NNSA CONTINUING MOVE TOWARD LARGE BUSINESSES FOR GTRI WORK?

The National Nuclear Security Administration appears to be leaning more toward opening up its Global Threat Reduction Initiative small business Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contract to large businesses. The agency released another sources sought notice yesterday seeking companies to remove and transport nuclear fuel and other material from foreign research reactors around the world, asking small businesses to indicate how they would supply specialized engineering labor that the agency suggested had been largely handled in the past through large business subcontractors. “DOE/NNSA has experience that indicates small business vendors may be unable to satisfy the requirements of FAR 52.219-14(b)(1),” the agency said. “In past contracts the vast majority of the costs of contract performance incurred for personnel were incurred by large business cask vendors acting as subcontractors.” Specifically, the agency said the labor costs arose in the area of loading material into Type B casks, foreign research reactor site assessments and fuel assessments, and licensing and permitting activities in the U.S. and other countries. The agency asked small businesses to “thoroughly explain the skills, experience, training and/or certifications” that its personnel possessed, or explain how it would meet federal labor requirements if it was subcontracting the work out.