Dean Helms bounded up from his chair to wrestle the thick binder from a neatly arranged office bookshelf. "This", said the Dept. of Energy Site Office manager, plopping the heavy volume on his desk, "represents the terms and conditions that DOE and SURA (the Southeastern Universities Research Association) have to live up to [concerning the management and operation of Jefferson Lab]. Fortunately, we've had very little problem."

As of January 2, Helms left the post he held at the Lab for more than a decade retiring after 32 years of service with DOE. Deputy Manager Jerry Conley is serving as the acting manager until Helms' vacancy is filled. Helms leaves to his successor a highly-trained, professional staff and a legacy of working closely with the Lab a relationship that is the envy of many other national laboratories and research facilities.

Established in 1987, the DOE Site Office is the federal government's representative in all matters relating to the Lab's contract compliance and administration, overseeing conformity to official standards and regulations. Those regulations include health and safety procedures, disposition of intellectual property rights, rules governing hiring and firing, and contracts and procurements. Including the manager position, the Site Office employs eight.

Helms said he always viewed the relationship with JLab as a true partnership. "We have what could be described as a white hat/black hat role," he said, explaining the purpose behind the Site Office. "In one sense, we're an auditor; we check SURA's compliance with rules and regulations. We've been fortunate, though, because SURA has taken their responsibilities very seriously. They put in place programs and procedures that assure compliance."

At the Head of the Class

In June 1995, SURA and DOE negotiated their first performance-based contract, an agreement wherein both parties jointly described and agreed to desired outcomes and performance measures. As part of that contract, SURA has received from DOE a numerical and descriptive score in each of seven categories, each fiscal year since FY96. The scores are tallied and an overall rating is assigned from five possible grades: unsatisfactory; marginal; good; excellent; and outstanding.

In 1996 and 1997, JLab received ratings of outstanding. The Lab recently scored a third outstanding for 1998. The results were released in the DOE's FY98 Contracting Officer's Overlay Performance Evaluation Report released Jan. 8. "Based on these ratings as well as the scientific, technical and institutional management accomplishments, the DOE authorized a 5-year contract extension with SURA," said DOE Site Office Contracting Officer Wayne Skinner. "The Department's policy is to compete these contracts unless there are extenuating circumstances. The Site Office strongly recommended that the current contract be extended based upon SURA's performance and on August 14, 1998, the Secretary of Energy approved the Site Office's recommendation."

While the Site Office must be strict with compliance issues, it also has been diligent in helping the Lab avoid unnecessary regulation. The Site Office and SURA have labored to exempt the Lab from expensive, "one-size-fits-all solutions" that don't apply: "At times," Helms said, "it's been one heck of a challenge to keep unreasonable policies and programs from being implemented at JLab."

Over the years, Helms said the Site Office often found itself in the role of advocate when it came to promoting increased funding for Lab upgrades and improvements. Indeed, it is the prospect of a robust future for the Lab that heartens Helms, who pointed to the sustained interest of young researchers and community support as two primary reasons for optimism.

"You walk the halls here and see a bunch of bright young people," Helms said. "You don't find that in a lot of places. You have a collection of intelligent, motivated individuals and a strong leader, supported by the user community and the community at large. We'll see spin-off and incubator technologies spring up next door. The Lab's future is extremely bright."

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