Operations
Procurement & Vendor Access
How vendors, contractors, invoices, sponsored research, and instrument-adjacent work move through the Laboratories without touching scientific conclusions.
The Laboratories buy ordinary things in ordinary ways: cable, clocks, field vehicles, pressure housings, server hardware, archival supplies, insurance, software, and specialized services. What is less ordinary is the access environment. A vendor can affect a sixty-year record by moving a cable, substituting a component, or entering the wrong field route during a calibration window.
Vendor onboarding
New vendors are reviewed by the requesting office and operations before work begins. The review is practical: who needs access, what systems or rooms they touch, whether the work could affect calibration, and what records must be retained when the work is complete.
| Class | Examples | Controls |
|---|---|---|
| Administrative | office supplies, print, insurance, general service | no station access beyond receiving |
| Site service | HVAC, electrical, grounds, field vehicles | pre-clearance, escort, route log |
| Instrument-adjacent | receivers, clocks, hydrophones, enclosures | program approval, calibration note, closeout review |
| Archive handling | digitization, conservation, transport | records-office supervision, accession log |
| Software/system | public data, Field Array, internal tools | least-privilege access, audit log, expiration date |
Invoices and payment
Invoices must reference a purchase order, work order, sponsored-research award, or approved expense authorization. Payment timing depends on the contract, but invoices that lack a routing code or closeout note are returned rather than guessed at by accounting.
| Prefix | Office | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| OPS | Station Operations | site service, receiving, utilities, vehicles |
| FIG | Field Instrumentation Group | instrument parts, clock hardware, enclosures |
| REC | Records Office | archive supplies, digitization, conservation |
| DAI | Distributed Analysis Initiative | client signing, storage, contributor systems |
| SR | Sponsored Research | grant-funded collaboration and reporting |
Conflict boundaries
Vendors do not approve findings, review release language, or receive unpublished conclusions because they supplied an instrument or system. Procurement can buy capability. It cannot buy certainty.
- No vendor may write or strengthen public scientific claims about systems they provide.
- Instrument substitutions require a calibration-impact note before affected data is released.
- Site contractors are not permitted to photograph instruments or field routes unless the work order requires it.
- Software vendors receive time-limited access and cannot export contributor or candidate records without a signed scope.
Sponsored research
Sponsored research is handled by the Office of Sponsored Research and the relevant program head. Awards may support work, equipment, data reduction, or visiting researchers. They do not carry a right to preview conclusions or restrict publication.
| Record | Retained by |
|---|---|
| Award letter and scope | Sponsored Research |
| Budget and reporting calendar | Sponsored Research |
| Data-use agreement | Data Access or Records office |
| Publication and correction notes | Program office |
| Conflict disclosures | Directorate and board secretary |