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FY 2010, 2nd quarter (March 2010)
Planning, developing site criteria, conducting research and studies, and ultimately purchasing land required for the construction of the National Support Center including the development of a program of requirements (scope of work), a detailed project plan and timeline.

FY 2011, 1st quarter (October 2010)
Expected solicitation for a design/build contract.

FY 2011, 2nd quarter (March 2011)
Expected contract award for the design and construction. The contract will be awarded by GSA.

FY 2014, 1st quarter (October 2013)
Expected construction completion date.

SSA will monitor the overall progress in achieving the objectives of this program plan through the oversight and leadership of our Senior Accountable Official. The Senior Accountable Official will work with the SSA executives that have lead responsibility for the planning and execution of the program plan. We have set up an infrastructure of periodic status meetings at both the executive level and the staff level to discuss implementation status to date and issues that may arise. We will monitor the progress in achieving the performance measure targets in these status meetings.

SSA will also work closely with GSA on all aspects of the project. We have established a project team including technical representatives with the necessary knowledge and experience in our IT program requirements. These experts include mechanical engineers, fire protection engineers, project managers, occupational safety and industrial hygiene experts, physical security experts, network and IT engineers, etc. These representatives will participate in the development of requirements and oversight activities from the facility design through construction. They will attend all progress review meetings with GSA. Office of Facilities Management, Office of the Associate Commissioner will be responsible for managing the project. SSA will also leverage its recent experience gained in the development and construction of its Durham data center as we move forward with this effort.

Since GSA will be constructing this building with SSA funds in the form of a reimbursable work authorization, recipient level data is not applicable.

The sustainability, energy efficiency and environmental impact resulting from the project are dependent on the initial building design, IT equipment selections, and ongoing operations of the data center.

SSA will be working with Jacobs (the construction management firm) and an IT consultant group to quantify existing and future SSA IT requirements that will define the building and infrastructure requirements. Within this process, we are committed to incorporating energy efficient IT solutions as part of the ongoing operations of the National Support Center. We will be able to provide more specifics after we have coordinated with Jacobs and the IT consultant group.

SSA and GSA will also ensure the building is designed and constructed to comply with the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The goal for the National Support Center is to achieve a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver rating through sustainable design principles. The facility will also incorporate the Guiding Principles for Federal Leadership in High Performance and Sustainable Buildings.

We are committed to investigate available cutting edge technologies with a goal to provide equipment and controls that meet the highest standards for energy efficiency and sustainability. For example, some of the following issues will be investigated to optimize the performance of the facility:

•Employ integrated design principles to coordinate facility design and operations;

•Conduct building commissioning throughout the design and construction process;

•Optimize energy performance utilizing efficient equipment and controls strategies, expanding environmental parameters for temperature and humidity, and implementing strategies that take advantage of local climate conditions;

•Investigate on-site renewable energy sources, such as heat recovery, photovoltaics, etc.;

•Employ water conservation strategies through efficient equipment designs and usage requirements;

•Enhance indoor environmental quality through ventilation, natural lighting (where applicable), and sustainable product selections; and

•Reduce the environmental impact by utilizing sustainable products and waste management plans.

We are engaging industry experts in data center technology and energy efficiency during the project development stages of this project. As part of the Program of Requirements, an Energy Optimization Study will be performed in order to identify specific design directives and energy performance goals for the construction and operations.