Enclosure 

Waiver of $500,000 Single Conference Limitation from 

Office of Management and Budget Memorandum M-12-12, 

“Promoting Efficient Spending to Support Agency Operations” 

As Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), I hereby waive, for the 

2017 Regulatory Information Conference (RIC), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 

proscription on spending over $500,000 on a single conference. The NRC will hold the next 

annual RIC in March 2017. 

OMB Memorandum M-12-12, “Promoting Efficient Spending to Support Agency Operations,” 

dated May 11, 2012, states that an agency shall not incur net expenses greater than $500,000 

on a single conference; however, the memorandum also states that the “agency head may 

provide a waiver from this policy if it is determined that exceptional circumstances exist whereby 

spending in excess of $500,000 on a single conference is the most cost effective option to 

achieve a compelling purpose.” For the reasons detailed below, I have determined that 

exceptional circumstances exist and that spending in excess of $500,000 on hosting the 2017 

RIC is the most cost-effective option to achieve a compelling purpose. 

The NRC’s mission is to license and regulate the Nation’s civilian use of byproduct, source, and 

special nuclear materials to ensure adequate protection of public health and safety, promote the 

common defense and security, and protect the environment. The RIC supports this mission, as 

well as the NRC’s commitment to conduct its work openly and transparently, by providing a 

unique forum that brings together diverse groups of stakeholders to inform them of significant 

and timely policy decisions and regulatory oversight activities. 

The RIC is highly valued by both the agency and external stakeholders for its technical and 

educational content. In addition, the RIC offers an environment in which NRC staff and 

stakeholders share relevant information, exchange views and perspectives, and discuss 

challenging safety, security, and policy issues before the agency. As we continue to learn from 

recent events, this forum is crucial to the mission of the agency. 

Since its inception in 1987, the RIC has grown to become one of the premier nuclear 

conferences of its kind in the world. It is widely attended, bringing together approximately 3,000 

participants representing over 31 countries. Participants include members of the public; 

Federal, State, and local government officials; nuclear safety regulators from other nations; 

experts from the national laboratories; advocacy groups; media representatives; licensees; 

vendors; and other interested stakeholders. The technical program features nuclear experts 

from across the agency, as well as external speakers from industry, academia, public interest 

groups, and the international community. This educational conference also provides an 

exceptional opportunity for attendees to hear firsthand the views of each member of the 

Commission related to emerging regulatory issues and policy matters affecting the agency. 

The RIC provides to the NRC the opportunity to cultivate international relationships, influence 

nuclear safety on a global scale, and foster the exchange of best practices in the nuclear arena. 

The face-to-face interaction with members of industry, private interest groups, and other 

stakeholders is vital and provides wide-ranging opportunities to network, share ideas, raise 

issues or concerns, search for solutions, and establish relationships with colleagues from 

around the world.
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Successfully executing a large conference with the magnitude and complexity of the RIC 

requires extensive coordination and effective management of resources. The Office of Nuclear 

Reactor Regulation (NRR) and the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) co-sponsor 

the RIC. Both NRR and RES are dedicated to the NRC’s commitment to responsible fiscal 

stewardship. The NRC is continually identifying ways to reduce conference costs. NRR, as the 

lead office, diligently scrutinizes and monitors every aspect of the planning, logistics, and 

implementation to ensure that the agency spends all funds in the most cost-effective, efficient 

manner. 

Two contracts assist in the execution of the RIC: (1) the planning and logistical support contract 

(small business contractor under the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) program) and (2) the 

conference facility contract. These contracts cover Web development, registration, audio visual 

support, onsite logistics, and conference facility meeting space. The costs associated with 

these two contracts are approximately $718,000. 

The NRC maximizes the in-house resources from the Office of Administration, the Office of the 

Chief Information Officer, the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel, and the Office of the 

Chief Human Capital Officer to facilitate agencywide coordination of technical program content 

and development, Web support, design, and production of both electronic and hard-copy 

conference materials, preregistration activities, and onsite staffing. The RIC takes advantage of 

existing NRC enterprise-wide contracts for support of the RIC registration system security, Web 

hosting, broadcast coordination and testing, onsite physical security, transcription services, 

reasonable accommodations, and shipping/delivery activities. The costs associated with these 

services are approximately $180,000. 

The conference facility is located close to a Metrorail station. The proximity of both NRC 

headquarters and public transportation greatly reduces travel and per diem costs for most 

Federal conference attendees, as well as the travel costs for planners during conference 

preparation. The benefits of being located near the NRC and the Metro are threefold: (1) it 

enables NRC staff to attend only the conference portions that are valuable to them and to return 

to their workplaces for the remainder of each day, (2) it allows the NRC to use its own 

headquarters facility for some of the needed additional meeting spaces at no additional cost, 

and (3) it enables NRC staff and international counterparts to conduct nonconference business 

that might otherwise require international travel, further reducing travel costs for the NRC. 

The compelling purpose achieved by the RIC constitutes exceptional circumstances. On this 

basis, I am confident that the costs associated with executing the 2017 RIC are valid and 

prudent. Therefore, in accordance with OMB Memorandum M-12-12, I hereby waive the 

$500,000 single conference limitation for the 2017 RIC. 

/RA by Stephen G. Burns/ June 20, 2016 

 Chairman Burns Date