Kenneth Fletcher
WC Monitor
2/13/2015
Savannah River Remediation, the liquid waste contractor for the Savannah River Site, earned 95 percent of its available award and incentive fee in Fiscal Year 2014, according to a fee determination scorecard the Department of Energy released this week. SRR earned $26.8 million in incentive fee and award fee out of a total of $28.5 million in available fee. This year’s numbers matches SRR’s FY’13 achievement, where it also earned 95 percent of a total of $31.4 million in award fee available. The FY’14 numbers include a $27,092 reduction in fee tied to the early departure last year of former SRR Project Manager Ken Rueter ahead of a two-year commitment, who was replaced by current Project Manager Stuart MacVean. Rueter went on to lead Oak Ridge cleanup contractor URS-CH2M Oak Ridge, LLC.
The Department praised SRR for its safety record, support responding to last year’s incidents at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, and strides made in improving conduct of engineering. DOE also noted the contractor’s effective management of staff during the October 2013 government shutdown. “SRR developed and executed a detailed plan for ‘imminent harm avoidance’ staffing due to the lapse in appropriations resulting in the least cost and impacts to the Government. SRR’s plan was used as the model for the M&O as well as other DOE sites across the complex,” the scorecard states. “Throughout the process, SRR management was engaged, led by example, ensured safe maintenance of the facilities, and demonstrated excellent contract and workforce management. Similar management excellence was displayed during the February freeze event and loss of steam incidents and recovered from both.”
DOE also noted several issues needing improvement, though, including identification of hazards at the Defense Waste Processing Facility and management of construction of a new Saltstone disposal unit. “SRR’s overall management of the SDU 6 project experienced numerous quality problems with the prime subcontractor during the outset of the project, resulting in schedule delays that have yet to be recovered. DOE-SR assessments identified several areas of weaknesses that SRR should have noted earlier,” the scorecard states.
SRR ‘Pleased to Be Recognized’
SRR is “pleased to be recognized with a score that reflects the progress made in the Savannah River Site (SRS) Liquid Waste Program and the hard work of our employees,” contractor spokesman Dean Campbell said in a statement. “We were faced with a number of unusual challenges early in the year – lapse in funds, record cold weather, an ice storm and an earthquake, etc. – and we were able to safely overcome those challenges with outstanding performance. We are confident that our performance and our efforts to find and implement efficiencies in our operations puts us on the right path to support the Salt Waste Processing Facility when it becomes operational and to reduce the State’s single largest environmental risk in South Carolina, the liquid waste in SRS tanks. We will continue to safely and efficiently disposition the tank waste and operationally close waste tanks as we work with DOE, regulators and stakeholders to ensure we are meeting expectations and doing the right things.”
