Sandia’s custodial services received three Cleaning Industry Awards in 2017: 1) Green Cleaning Certified Program of Excellence Award for reducing environmental risks; 2) the Best Safety Award; and 3) the Waste Reduction Heroes Award for a reduction of approximately 2.5 million gallons in water use. The team also received a 98 percent overall score by the nationally recognized custodial management program, Operating System 1, the highest score to ever be awarded.
Personnel Security deployed the Sandia Total Access Request Tool (START), which consolidates eight applications to streamline the clearance/badging process and interfaces with DOE, General Services Administration, and multiple Sandia applications. START simplifies both the experience for members of the workforce and the processing steps for Personnel Security. Improvements include improved uncleared badging, real-time status of requests, and a single location for all badge/clearance related requests.
The Deferred Maintenance Special Emphasis Program effectively managed a $37-million investment to reduce delayed maintenance of Sandia’s aging buildings and infrastructure. A team of facilities project and construction managers, support personnel, and contractors executed approximately 56 projects at New Mexico, California, Nevada, and Kauai sites in only 10 months.
NNSA’s Office of Safety, Infrastructure, and Operations received funding above its anticipated allotment. The $21 million in additional funds will increase Sandia’s recapitalization budget to more than $40 million for the year. In addition to Sandia’s planned projects, the boost in capital will accelerate the start of four large general plant projects.
Technical innovations in Safeguards and Security are setting standards for other DOE programs. Among the innovations is a new email marking tool that was beta tested on Sandia’s classified network by NNSA’s Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) before full deployment across the enterprise — the tool will better detect unauthorized network-based transmissions. Another engineered control reduces complexity for mission partners when working in secure areas, reducing what was a cumbersome eight-step lock process to a simplified, yet more secure, three-step process.
An active shooter at the Labs is considered a top safety and security concern. In July, Sandia’s Protective Force and Emergency Management led efforts to develop a joint training exercise with numerous other aid agencies. While exercises and staff trainings at Sandia locations take place regularly, this exercise was the first of this scale that allowed internal and external agencies to practice responding to a simulated incident and assess how response capabilities are integrated on Sandia property.
The California site’s materials science and microscopy capability greatly advanced with the acquisition and installation of an aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope (AC-STEM). To house the AC-STEM, the California site operations team had to create a tightly controlled laboratory environment and install dedicated power and cooling systems. A normal timeline for a project of such complexity is about one-and-a-half to two years. However, the AC-STEM project was largely completed in eight months, thanks to the team’s agility, creativity, advanced planning, and dedication to cross-functional partnerships. (8500)
The California Security Operations team facilitated a smooth transition to a competitively bid Protective Force security contract, significantly reducing Sandia’s costs. The team also successfully completed an audit of the Sandia/California Security Program. Requested by the Department of Energy’s Office of Enterprise Assessments to provide DOE and Sandia leadership with an evaluation of program effectiveness, the audit concluded that sensitive information and material at the California Laboratory are being adequately protected and that the California site’s core Safeguards and Security programs are effective and compliant. (8000)
Buildings 756 in New Mexico and 936 in California both achieved the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold rating by the US Green Building Council, bringing Sandia’s total to 13 certified buildings. LEED is a third-party program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of highperformance green buildings.
