Jeremy L. Dillon
RW Monitor
3/14/2014
As the procurement to manage Atomic Energy of Canada Limited’s nuclear laboratories moves to the next stage, at least three teams appear to have formed to go after the job, RW Monitor has learned. One team, led by B&W and including Battelle and the U.K. firm Cavendish Nuclear, publicly announced its intention to seek the contract last November. The other two teams believed to be pursuing the job include one led by URS that includes Ontario Power Generation and one led by Lockheed Martin that includes CH2M Hill, EnergySolutions and SNC Lavalin. Bechtel is also believed to have been interesting in competing for the contract, but it remains to be seen what role, if any, the company will play after its win of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s new contract to manage the Y-12 and Pantex nuclear weapons sites. Fluor had previously been believed to be considering bidding on the contract, but is now seen as having dropped out of the competition, according to industry officials.
Natural Resources Canada Issues RFRE
Last week, Natural Resources Canada put out a Request for Response Evaluation on the government’s Government Electronic Tendering Service. The RFRE is aimed at suppliers who are interested in participating in the evaluation process of the procurement, and if found to be a qualified candidate, move on to the next stages in the process. The next stages would include the Request for Proposal, and after that, the Contract Finalization stage. Respondents have three in-take dates to respond to the RFRE: April 7, May 23, and Aug. 6. “This is a significant step forward in implementing our plan to engage a private-sector partner in managing the Nuclear Laboratories,” Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources Joe Oliver said in a statement. “We are working to bring private-sector rigor and efficiencies to all aspects of the Nuclear Laboratories. The goal remains to put in place the conditions for Canada’s nuclear industry to succeed, while reducing cost and risk for Canadian taxpayers over time.”
The Canadian government had planned to issue the RFRE last fall, but after discussions with potential bidders, it decided to push the RFRE back. The scope of work for the new contract will include all AECL-owned sites, including the Chalk River Laboratories, the Whiteshell Laboratories, the three prototype reactor sites and the Laprade heavy water storage site. The winning contractors would operate the site in the Government-owned Contractor-operated (GoCo) model.
