UCOR recently completed its transition from Official Use Only (OUO) requirements to Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), a federal requirement that changed how the workforce protects sensitive information. This effort necessitated a multidisciplinary effort across the company to implement the change ahead of schedule while identifying efficiencies that are expected to save approximately $30,000 this fiscal year. CUI is a government-wide system that establishes consistent requirements for identifying, marking, safeguarding, and sharing sensitive information that is not classified.
Training the workforce was a major component of the transition. Rather than developing an entirely new course, the Classification and Information Control Office (CICO) and Training incorporated an existing training package into UCOR’s LEARN system. The team also received approval to integrate CUI instruction into scheduled block training.
Training implementation efficiencies, as well as direct outreach and follow-up trainings sessions in the field, helped UCOR complete company-wide training within four months without disrupting work and ahead of the standard six-month objective, all while reaching a 90% trained rate across the company.
This accomplishment was led by CICO, working alongside Training, Cyber Security, IT, and Public Affairs. The team led the project with a questioning attitude, continually reevaluated the approach, and sought lessons learned from other DOE organizations that had already implemented CUI.
Since the implementation was completed in-house, training was applied efficiently, documentation and review processes were streamlined, and labor costs were reduced, the successful implementation of CUI will generate an estimated $30,000 in fiscal-year savings, with similar savings anticipated next year.
Protecting sensitive information and maintaining compliance with DOE requirements allows the workforce to continue supporting mission-critical cleanup work across the Oak Ridge Reservation.
