The Department of Energy on Friday issued the final request for proposals (RFP) for a stand-alone management contract for the Savannah River National Laboratory in South Carolina.
The laboratory contract is expected to be worth $380 million per year, or potentially $3.8 billion over 10 years. The agreement carries a five-year base period and an Energy Department option for up to five additional years, the agency said in a press release.
The DOE Office of Environmental Management issued a draft RFP in April. That month, representatives from about 60 organizations participated in a virtual briefing on the solicitation.
The agency has moved at a fast clip since announcing in December 2019 that it intended to separate the laboratory from the site-wide management at the Savannah River Site, now conducted under a $14.8 billion contract held by Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS).
The Fluor-led vendor manages the entire 310-square-mile federal complex, including environmental remediation, nuclear materials management, and nuclear weapons-related work by the semiautonomus National Nuclear Security Administration.
Under a one-year contract extension exercised in August 2019, SRNS is expected to stay on the job through September. The current arrangement with the Energy Department says the SRS operator could be retained through September 2022 if necessary.
Any questions pertaining to the final RFP must be submitted in writing no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on July 6 to [email protected].
Proposals to run the laboratory are due by Aug. 10, DOE said. Contract award is anticipated in early fiscal 2021, which starts Oct. 1.
The Savannah River National Laboratory is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) with a roughly 1,000-person workforce and an annual budget of $350 million. The facility supports DOE’s strategic goals on science, energy, national security, and cleanup of nuclear legacy contamination connected with the Cold War and the Manhattan Project.
The laboratory supports the National Nuclear Security Administration in its nuclear stockpiles stewardship program and conducts research into weapons of mass destruction issues.
Sources say Savannah River National Laboratory supporters believe that having an independent management contract, and hopefully stronger ties with academia, will help strengthen its reputation in scientific research circles.
The University of South Carolina, Augusta University, Clemson University, the University of Georgia, and North Carolina State University, along with several prominent DOE contractors, were among organizations with representatives taking part in in-person and virtual informational meetings on the solicitation since late 2019.
