The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers expects in mid-June to issue the request for proposals for decommissioning of the long-retired SM-1 nuclear reactor at Fort Belvoir, Va., a senior official said Monday.
This will be the final version of the solicitation, as the procurement schedule did not allow time for a draft document that could be updated with input from vendors, said Brenda Barber, project manager for the Environmental and Munitions Design Center at the Army Corps’ Baltimore District.
The Army Corps expects in June 2020 to issue the cost-reimbursable contract, which would feature some fixed-price components. Decommissioning would be expected to take five years, according to an industry day presentation from February.
The contract would cover removal of all parts of the reactor and other contaminated material; preparation, transport, and disposal of waste; radiological surveys; demolition, and removal of contaminated soil.
Companies that sent representatives to the Feb. 8 industry day included AECOM, APTIM, Bechtel, BWX Technologies, Fluor, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, Leidos, and Orano.
The SM-1 reactor was retired in 1973 after 16 years of service at the base near Washington, D.C., mostly for training personnel to work at other sites within the U.S. Army Engineer Reactors Group.
An AECOM-Tidewater joint venture holds two contracts worth $8.5 million for decommissioning planning for the SM-1 reactor and another former nuclear power plant at Fort Greely, Alaska.
The Army Corps general counsel is reviewing a request from AECOM to be allowed to bid on the contract, to ensure there is no conflict with its existing contract, Barber said.
