Grants Program.

Each Project Manager is required to submit a monthly Action Plan status/update to the PMO. The monthly Action Plan requires project managers to document risks, issues and potential problems that may occur and would have a negative impact on the project's schedule, budget, resources or functionality. Processes and tools are being developed to consolidate the Action Plan information from the ARRA projects. The consolidation of this information will constitute an ARRA Dashboard that will be produced monthly. This dashboard will include information on: project status, jobs created, funds obligated, and risks and mitigations. ARRA Dashboard information will be presented and discussed monthly with the ARRA Management and Oversight Committee. This Committee consists of the Deputy Director, Chief Financial Officer, and the Chief Scientist – the three highest-ranking NIST executives.

NIST is in the process of expanding its internal controls staff to ensure adequate risk identification and management for all ARRA activities. The Risk Management Team is responsible for leading NIST’s efforts to: identify and group related risks, prioritize risks, develop and implement risk mitigation strategies, track risk mitigation efforts, and report monthly to the ARRA PMO on various components of the risk management program.

NIST uses the Recovery Act Accountability Framework and Objectives to properly assess how well the funding recipients meet the funding objectives and track against well-defined performance metrics. The current OMB Circular A-123 financial controls are adequate and demonstrate no material weaknesses or significant deficiencies over the following cycles that impact ARRA spending: Grants, Revenue, Purchasing, and Budget Execution.

Transparency:

NIST is actively participating in the Department of Commerce’s Recipients Data Group. This group is responsible for the dissemination of the content and the format of ARRA information released to the public. Public communications will be in compliance with the Updated Implementing Guidance for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, OMB guidance M 09 15. NIST will ensure these communication materials will be cleared by the senior accountable official at the agency (DoC). The group will develop standardize formats and procedures for the information disseminated to the public. Appendix 1 of OMB’s M-09-15 guidance lists the type of reports prescribed by OMB. In addition, the matrix has the responsible NIST organization and the frequency of reports.

Accountability:

During the 2009 mid-year performance reviews, a standard ARRA-related element was mandated for inclusion in each employee’s performance plan when the employee has ARRA responsibilities. Each supervisor may add additional ARRA requirements as deemed necessary.
Supervisors were required to discuss specific ARRA responsibilities and expectations with employees.

Employees who have responsibilities related to ARRA include: Deputy Director, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Scientist, OU Directors, Chief Officers, OU Coordinators, Project Managers, and various Division Chiefs, Group Leaders, and staff.

ARRA roles and responsibilities have been clearly defined and provided to OU Directors, Chief Officers, OU Coordinators, and Project Managers.

Each Action Plan is owned by the Action Plan Owner, who is either an Operating Unit Director or a Chief Officer. Each Action Plan Owner is ultimately accountable for their Recovery Act project’s success. Each Project Manager is required to submit a monthly Action Plan status to the PMO. The monthly Action Plan requires Project Managers to report on progress and document risks or issues on potential problems that may occur and would have a negative impact to the project's schedule, budget, resources or functionality.

Dashboard information will be presented and discussed monthly with the ARRA Management and Oversight Committee. Action Plan Owners will be held accountable for their ARRA projects during these monthly reviews and, ultimately, at their end-of-year performance evaluation.

Virtually all of the projects planned to be constructed with ARRA funding will be significant in terms of energy efficiency, sustainability, and reducing the agency’s environmental impact. The B1E project in Boulder is designed to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification. The ARRA funding for completion of the B1E facility and for enhancing the performance will enable full retention of all energy efficient and sustainable building features. The energy and water efficiency of the NCNR Expansion project will be greatly enhanced with the installation of ARRA-funded high efficiency pumps which will reduce the facility’s electrical load by 10 to 20 percent and will reduce the use of water by 9 million gallons per year. Facilities that will be built on the Gaithersburg site including the National Fire Resistance Laboratory, the Robotics and Logistics Relocations/Consolidations, and the Emergency Services Consolidation Station, will be designed and constructed to meet the highest energy efficiency and LEED certification level possible. Of special note is the Net-Zero-Energy Residential Test Facility, which can be defined as producing as much energy as it consumes. This research facility will be highly energy efficient and will serve as a demonstration facility to test and study building construction, energy-saving and operation techniques, and alternate energy sources resulting in net-zero-energy use. NIST’s environmental impact will be reduced through the construction of Liquid Helium Recovery Systems at both the Gaithersburg and Boulder sites. Liquid helium is an increasingly expensive and scarce resource, requiring significant energy expenditure to produce and liquefy it from the normal gas state. Currently, the liquid helium is simply lost to the atmosphere on warming. These recovery systems will nearly eliminate all helium loss and enable its reuse. ARRA funds for the Safety, Capacity, Maintenance and Major Repairs (SCMMR) Program will be dedicated to projects for improving NIST’s energy efficiency and sustainability. Specific SCMMR projects and corresponding environmental impacts are listed under the Activities section of this Program Plan.