Not much sooner than Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette provided the guidance for doing so, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) added language to its prime contracts for major nuclear-weapon sites for billing the government for paid time off given to workers who couldn’t do their job because of COVID-19.
The agency had not posted the language of the COVID-19 modifications by deadline Tuesday, but a federal procurement database shows the prime contracts for the major NNSA labs and production sites, along with the Nevada National Security Site, all were modified to include COVID-19 relief language last week.
“As of April 16, 2020, all NNSA M&O contracts were modified to incorporate a contract clause to implement Section 3610 of the CARES Act,” a spokesperson at NNSA headquarters wrote in an email Tuesday morning.
Under Section 3610 of the CARES Act — the COVID-19 bailout bill that became law on March 27 — Department of Energy contractors can seek reimbursement for paid time off granted between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30, 2020.
Contractors may not bill the government for more than 40 hours per week of paid leave per employee, including sick leave, according to the CARES Act. The law lets DOE tap into funding provided by that legislation, any subsequent COVID-19 bailouts, or any other appropriation, through the end of the 2020 fiscal year.
Contractors seeking reimbursement, including for subcontractors, must represent that they are not double-dipping into other CARES Act relief funds.
