Risk Informed Reviews of Instrumental and Controls Systems

Summary work description: The objective of this work is to provide support in developing the technical basis for integrating risk insights into the regulatory framework for I & C systems and components by assessing available methods and analytical tools for quantifying DI & C system reliability and treatment of uncertainty.

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The objective of this work is to provide technical assistance to NRC staff in developing the technical basis for integrating risk insights into the regulatory framework for I & C systems and components.

This project will be divided in two stages to develop the technical basis for integrating risk insights into the regulatory framework for I & C systems and components. The first stage includes three major tasks: (1) assess the technical feasibility of risk-informed approaches and integrating risk insights into the regulatory review framework for I & C systems and components; (2) establish a risk-informed process that can be used to classify digital I & C systems and components with respect to risk insights and safety significance and to focus licensee and NRC resources on those I & C systems and components identified as being important to safety, taking into consideration the unique aspects of digital I & C systems (e.g., increased complexity, increased connectivity, different system architectures, combining of functions); and (3) establish potential methods and analytical tools for estimating failure frequencies of digital I & C systems and assessing and addressing uncertainties in these estimates. The second stage includes one major task, which is to develop recommendations for integrating risk insights into the digital I & C regulatory infrastructure, including license review approaches and inspection focus, in a manner that complements the NRC's deterministic approach and supports the NRC's traditional defense-in-depth philosophy. This will minimize regulatory uncertainty associated with the review of I & C upgrades for both operating reactors and new applications for future non-LWR designs.
The government reserves the right to make multiple awards from this solicitation.

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