Government Down. Baldrige Up!

Federal funding problem shuts down Baldrige web site, but Baldrige is still alive

Published: Tuesday, October 1, 2013 - 13:47

(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- As most of you have likely heard, the federal government is shutting down due to a lapse in funding. While this will undoubtedly create hardship for many who work for and/or rely on services from the government, I am happy to inform you that the Baldrige Program will remain open.

We expect that the only obvious impact on our customers and other stakeholders will be the loss of our public Web site. If you are looking for information about the program or our services, please contact our customer service line at 301-975-2036. Gwen and/or Jackie will be happy to help you!

Hopefully the shutdown process will go smoothly and end quickly, but I wanted to keep you, the Baldrige community, informed.

Very respectfully,

Robert Fangmeyer,

Acting Director Baldrige Performance Excellence Program

Editors note: As of 10-1-31, 2:00 p.m. Pacific, the following message appears on the Baldrige web site:

NIST Closed, NIST and Affiliated Web Sites Not Available

Due to a lapse in government funding, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is closed and most NIST and affiliated web sites are unavailable until further notice. We sincerely regret the inconvenience.

The National Vulnerability Database and the NIST Internet Time Service web sites will continue to be available. A limited number of other web sites may also be available.

Notice will be posted here (www.nist.gov) once operations resume. You may also get updates on NIST's operating status by calling (301) 975-8000.

Conferences and other events scheduled during the shutdown are postponed or cancelled. Even after NIST reopens, some NIST events may need to be rescheduled. Once access to NIST Web sites resumes, please see the Conferences and Events (http://www.nist.gov/allevents.cfm) list for updated information on specific events.

About The Author

Robert Fangmeyer

Robert Fangmeyer is the director of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program (BPEP) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).