NEON has recently completed a Pre-Construction review conducted by an NSF-convened panel on April 4-6, 2011. During this review, the panel carefully reviewed project management, engineering, facilities and civil construction, computing and networking, procurement and contracting, human resources, operations and land-use permitting areas of the project to ensure that NEON is ready to begin construction activities. The NSF conducts Pre-Construction reviews of large facilities funded through MREFC (Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction) funds to ensure that the proposed facility’s scope can be delivered within an agreed schedule and budget. Reviewers also checked to ensure issues and concerns identified during NEON’s Final Design Review (FDR) in November 2009 were addressed and that prototyping activities conducted during the past year had refined budget, processes and building plans. During the review, a trip to the NEON prototype in Sterling, CO, gave the panel a look at the NEON tower design, and showed the progress made in NEON’s civil and electronic engineering design over the past year. The review panel released a final report this week stating that NEON is ready to begin construction in July 2011 as planned.
