The Department of Energy uses documents called Directives to provide formal and organized communications on its policies and directions.

• Directives include the following types of documents:
• Policies are issued by the Secretary. They state philosophy and values for the conduct of DOE work.
• Rules or Regulations establish policy, standards, procedures, or responsibilities with the force of law. They are legally binding on all parties and groups to which they specifically apply, including contractors and the general public.
• Orders, Manuals, and Notices establish requirements, procedures or responsibilities. They are mandatory for DOE employees but apply to contractors only to the extent specified in a contract. Orders are intended to contain broad expectations with substantial flexibility for implementation. Notices contain temporary or time-sensitive information and may be issued quickly when it is important to issue a Directive without full coordination. Manuals may be issued when there is a need for more detailed procedural requirements.

• Guides and Technical Standards contain acceptable methods for implementing requirements contained in other Directives. They are not mandatory. Technical standards provide DOE guidance on technical subjects not addressed in existing industry standards. Administrative subjects and procedures are issued as Guides.
• ORO Directives include Orders, Notices, Manuals, and Guides. These Directives apply to Oak Ridge Office employees and to contractors, if included in a contract. They may supplement information in a DOE Directive, provide procedures for Oak Ridge use, or assign local responsibilities and authorities.

Key Features of
the Directives System

Directives, other than regulations and technical standards, are developed through the DOE Directives system. Key features:

• Comments. Draft DOE Directives are sent to all affected DOE and contractor elements for comment.
• Comment Resolution. Major comments must be resolved before the Directive can be issued. If the Directive writer and the commenter can't agree, the commenter may raise the issue to the Associate Deputy Secretary for resolution.
• Sunset Review. Directives are reviewed every four years for currency and continued need., and revised, canceled, or reissued as necessary.

Jennifer G. Hamilton, (865) 576-0681,
is ORO's Directives Point of Contact (DPOC).

ORO's Directives Management Group,

The Directives Management Group (DMG) was established in 1991 to provide a central focus and coordination point for all Directives-related issues within Oak Ridge Office. We provide a variety of services and support to all ORO offices:

• Repository for current and Historical Directives
• Coordinating comments on Draft DOE Directives
• Operating the ORO Directives System
• Providing editorial services to Headquarters for DOE-wide Directives
• Maintaining contractual listings of applicable DOE Directives and ES&H standards
• Establishing and maintaining systems for ensuring appropriate review and approval of Directives-related documents such as Directive implementation plans, exemption requests, etc.

Frequently Asked
Questions

• What's new about this system? New features include more opportunity to participate in the development of a new or revised Directive, and the opportunity to appeal to a higher level of management.
• Why do some Directives have four numbers and others have only three? Directives developed before October 1995 were numbered using a 4-digit numbering system. New Directives are numbered according to to a system that only uses three digits. As old Orders are revised or reissued, the 4-number system will gradually disappear.
• How do I find out if a Directive exists on a particular topic? The DMG Home Page has checklists and indices that can help you find the answer.  Additionally a keyword search is available.
• How can I find out what Directives are applicable to Oak Ridge contractors?  For UT-Battelle, LLC; Bechtel Jacobs Company LLC; Oak Ridge Associated Universities; Foster Wheeler Environmental Corporation and Isotek Systems, LLC; the Directives Management Group maintains listings of Directives that have been determined to be applicable to the contract. For other contractors, consult the Contracting Officer's Representative. (Note that ES&H requirements for some contracts are included in alternative standards sets rather than Directives.)
• What if I have other questions that aren't answered here? Call the Directives Management Group at 576-3608 and we'll try to help you out!