A Lehman Review is an independent peer review and evaluation of the status of a major construction project in the United States Department of Energy's (DOE's) Office of Science.[1] Lehman Reviews evaluate all aspects of a construction project's current status, including technical aspects, cost, schedule and management, and they are usually held twice a year.[2] Lehman Reviews are widely known in DOE, other agencies and abroad.[3][4] The reviews are named after Daniel Lehman, Director of the DOE Office of Science's Office of Project Assessment since 1991.[3][2][5]
History
The Office of Project Assessment within the DOE's Office of Science provides independent advice relating to those activities essential to the construction and operation of major research facilities, as well as professional management and staff support regarding these functions.[6] Within this mission, the office conducts independent technical, cost, schedule and management peer reviews of major construction projects, which include civil construction projects and the construction of large experimental equipment. While the Office of Science is exempt from DOE Order 413.3B, Program and Project Management for the Acquisition of Capital Assets for independent project and peer review,[7] a Lehman Review will typically meet the requirements of the order.[7] During a project's proposal and construction phase, Lehman Reviews are generally held twice a year, although a review may be held by request.
Lehman Reviews typically include dozens of independent technical experts. These experts may be divided into six or more subpanels to address all aspects of a project. A Lehman Review can potentially result in modifications to a project's cost, scope or schedule, and could also prompt work stoppage and management changes.[8]
Before Lehman Reviews, peer reviews of major construction projects within DOE's Office of Science were called "Temple Reviews," named after Ed Temple, Director of the Construction Management Support Division in the Office of Energy Research (January 1980 - December 1990).[18][19]
^Kamae, T. & GLAST Large Area Telescope Collaboration. Science with Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope. New Century of X-ray Astronomy, ASP Conference Proceedings Vol. 251, San Francisco: Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 2001, p. 196.