BECHTEL ‘STANDS DOWN’ PADUCAH BID OVER CONCERNS WITH RTP

Slightly more than a week after the Department of Energy issued the final Request for Task Proposals for the new Paducah deactivation contract, Bechtel formally notified DOE yesterday that it is standing down its work on the bid, citing a number of concerns with specific provisions in the RTP, WC Monitor has learned. The concerns were outlined in a letter to the contracting officer from Bechtel yesterday. Bechtel’s concerns reportedly center on language in the RTP stating that "allocations of parent organization expenses are unallowable" as well as the delay of a final fee payment until the end of the contract, a three-year commitment for key personnel and the liquidated damages clause.

 

Bechtel had been teaming with EnergySolutions on the bid and it does not appear that EnergySolutions, though it holds an ID/IQ contract under which the task order is being bid, will choose to lead or join another team. Another change in the playing field, officials said, is that CB&I has reportedly dropped its plans to bid on the contract with AREVA and has instead joined a team led by Fluor.