The vendor providing paramilitary security for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina received its second four-month contract extension this week, keeping it on the job at least through June 7.
The option with DOE was signed Thursday, Suzanne Piner, a spokeswoman for Centerra Group parent company Constellis, said by email.
Centerra has a contract dating to October 2009, valued at roughly $1 billion with the latest options, to provide physical and cybersecurity to the 310-square-mile Savannah River Site. When the term of the 10-year contract expired in October, Centerra and DOE agreed on up to three four-month option periods until a follow-on vendor is selected.
The first four-month extension expires Feb. 7 and is valued at almost $35.8 million, which is also what the upcoming option is worth. There is also a third four-month period available that could keep Centerra around through Oct. 7.
Responses to the final request for proposals on a new potential $1 billion security contract at Savannah River were due to DOE last May, and the agency had hoped to issue a new contract by now. Centerra has acknowledged it is among the bidders vying for the next contract.
Security services provided by Centerra at SRS include law enforcement, criminal investigations, traffic control, access control, and property protection.
The Savannah River Site is used extensively by DOE’s Office of Environmental Management and semiautonomous National Nuclear Security Administration. The Environmental Management office is in charge of remediation of contaminated sites, as well as treating, storing and disposing of radiological and chemical waste. The NNSA manages tritium work at SRS, and efforts to support the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile.
