COMSCINST 4700.1A TECHNNICAL AUTHORITY STANDARDS AND POLICY_AMD02.pdf

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY

COMMANDER MILITARY SEALIFT COMMAND

471 EAST C STREET

NORFOLK VA 23511-2419

COMSCINST 4700.1A

N7 7 Jan 20

COMSC INSTRUCTION 4700.1A

From: Commander, Military Sealift Command

Subj: TECHNICAL AUTHORITY, STANDARDS AND POLICY

Ref: (a) SECNAVINST 5400.15C CH-1, DON R&D Management Guidance

(b) Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) letter, Serial 09/5U300815 of 25 FEB 1985, Criteria for O&M/Inspection of MSC Ships

(c) COMSCINST 3120.20, MSC Maintenance Philosophy and Ship Life Cycle Management

(d) OPNAVINST 5090.1E, Environmental Readiness Program

1. Purpose. To establish Military Sealift Command (MSC) Technical Authority (TA), standards and policy for all MSC ships per reference (a).

2. Applicability. The requirements of this instruction apply to all MSC ships, both Government Owned and Government Operated (GOGO) and Government Owned and Contract Operated

(GOCO).

3. Cancellation. COMSCINST 4700.1

4. Background. Reference (a) defines TA as "the authority, responsibility, and accountability to establish, monitor, and approve technical standards, tools, and processes in conformance with applicable Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of the Navy (DON) policy, requirements, architectures, and standards." Furthermore, reference (a) shifts program authority and accountability from the Naval Sea Systems Command to MSC, upon ship delivery, for all assigned ships and ship systems. Reference (b) requires COMSC to adhere to the practices and procedures of the commercial merchant marine industry including classification of MSC ships with the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and certification with the United States Coast Guard (USCG). This combination of governing technical requirements mandates that COMSC adopt and execute a Technical Authority (TA) policy adaptable to changing requirements, responsive to direction from a variety of authorities, and applicable to the merchant marine industry. MSC voluntary compliance with ABS and USCG standards will not replace or alter MSC’s Ship Material Assessment and Readiness Testing (SMART) inspection program.

5. Policy. TA is independent of Program Authority. TA requires the engineering expertise, skills, experience, integrity, and self-discipline to:

a. Establish appropriate technical standards, tools, and processes.

b. Oversee and guide compliance with established technical standards, tools, and processes.

c. Make sound, unbiased engineering decisions to support the safe and reliable planning and management of MSC programs. (Technical policy ensures ship and ship systems meet regulatory body requirements and, where applicable, international requirements, for ship configuration, operation, inspection, maintenance, repair and modernization.)

6. Responsibilities

a. The MSC Engineering Director (N7) is the TA for MSC. In executing this responsibility for all assigned ships, the N7 will:

(1) Advise COMSC on technical matters as the engineering subject matter experts for the Command.

(a) Identify technically acceptable options and associated costs, benefits, risks, and trade-offs to assist the Program Managers(PM) , and Functional Departments (FD) in the decision making process.

(b) Resolve technically conflicting issues if technical services, products, operational systems or equipment are found not in conformance with established technical policy, standards, processes, or requirements.

(c) Support PM, MSC fleet, and MSC stakeholders by providing best-value-engineering and technical products that meet customer needs and requirements. Advise Program Managers, MSC fleet, and MSC customers on technical matters related to programmatic issues.

(2) Develop, establish and maintain technical policy, standards, tools, requirements and processes for all MSC ships.

(1) Establish and monitor damage control, environmental engineering and operational safety standards and processes for MSC ships.

(2) Establish, maintain, and monitor preventive/predictive maintenance requirements for MSC ships.

(3) Generate and maintain design standards that supplement regulatory body standards to specifically address MSC requirements for maintenance, habitability and improved reliability.

(4) Act as the MSC Design Control Activity. The Design Control Activity is the organization that is specifically responsible for ensuring the seaworthiness of a ship or ship equipment, in which a critical safety item is to be used. This includes ensuring that the design, production, and performance standards are met for ship critical safety items. The Commander, MSC, is responsible for ensuring the safety and mission performance of MSC ships and equipment. MSC Engineering Director (N7), as the technical authority for MSC, is the Design Control Activity for MSC.

UNCONTROLLED QMS DOCUMENT. Verify current version at: https://msc.navy.deps.mil/policies/Pages/Directives.aspx

(3) Establish technical certification requirements and act as technical certification authority when required. This includes assessing Transportation Alternations (TRANSALTS) and proposed Departure from Specifications for compliance with technical policy and standards.

The Engineering Director may delegate specific aspects of technical certification authority, in writing, to other members of the N7 staff.

(4) Provide and manage a competency-aligned staff ensuring the MSC engineering workforce is staffed, trained, empowered, and accountable to make sound technical decisions and recommendations.

(5) Serve as the MSC representative on regulatory body committees. Maintain relationships with commercial regulatory bodies and international standards organizations for rules development and modifications related to ship design, construction, maintenance, repair, alteration and modernization.

(6) Coordinate with PM and FD when Technical Policies established by N7 conflict with PM or FD policies to insure all risks are properly evaluated and decisions are made at the correct level of authority.

(7) Establish and maintain an Engineering Steering Committee. The Engineering Steering Committee will:

a. Serve as a forum to communicate TA matters and collaboratively discuss engineering issues and solutions. This committee will consider and implement pertinent technical lessons learned and best practices from the public and private sectors of the maritime industry.

b. Develop effective engineering policy, process and procedures though the collaborative input of varied components of the Command. All engineering policies and procedures will be vetted through the Engineering Steering Committee and align with the MSC Quality Management System (QMS). Documents, which have been approved by two-thirds vote of the committee members, will be forwarded to the Engineering Director for final TA approval.

Upon approval, the Engineering Director will:

(1) Sign Tier II/III process and procedures internal to MSC Engineering Department.

(2) Submit Tier II processes and procedures affecting programs or departments outside of N7 to the Executive Director.

(3) Submit Tier I documents to COMSC.

(4) Devise metrics for gauging the effectiveness of engineering programs and solutions.

UNCONTROLLED QMS DOCUMENT. Verify current version at: https://msc.navy.deps.mil/policies/Pages/Directives.aspx

b. The Director Ship Management (DSM) will exercise Programmatic Authority to include:

(1) Ship sustainment from delivery to deactivation or transfer.

(2) Ensure configuration change management processes for improvements and alterations are accomplished per established technical requirements.

c. The Program Managers and Functional Directorates will abide by the Technical Policies established by N7 and when in conflict, seek N7 concurrence to resolve issues ensuring all risks are properly evaluated and decisions made at the correct level of authority.

d. Ensure changes, procedures, and new regulations that change conditions of employment are bargained as required by law or Collective Bargaining Agreement.

7. Records Management. Records created, as a result of this instruction, regardless of media and format, will be managed per SECNAV M-5210.1, the DON Records Management Manual.

8. Review and Effective Date. Per OPNAVINST 5215.17A, N7 will review this instruction annually on the anniversary of its effective date to ensure applicability, currency, and consistency with Federal, Department of Defense, Secretary of the Navy, and Navy policy and statutory authority using OPNAV 5215/40 Review of Instruction.

Releasability and distribution:

This instruction is cleared for public release and is available electronically only via MSC Intranet Publications Web site, https://msc.navy.deps.mil/policies/Pages/Directives.aspx.

UNCONTROLLED QMS DOCUMENT. Verify current version at: https://msc.navy.deps.mil/policies/Pages/Directives.aspx