Near-real-time MC&A assesments

At the Savannah River Site, material control and accountability (MC&A) assessments are performed annually on Category 1 and 2 facilities, and biennially on Category 3 and 4 facilities. Assessors frequently find that deficiencies identified and corrected during one assessment resurface a year or two later due to reorganizations, consolidation of material, reductions in force, etc., and must be addressed again. This assessment interval can also allow an insignificant problem to reach immense proportions before it is identified. This paper proposes a method of continually assessing facility MC&A programs and requirements through performance testing that is already required by DOE Orders. Through performance testing, MC&A critical system elements are constantly monitored and flagged when unsatisfactory results occur. Problems can be identified as they transpire, and then corrected before they become significant. This enables assessments to become ``near-real-time.`` Corrective actions can be validated almost immediately and are revalidated every time the test is conducted. This paper proposes a more cost-effective, timely method of conducting MC&A assessments through the implementation of the required performance testing program.