Washington River Protection Solutions is looking for a subcontractor to fabricate, test, and deliver a replacement melter for low-activity radioactive waste at the Waste Treatment Plant being built at the U.S. Energy Department’s Hanford Site in Washington state.
The AECOM-led contractor, which manages storage of 56 million gallons of radioactive and chemical waste in 117 underground tanks, posted a presolicitation notice for the melter Monday in the Federal Business Opportunities website.
Bechtel has installed two melters at WTP and has fabricated a spare, a DOE spokesperson said Thursday. The Energy Department also tasked WRPS to procure an another additional spare melter, which is now underway. Spare melters will ensure continued tank waste treatment when the initial units reach the end of their operational life.
Interested subcontractors should file an intent to propose letter by 4 p.m. Pacific time on Nov. 11 to WRPS Procurement Specialist Chris Franz, at [email protected].
A company will not be considered for the contract unless it files such a notification. Companies that qualify for consideration will then be granted log-in credentials for a Hanford file transfer website that would be used for the actual solicitation. Questions on the procurement are due by noon Pacific time on Dec. 12 to Franz.
The project proposals deadline is 9 a.m. Pacific time on Jan. 13 via the Hanford file transfer website. The winning subcontractor should have experience in large engineering projects for the nuclear industry and should be able to self-perform 70% of the fabrication and assembly. The tank contractor will award the subcontract to a qualified vendor that presents the “best value,” according to the procurement documents.
As part of its tank operations contract at Hanford, WRPS will separate low-activity waste from the tanks and transfer it to the nearly complete Waste Treatment Plant being built by Bechtel. The WTP will convert the waste into a durable glass-like form for disposal, and the melter’s main job will be to convert blended low-activity waste slurry into molten glass to fill containers for long-term storage.
