The Department of Energy expects within 60 days to issue a final request for proposals for a small business to provide technical assistance to the Carlsbad Field Office in New Mexico.
The DOE Office of Environmental Management announced its plans Thursday on a federal procurement website. Idaho-based North Wind Group is the incumbent, with a $45.5 million contract set to expire Dec. 4.
Work on the existing agreement, supporting the Energy Department office and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), started in November 2015 before North Wind purchased contract-holder Portage in 2017.
The DOE Environmental Management Consolidated Business Center (EMCBC) published a request for information (RFI)/sources sought notice for interested businesses in August 2019.
In addition to overseeing WIPP itself, the Carlsbad Field Office manages the national program that certifies packaging of transuranic waste at DOE generator sites for shipment to disposal in New Mexico.
The vendor is expected to assist the Carlsbad office in establishing chemical compatibility of TRU material headed to WIPP in order to provide problems like a waste drum overheating and causing a radiation leak. It will also draft audits and reports, conduct project management and mine engineering, and ensure compliance with environmental and safety regulations.
The Energy Department has set up a web page for the procurement. The primary contact is DOE Contracting Officer Ian Rexroad, who can be reached at ian.rexroad@emcbc.doe.gov.
