Sandia Corp. has received the highest marks among the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) nuclear weapons labs in the agency’s newly released fiscal 2016 performance evaluations. Each national laboratory contractor was rated in six performance areas, each carrying a different weight, which were used to determine the award fees the contractor would receive for the period.
Sandia Corp., the Lockheed Martin subsidiary that manages the Sandia National Laboratories headquartered in Albuquerque, N.M., received an overall “excellent” rating and 91 percent of its award fee, for a total of $27.6 million of the available $27.8 million. The NNSA said Sandia exceeded expectations in its nuclear weapons mission work, as well as in infrastructure, business operations, and other areas.
Among those achievements were its support for B61-12 life extension program execution, surveillance testing for certification of the nuclear stockpile, and improvements in high-performance computing capabilities. The lab also generated $132 million in cost efficiencies during the budget year through “innovative solutions” for the NNSA complex, according to the evaluation, which covered operations from Oct. 1, 2015, to Sept. 30, 2016.
The NNSA said Sandia fell short of expectations in “arresting the rate of Incidents of Security Concern,” referring to information security breaches. It said the number of Category A incidents remains high – this high-significance category includes incidents of loss or theft of special nuclear materials and classified matter, as well as events significant enough to require notification to NNSA headquarters.
“Sandia vastly improved its assessment, trending, and corrective actions for Category A incidents,” the evaluation said. “Although improved management attention and increased emphasis on security incidents is clearly visible, these efforts have not yet yielded positive results in reducing majority security incidents.” Still, the evaluation lauded the lab’s safeguards and security program overall and noted that its security assurance program has been identified as “best in class.” Sandia received 85 percent of its award fee in its fiscal 2015 evaluation.
“Sandia National Laboratories is gratified that NNSA has recognized the overall great work by Sandia employees in nuclear weapons, science, technology and engineering, strategic partnerships and reducing nuclear security threats,” lab spokeswoman Heather Clark said by email. The NNSA last month awarded the Sandia management and operations contract to a subsidiary of Honeywell International. The current contract expires on April 30.
Lawrence Livermore National Security, the contractor managing the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, received a rating of “very good” and 86 percent of its award fee, for a total of $37 million of the available $40.4 million. The NNSA commended the lab’s progress in advanced manufacturing, high energy density physics, plutonium science, and its National Ignition Facility, as well as its project support for international nonproliferation and nuclear security engagements.
The evaluation noted challenges in security incident management because of which “LLNL was unable to exceed overall expectations in safeguards and security, which is a critical functional area.” It highlighted security performance lapses and an increase in the number and severity of security incidents throughout the fiscal year, including issues involving access control and the protection of classified matter.
“Despite an increase in the number and severity of security incidents as well as engagement by senior NNSA leadership, LLNL management has been slow to acknowledge these performance issues or take ownership; this is not indicative of a positive security culture,” the NNSA said. LLNS received 89 percent of its award fee in its fiscal 2015 evaluation.
“Overall we are very pleased with the grade and believes it reflects the important role the laboratory plays in serving the nation,” LLNL spokeswoman Lynda Seaver said by email. “As for the security management issues, the Lab believes its world class science and research are best sustained by strong foundations of security and safety,” she said, adding that LLNL has been working with the NNSA to ensure it meets its responsibilities in these areas.
Los Alamos National Security, the contractor managing the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, received an overall rating of “very good” and 85 percent of its award fee, for a total of $58.9 million of an available $65.2 million. The NNSA highlighted accomplishments such as design development for the B61-12 life-extension program, and significant progress with operational resumption activities for the Plutonium Facility and the Weapons Engineering Tritium Facility. It noted that LANL achieved readiness for the Plutonium Facility and resumed additional plutonium pit surveillance work in addition to conducting ongoing surveillance and weapons evaluation activities to devise weapons reliability reports on the state of the nuclear stockpile.
The evaluation noted some problems, including the improper disposal of a mixed low-level waste drum on the site, cybersecurity weaknesses in the lab’s public facing web servers, and the discovery of an abandoned drum containing special nuclear material during a radiological survey of the lab’s plutonium facility site. Challenges also included the “unacceptably slow pace” of improvements to the criticality safety program, which has required “significant rework” to improve criticality safety evaluation quality.
Still, the NNSA said: “While program improvements are evident: evaluation quality is improving, staff are being trained and qualified, and facility implementation at the plutonium facility is improving; the improvements are not universal and the rate of improvement is below expectations.” LANS received 74 percent of its award fee in its fiscal 2015 evaluation. The current management and operations contract for the lab was extended for one year for a final award term and will now expire on September 30, 2018.
An internal memo from LANL Director Charles McMillan to staff highlighted lab accomplishments such as the Plutonium Facility restart, B61 and W88 Alt 370 life extension program progress, exascale computing support, and contributions to the nuclear nonproliferation mission. “As I have stated many times in the past, the people of the Laboratory are and will remain this institution’s greatest asset. The mission and operational successes of 2016 are a tribute to your spirit and character,” McMillan said in the memo, obtained by NS&D Monitor.
Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, the contractor that manages the Savannah River Site near Aiken, S.C., received 84 percent of its award fee, for a total of $15.3 million of the available $18.1 million. The NNSA highlighted SRNS’ work to recycle and recover weapons-related materials in support of directed stockpile work and recapitalize equipment supporting the tritium program. The agency also noted that the Savannah River National Laboratory facilitated the removal of separated plutonium from two countries in Europe as part of the NNSA Material Management and Minimization program.
SRNS also helped the NNSA plan the development of a surplus plutonium disposition life-cycle cost estimate for the dilution and disposal approach recommended by the Department of Energy. SRNS completed a comprehensive cost estimate plan with activity estimates and schedule development, which the evaluation said “is a very high priority to NNSA and could define the future of the Department’s [plutonium] disposition program.” This plutonium disposition method is intended to take the place of the Mixed Oxide program the current administration is trying to shutter, the facility for which is still under construction at the site.
The NNSA noted some issues in work planning and controls and critical spare parts management. Problems with the contractor’s procurement program placed tritium operations at risk, the evaluation said. “For example, [the Savannah River Tritium Enterprise] experienced a significant issue when critical spare parts were not available, nor was the system responsive, when the facilities experienced a significant increase in tritium air monitor booster pump flow switch failures,” it said. SRNS received 74 percent of its award fee in its fiscal 2015 evaluation.
“The Savannah River Site’s work is vitally important to the nation and its security. It’s work that we are proud to do, so it makes us extremely proud that NNSA values the way we carry it out,” SRNS spokeswoman Angeline French said by email. “We work closely with our NNSA customers throughout the year, so areas of concern are discussed throughout the year, not just in the end-of-the-year evaluation. As a result, we have action plans to address those areas such as work planning and critical spare parts.”
