The Energy Department expects by mid-August to issue a request for proposals (RFP) for treatment of low-level and mixed-level radioactive wastes, according to procurement documents published June 18.
The DOE Office of Environmental Management said an RFP should be issued within 15 to 60 days of publication of the notice.
The agency plans to issue one or more five-year basic ordering agreements for waste treatment services, around the first quarter of fiscal 2021, which starts Oct. 1, according to the notice posted on a federal procurement website. The document did not cite estimated values for the multiple contracts.
The business will be issued to vendors that can treat liquid, solids, sludge, or gaseous wastes ahead of final disposal. The low-level or mixed-low-level wastes might also contain some Toxic Substances Control Act chemicals such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
The documents are not entirely clear as to what the treatment of the waste entails.
The waste is generated by various DOE and other nuclear cleanup sites nationwide, including facilities in Nuclear Regulatory Commission “agreement states” approved to handle certain low-risk radioactive material, according to existing vendor documents. The business includes only waste treatment and not disposal.
Current vendors are Babcock Services, Environmental Dimensions, EnergySolutions, Omega Technical Services, UniTech Services Group, Waste Control Specialists, and Perma-Fix Environmental Services.
A quick scan of some of the basic ordering agreements emphasized they are not technically “contracts” as defined under Federal Acquisition Regulation. There are no minimum dollar value or waste volume figures, which are expected to vary based on the number of tasks assigned.
The participating vendors are expected to help further the Energy Department mission to remediate waste left over from nuclear weapons production and nuclear energy operations.
The primary contact for the procurement is Energy Department Contracting Officer Courtney Stallworth, who can be reached via email at [email protected].
