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 hinted DOE wants a greater role for academia at the lab, which is now managed by a corporate team under the site-wide Savannah River operations contract. At least nine universities participated in the online industry day and meetings on the RFP.
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. The laboratory already works in areas such as environmental management, national security, science, energy security, and legacy management.
Written comments on the draft RFP 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 need 40 days to develop their proposals once the RFP is issued.
Sources have said the stand-alone management and operations lab contract might be issued by the end of 2020. Savannah River Nuclear Solution, 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 exercise 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, according to the DOE slides.
