The Energy Department anticipates the Savannah River National Laboratory in South Carolina will be better able to “engage with the research community” by having a its own operations contract, according to documents recently posted online.
The slides used for an April 28 virtual online meeting on the draft request for proposals for the potential 10-year, $3.8 billion contract don’t elaborate on the point. Sources have suggested DOE wants a greater role for academia at the lab, which is now managed by a corporate team under the full Savannah River Site operations contract.
At least nine universities or college-affiliated research groups participated in the online industry day and meetings on the RFP, including Georgia Tech, the University of Georgia, the University of South Carolina, and the University of California.
The agency “absolutely” wants to have a college as one of the main partners, according to an industry source who participated in the session. That would be in line with common practice at national labs overseen by DOE’s Office of Science and semiautonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The University of California has helped to manage the Los Alamos National Laboratory since its inception, either as sole operator or within a partnership. Both the University of California and Texas A&M University are members of the current Los Alamos prime, Triad National Security.
The Savannah River lab contract procurement is being managed by DOE’s Office of Environmental Management, which will continue to own it after the award.
The Energy Department thinks “it should be like one of the Science labs,” the industry source said by telephone Thursday, without elaborating.
The same industry official suspects that Battelle or Honeywell International could be among the contenders vying for the SRNL contract. The same handful of big companies that dominate major Environmental Management nuclear-cleanup procurements will be in the mix as well, he added. The source mentioned Amentum, BWX Technologies, and Fluor, all of which had representatives signed up for the briefing.
Along with its management role alongside a group of universities at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, N.Y., Battelle leads teams managing Los Alamos, the Idaho National Laboratory, and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. Honeywell is part of the management group for the Sandia National Laboratories, which has facilities in California and New Mexico. Representatives of both companies participated in the SRNL briefing.
A different industry source said the procurement is part of an effort by the Savannah River National Laboratory, with DOE’s assistance, to win more respect in the eyes of the research community.
Leaders at the South Carolina laboratory suspect it is viewed as a “red-headed stepchild” and seek to be considered in the same class as Sandia and Los Alamos, the source went on to say. They believe a stand-alone lab contract is a step toward greater esteem within scientific circles.
A different industry source said the procurement is part of an effort by Savannah River National Laboratory, with DOE’s assistance, to win more respect in the eyes of the research community. The South Carolina laboratory believes it is viewed as a “red-headed stepchild” and wants to be considered in the same class as Sandia and Los Alamos, and it believes having its own contract is a step toward greater esteem with scientific circles.
The Energy Department is also seeking to position SRNL for an “enduring mission” after the completion of legacy waste cleanup at the Savannah River Site, according to the slides. Remediation won’t be fully completed at SRS for another 40 years, according to DOE’s fiscal 2021 budget proposal. The laboratory already works in areas such as environmental management, national security, science, energy security, and legacy management.
This ranges from providing technical expertise for nuclear cleanup, to improving nuclear stockpile stewardship, to advanced scientific computer research.
Sources were not entirely clear on exactly what type of research DOE wants to see more of at the Savannah River National Laboratory. Energy Department officials have indicated that the National Nuclear Security Administration will play an increasing role at SRS over the coming years, which might point toward more national security work.
Written comments on the draft request for proposals were due May 8. The Energy Department appears to be moving swiftly on the procurement, saying recently the final RFP could be issued in June. The agency expects bidders would afterward need 40 days to develop their proposals.
Sources have said the stand-alone management and operations lab contract might be issued by the end of 2020. Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, a team comprised of Fluor, Newport News Nuclear, and Honeywell, currently oversees the lab under the $14.8 billion site contract due to expire Sept. 30. The Energy Department, however, could tap options to keep the incumbent around through September 2022.
The Savannah River National Laboratory has roughly 1,000 full-time staff personnel and an operating budget of $355 million.
When the final RFP comes out, bidders should expect to file a vision statement to, among other things, explain how they plan to accelerate and expand current missions; enhance SRNL’s statute as a “preeminent” Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC); and increase collaborative partnerships with academia, industry, and government groups.
The winning team must ensure its key managers stick around for at least three years, or run the risk of having its potential revenue reduced.
If the laboratory director is “removed, replaced, or diverted” within three years of being installed, the vendor could have its earned fee reduced by $500,000, according to DOE’s presentation on the draft RFP. Likewise, the venture could be docked $250,000 in fees for other key personnel that don’t serve out three years.
Teams with “foreign ownership, control, or influenced” (FOCI) partners must submit mitigation to limit the role of foreign entities at the government-owned laboratory with a national security mission, DOE said in the solicitation material.
The Savannah River National Laboratory was created in 1951 as a support laboratory for SRS operations. It was renamed the Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) in 1992,then designated as a DOE national laboratory in 2004.
