The largest corporate names in Energy Department environmental remediation were among more than 40 companies registered to attend briefings last week on the Central Plateau Cleanup Contract for the Hanford Site in Washington state.
AECOM, Bechtel, BWX Technologies, Fluor, Holtec, Jacobs, Navarro, North Wind, Orano, Perma-Fix, SNC-Lavalin, and Veolia were all registered with multiple representatives listed. In all about 100 people signed up to learn more about the $6.5 billion cleanup contract.
One bidding team comprised of AECOM, Fluor, and Atkins, an SNC-Lavalin company, has been firmed up, said one industry source who expects two additional contractor teams to emerge. AECOM does not comment on business opportunities or teaming arrangements, spokesman Keith Wood said by telephone Wednesday.
Incumbent CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation has received a one-year, $500 million contract extension to its 10-year contract, keeping it on the job through September 2019. The contractor was bought by Jacobs last year.
After issuing the draft request for proposals on Sept. 27, DOE’s Office of Environmental Management last week briefed industry members Oct. 16. Written comments on the draft RFP were due yesterday, and the department expects to post answers to questions submitted on the solicitation within the next couple of weeks.
The federal agency expects to issue the final RFP by the end of the calendar year.
As part of its contract reform effort, Environmental Management is asking contractors to submit proposals that result in reduced environmental risk and financial liability for the Department of Energy. Bidding teams are asked to propose risk-based “end states” or projects that can be finished within 10 years to achieve those goals.
In addition to deactivating, decommissioning and tearing down facilities at the former plutonium production complex, the Central Plateau work includes waste storage, treatment, and disposal.
The draft RFP says incentive fees could be anywhere from zero to 15 percent. Twenty-five percent of the estimated cost of the contract should be subcontracted, with 60 percent of the subcontracted work going to small businesses, DOE said.
