Prospective vendors looking at a potential seven-year, $900 million contract to manage the 222-S Laboratory Contract at the Hanford Site in Washington state have filed 70 questions on the solicitation.
The final request for proposals was issued Feb. 7. Bid proposals are due by 4 p.m. ET April 9, and the anticipated award date is February 2020.
The current laboratory work is split between two contractors.
The former Wastren Advantage, which has been merged into Veolia Nuclear Solutions, provides laboratory analysis and testing under a five-year, $50 million contract due to expire in September 2020. The testing supports tank closure requirements and material transfers between tanks used to store Hanford’s 56 million gallons of radioactive and chemical waste, generated by decades of plutonium production.
AECOM-led Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) provides support services, maintenance, and other work for 222-S under its $7.1 billion tank waste management contract at Hanford, which has been extended through September.
The questions cover scope of work, workforce availability, pension issues, and a variety of details surrounding the performance-based contract that includes cost-plus-award-fee and cost reimbursement features.
In response to one question, the Energy Department staff said the 222-S Laboratory currently manages 25,000 samples per year.
