| When communicating with licensees, applicants, and vendors |
| Do |
Don't |
| Describe the specific regulatory issue and its safety significance. |
Simply cite the regulatory requirement without describing the issue and its significance. |
| Direct the licensee, applicant, or vendor to the appropriate regulatory guidance. |
Imply guidance is a requirement or establish new requirements. |
| Provide an accurate, clear and concise technical or regulatory basis by referring to the applicable regulatory standard, acceptance criteria, and relevant guidance documents. |
Simply identify an issue without providing the regulatory basis. |
| Identify and discuss possible options and alternatives for licensees, applicants, or vendors to consider, including pointing to past precedents or NRC regulatory guides (without making commitments). |
Recommend or direct implementation of a specific solution to resolve a regulatory issue when multiple options exist, as the licensee, applicant, or vendor is ultimately responsible for deciding which solution to implement. |
| Be accurate, clear and concise when asking or responding to questions, or when providing comments. |
Include unnecessary detail or make overly broad or vague statements. |
| Ensure staff positions align with the regulatory requirements and established agency positions. |
Provide a staff position that goes beyond the regulatory requirements or that is different from the established NRC position. |
| Identify information gaps and request that additional information needed to make a regulatory decision be submitted on the docket. |
Ask for information that is already on the docket or information that is not necessary for a regulatory decision. |
| Use discussions with a licensee, applicant, or vendor to establish or enhance the staff’s understanding of proposed modifications or resolutions in support of a regulatory action or decision. |
Make licensing and regulatory decisions during verbal communications with a licensee, applicant, or vendor. |
| Consider the most efficient use of all available forums including regulatory audits, pre-application interactions, etc., to ensure a continuous flow of information. |
Engage only through written communications and a limited number of public meetings. |
| Ensure final regulatory decisions are communicated through established processes and formal documents. |
Communicate licensing and/or regulatory decisions or other binding commitments during informal interactions with a licensee, applicant, or vendor. |
| Place on the docket information received from external stakeholders that was necessary for regulatory decision-making to ensure public disclosure and transparency. |
Fail to place on the docket information received from external stakeholders that was necessary for regulatory decision-making. |
| Escalate unresolved issues in a timely manner to management once the staff and licensees, applicants, or vendors have reached a common understanding of each other’s positions on a regulatory issue. |
Cycle back and forth or let regulatory issues linger with applicants, licensees, or vendors without meaningful progress in the resolution of a regulatory issue. |
| Share when it appears that there is only one viable regulatory pathway to resolve an issue yet keep an open mind to other options that the licensee, applicant, or vendor may come up with. |
Let the licensee, applicant, or vendor unnecessarily struggle to identify an acceptable path if you know of a viable path to resolving a regulatory issue. |