Recovery.gov - Track the Money

The activities involve construction work including repair of roofs and loggia on several dozen buildings at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. They also include replacement of leaking windows; waterproofing of exterior building walls; repair of street, parking lot and sidewalk lights; reconstruction of a hangar at Ellington field and safing of a barge dock on Clear Lake.

The hurricane damage was extensive and urgent repairs were undertaken in Phase I. Phase I included the work that was most immediate, and is underway. Phase II of the program addresses the repair effort. For more information, go to http://www.nasa.gov/recovery/agency-plans/acquisition/cas.html

The Recovery funds for the Cross-Agency Support: Institutional Investments Program add $50 million for repair of buildings at Johnson Space Center damaged by Hurricane Ike in September 2008. NASA grouped the repair activities in a manner that balanced, to the maximum extent practicable, competition and small business participation. NASA created a total of nine work packages (repair activities of similar kind, area or operation) that will be managed to the same schedule, and subject to NASA’s standard processes and procedures for construction of facilities.

NASA uses multiple methods, processes, and entities for monitoring and evaluating its performance. These same processes and procedures will be used for activities funded under the Recovery Act. NASA’s programs are assessed for relevance, quality, and performance. A relevance review assures alignment with national priorities; alignment with the NASA Strategic Plan; impact on related fields of research or technology; and alignment with “customer” (users of NASA data, research results, etc.) needs. Determining quality is generally prospective and assures “best value” for an investment, using peer review processes. Performance reviews evaluate whether a program is on track to meet its baseline performance commitments (cost, schedule, science/technical deliverable).

Responsibility for program and project management and their control mechanisms (NASA Procedural Requirements (NPR) 7120 series)*, institutional management (NPR 8500 series)*, and financial management (NPR 9010 and 9120 series)*, occurs at all management levels of the Agency. NASA's management monitors different aspects of program or institutional performance, at the highest Agency levels, and uses a rigorous structure of program and management reviews for Agency-level decisions. To continue through each phase of development, programs must demonstrate, on an on-going basis and at key life cycle junctures, an ability to manage in a manner that produces identifiable results, and must document performance against previously defined commitments including multi-year outputs, annual performance goals, milestones and other metrics, as appropriate.

NASA internally monitors performance through monthly and quarterly reviews, at each management level. At the senior management level, program reviews, accompanied by an independent (internal) assessment, occur across all mission areas (aeronautics, science, space operations and exploration systems), with an in-depth review each quarter rotating among the mission organizations. Senior management also reviews institutional data (finance, human capital, acquisition, infrastructure), and aggregated Agency measures and metrics, e.g., safety, cross-cutting technical and non-technical issues. The data reviewed, and the accompanying analysis, allows the Agency to focus on, and proactively address, issues that could lead to not achieving desired performance goals.

Specifically, standard NASA construction-of-facilities processes and procedures are defined in NASA Procedural Document (NPD) 7120.7 (NASA Information Technology and Institutional Infrastructure Program and Project Management Requirements) and the facilities program as described in NPR 8820.2F (Facilities Project Requirements). Each construction activity will be monitored and desired progress evaluated through: periodic reports of project conditions and activities including safety related information from the construction contractor. Each SOW will also have defined metrics including where appropriate a schedule of values that will be used as the basis for reviewing and approving monthly progress payments to the contractor. Ensuring high quality of project work is also emphasized and included in SOW requirements to the contractor. As work progresses, the contractor receives regular quality assurance inspections from the project team, including documentation reviews, previews of materials and methods prior to installation, and physical inspections.

*The NASA Online Directives Information System Library, ensures access by NASA employees and contractors to the most current documentation.

NASA currently utilizes multiple methods to assure transparency and accountability, and will apply these standard processes and procedures to activities supported by Recovery Act funds. The principle of transparency is applied to program and fund allocation planning methods, and in reporting, both internal and external to the Agency, of progress toward the resultant plans. NASA requires accountability at all levels of management and from all of its cost-sharing and non-cost sharing partners, contractors, and grantees for the timely delivery and quality of products.

As explained in detail in the Monitoring and Evaluation Section of this Program Plan, NASA will employ multiple methods of review and evaluation of progress toward the goals of this Program Plan. These reviews will assure that funds are being utilized as intended and are delivering on their committed objectives. Managers at all levels will be held accountable both via review of their progress and individual performance plans. At NASA, all employee performance plans for Federal managers include elements tied to the program plans for which they are responsible.

Project specific milestones and invoices will be monitored to evaluate project risk. Contractors are held accountable for the timely delivery, completion and quality of products. Contractor and government accounting systems are audited periodically to ensure compliance with government standards. NASA cooperates with the Government Accountability Office and the NASA Office of Inspector General through various engagements and audits that monitor specific issues that could impact NASA missions and programs.

To assure transparency and accountability to the public and its key stakeholders, NASA will post its current plans, and outline any revisions to previous versions on the Agency Recovery Act website. Information will be available on key events, the status of on-going activities, outcomes of Inspector General Audits and the accomplishment of and performance toward, annual and long-term Recovery Program goals. Web links will be provided, where applicable to posted solicitations, awards, and grantee performance, among other relevant information. For this and other important information on NASA implementation of the Recovery Act, see http://www.nasa.gov/recovery/.

NASA uses best practices of sustainable design, maintainable design, building commissioning, and safety and security are incorporated, to the maximum extent possible, into the planning and execution of facility projects.

NASA Facility Project Managers ensure project designs take into account the energy demands, intended use, occupancy, operations, plug loads, and design to earn the ENERGY STAR targets for new construction and major renovation where applicable. ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy to help save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices (http://www.energystar.gov/). NASA Facility Project Managers are also responsible for ensuring compliance with Executive Order (EO) 13423, Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management.

For major renovations, NASA is aiming to reduce the energy cost budget by 20 percent from pre-renovations 2003 baseline. The majority of the work for the Cross Agency Support Program consists of repairs and replacements to roofs. Analyses performed by an independent engineering firm on the proposed construction methods for the roofing projects, has certified that the roof construction of those buildings assessed will meet the energy reduction goals of Energy Policy Act of 2005 and Executive Order 13423, and the requirements set by ASHREA 90.1-2004. The assessments projected energy reductions

NASA has adopted the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) as its performance measure for sustainable development (http://www.usgbc.org). LEED provides a structure for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, and operations. It is NASA policy that all new construction and major building renovation projects meet the minimum LEED Silver rating.