The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) awarded Lawrence Livermore National Security (LLNS), the M&O contractor for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, 89 percent of its award fee – $20.98 million of the available $23.63 million – for its performance in fiscal 2015.
The contractor received an “Excellent” rating on four of the six goals: managing the nuclear weapons mission; DOE and Strategic Partnership Project mission objectives; science, technology, and engineering; and leadership. It received a “Very Good” rating for global nuclear security threat reduction and operations and infrastructure.
LLNS is a consortium of Bechtel National, the University of California, BWX Technologies Government Group, AECOM, and subcontractor Battelle. Its contract with the NNSA, which has been worth between $1.3 million and $1.9 million per fiscal year over the last several years, expires at the end of September 2020.
The evaluation said the lab significantly improved the shot rate at its National Ignition Facility, setting a new record of 356 shots for the year, including 266 experiments in high-energy density and inertial confinement fusion for the Stockpile Stewardship Program. The National Ignition Facility, the world’s highest-energy laser, uses laser beams to create extreme temperatures and pressures similar to those inside nuclear weapons during detonation.
It also said researchers won a record-breaking number of awards – 10 NNSA Defense Programs Awards of Excellence in particular – and increased their publication and patent rates. Other accomplishments included workforce development through the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program, which supported over half of the postdocs working at the lab. Meanwhile, the evaluation noted that “institutional funding shortfalls” and an increase in preventive maintenance activities have caused growth in the deferred maintenance and work order backlogs at the lab. It said a significant water line failure at one of the lab’s facilities in 2015 led to a loss of thousands of gallons of water and was caused in part by “a dysfunctional work environment in the Maintenance and Utilities Services Department.”
Lawrence Livermore spokeswoman Lynda Seaver said by email, “We’re very proud to see our work recognized by NNSA. These ratings reflect tremendous accomplishments for our Laboratory, such as the record number of NIF shots in FY15, and are indicative of the Lab’s strong capabilities in applying science and technology to meet critical national security needs.”
