A Government Accountability Office hearing on a protest of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Y-12/Pantex award by Babcock & Wilcox-led Nuclear Production Partners (NP2) has been pushed back until Monday. The hearing was supposed to take place yesterday, but Ralph White, the GAO’s managing associate general counsel, confirmed that it had been delayed. White did not say why the hearing had been moved to Monday. Hearings can sometimes be delayed due to schedule conflicts with lawyers involved, or weather-related factors.
NP2’s protest is its third of NNSA’s selection of Bechtel-led Consolidated Nuclear Security. The GAO convened a hearing during NP2’s first protest of the contract, which it sustained, but it did not hold a hearing in NP2’s second protest, which was rejected. In its November protest, NP2 argued that the NNSA allowed Consolidated Nuclear Security to unfairly alter its proposal, made mathematical errors in calculating the cost savings contained in its bid, and improperly evaluated CNS’ key personnel. The GAO has until Feb. 28 to rule on the protest.
