RICHLAND, Wash. - An EM Office of River Protection (ORP) annual competition provides a forum for creative ideas that could lead to cost savings and efficiencies for Hanford ’s tank waste cleanup mission.
Since its inception five years ago, the Grand Challenge has grown in scale and was recently recognized as a DOE Best Practice for Leadership and Organizational Transformation.
“The Grand Challenge competition has captured the attention, and the imagination, of the Environmental Management complex," said Elaine Diaz, ORP’s chief engineer.
The competition is open to federal employees, contractors, DOE national laboratory employees, private companies, faculty and students of universities, and stakeholders.
“The Grand Challenge encourages a culture of continuous improvement in safety and mission efficiency and engages our internal workforce and the external scientific community in the process of overcoming our biggest challenges," said Naomi Jaschke, ORP chief technology officer and Grand Challenge lead for 2017.
ORP sends out a request for ideas each spring, with submissions due around mid-July. A screening team reviews the proposals in August and selects about 10 finalists to present their ideas at the ORP-hosted Grand Challenge Workshop in September. The winning proposal, and other high-scoring submissions, are further evaluated for possible implementation at ORP.
Over the years, dozens of proposals have been studied for implementation, and others have been endorsed for outside funding opportunities.
When reviewing proposals, judges consider factors such as technical viability and risks, feasibility within required timeframes and safety requirements, cost avoidance and savings, and process efficiencies. Judges include representatives from DOE, the national labs, academia, and contractors. The target cost savings for each submittal is over $250 million.
“Grand Challenge is about getting the job done better, safer, and sooner, and spending less of our tax dollars in the process," Diaz said. “By tapping into great ideas from industry, academia, our network of national labs, and our own employees, we can make a significant difference."
Source: U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of Environmental Management
