The Department of Energy liked what it saw in Washington River Protection Solutions’ tank waste management at the Hanford Site in Washington state during fiscal 2020.
The DOE awarded the Amentum-Atkins partnership about $42.58 million or 95% out of a potential $45 million in fees for overseeing Hanford’s 56 million gallons of highly radioactive and chemical waste stored in 177 underground tanks during the fiscal year ended Sept. 30.
The contractor team earned 100% of its objective goals for $28.79 million in addition to 85% or $13.79 million for its subjectively-judged performance by DOE.
The contractor was rated “excellent” by DOE for implementing its safety program and managing its response to the COVID-19 pandemic during 2020. Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) was rated “very good” or “good” in eight other areas, while two other areas connected with planned transition to a new tank farms manager were “deleted.”
DOE this month decided to cancel a $13-billion tank closure contract awarded in May to a BWX Technologies-led team. The agency said just before Christmas it would keep the incumbent on until September of 2021, unless the government picks a new contractor before then.
Washington River Protection Solutions was also praised for regulatory approval and starting early construction of the tank-side cesium removal project.
Likewise, three other contractors at the DOE’s largest and most expensive cleanup site did well in scorecards published by the agency this week. Those contractors are nearing the end of their tenure and won’t be sticking around too deep into 2021.
Jacobs subsidiary CH2M Plateau Remediation was scheduled to end its run as Hanford’s Central Plateau cleanup contractor Jan. 24. That is also the same date as Leidos-led Mission Support Alliance’s last day as the landlord contractor for Hanford.
Also heading out soon is Veolia, which by virtue of acquiring Wastren Advantage holds the current Laboratory Analysis and Testing Contract at Hanford’s 222-S Laboratory. The contractor will exit 100 days from Jan. 5. A Navarro-led team will take over the lab.
CH2M Plateau Remediation claimed $17.16 million or roughly 85% of a potential $20.1 million available fee in fiscal 2020. The company netted more than two-thirds, $6.48 million, of a potential $9.42 million in subjective fee.
The DOE gave CH2M kudos for coping with the coronavirus, securing permits to support direct-feed-low-activity waste and treating over 2.4 billion gallons of groundwater. The Jacobs contractor needed to improve its subcontractor audits as well as its nuclear safety interface with DOE, according to the scorecard.
Mission Support Alliance, the Leidos-Centerra team that oversees landlord chores like road maintenance, recordkeeping and site security, got good marks for the period between October 2019 and May 25, 2020.
Mission Support Alliance pulled down about 93% or $16.85 million out of a potential $18.2-million. The DOE praised the contractor for spearheading Hanford’s implementation of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. Likewise, it helped thousands of Hanford’s employees move to remote work and kept the lights and other utilities on as much of Hanford’s workforce starting returning on-site in late May after the initial COVID lockdown.
Finally, Veolia earned $232,000 out of a potential $250,000 in fee for the period between Sept. 21, 2019 and Sept. 20 of this year. The DOE noted that laboratory technicians enjoyed a nearly 98% rating for proficient and on-time delivery of analysis tests from waste tank samples at Hanford.
