Todd Jacobson and Staff Reports
NS&D Monitor
3/14/2014
With transition underway to new Y-12/Pantex contractor Consolidated Nuclear Security, CNS President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Haynes said the company has already completed five key deliverables for the National Nuclear Security Administration. Bechtel-led CNS, which also includes Lockheed Martin, ATK, SOC and subcontractor Booz Allen Hamilton, began transition March 3 after the Government Accountability Office dismissed the latest protest by challenger Nuclear Production Partners, a consortium led by Y-12 and Pantex incumbent Babcock & Wilcox.
Transition is expected to be completed by July, and Haynes said company officials have been busy meeting with federal and contractor officials at the sites, as well as key stakeholders. “Our customer has asked for an integrated enterprise that will enhance performance and reduce costs,” Haynes wrote. “We all know it will be a significant challenge to implement the cost savings the government seeks while also delivering the performance the nation requires. In today’s fiscal reality a more efficient mission delivery is essential to ensure for a sustainable future, and that is what we will do together.”
Haynes acknowledged the anxiety that accompanies a transition, and said he would communicate with employees in an “open and timely manner.” He also said he would be at Y-12 and Pantex regularly. “Please continue to deliver quality work with safety and security during the transition,” he said. “In parallel, the CNS leadership team will be working non-stop, in partnership with you, to create a unified team, solidify the future, and take the performance of Pantex and Y-12 to the next level.”
Incumbent Fails to Follow Security Protocols
As transition begins, incumbent contractor B&W Y-12 acknowledged that it failed to follow security protocols when transmitting requested employee data this week, although there apparently was no loss of personal identifying information (PII). B&W prepared a letter that will be sent to all active Y-12 employees, explaining the situation. “As always, we take the securing of employees’ personal data very seriously, and we have made adjustments to our protocols any time B&W sends sensitive information to the CNS transition team and any other offsite locations,” B&W spokeswoman Ellen Boatner said in response to questions.
According to the letter from B&W Y-12’s Human Resources Department, a file containing names and birth dates for all active Y-12 workers was sent to CNS on March 7 “without sufficient encryption to fully protect” the embedded personal information. “The file was transmitted in response to an authorized employee demographic data request related to contract transition activities,” the letter stated.
B&W said the transfer had been evaluated, noting that the type of PII involved was not likely to result in any compromise of information. “The PII is now fully protected, and controls have been strengthened to ensure appropriate controls are in place for future transfers,” the Y-12 contractor told employees. Boatner earlier termed it a “minor incident” and emphasized that the issue did not involve social security numbers or other types of personal information that could have resulted in greater consequences.