DOE LETTERS SHINE LIGHT ON CHPRC FEE PERFORMANCE IN FY 2012

With no sign on the horizon of the Department of Energy completing a final Fiscal Year 2012 fee determination for one of its main cleanup contractors—CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Co.—a set of DOE letters Weapons Complex Monitor obtained yesterday through the Freedom of Information Act helps provide some insight into the Hanford contractor’s fee performance for that fiscal year. According to the set of three one-page letters, DOE authorized approximately $3.3 million in provisional and earned fee payments. CHPRC was paid “provisional fee” of approximately $1.81 million for a performance measure tied to work at Hanford’s Plutonium Finishing Plant, according to one letter dated Feb. 19. According to a second letter dated Feb. 19, CHPRC was paid $100,000 in “incremental fee” for a performance measure related to waste management. CHPRC was also paid approximately $1.42 million in “provisional fee” for work at PFP, according to a July 8 letter.

For FY 2012, CHPRC can earn a maximum of approximately $18.1 million in fee. DOE has not yet completed a final FY12 fee determination for the contractor, though, which could result in changes to provisional fee payments; and it remains unclear when it will do so and when that determination will be publicly released. Geoff Tyree, a spokesman for the DOE Richland Operations Office, largely declined to comment yesterday on the fee payments outlined in the letters. Tyree also did not provide information as to whether or not DOE had authorized other payments to CHPRC for work performed in FY 2012, and if so, what those amounts were and whether or not they were provisional or earned fee. For its part, CHPRC referred questions to the Department.