Consolidated Nuclear Security confirmed Wednesday it is investigating “potential discrepancies” between the hours employees at the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, say they worked and the hours recorded by badge readers at the nation’s only nuclear-weapons assembly site.
The local NBC affiliate, KAMR-TV, first reported the news.
The Bechtel National-led Consolidated Nuclear Security (CNS) in 2014 took over operation of both the Pantex Plant and the Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee from teams led by BWX Technologies.
A company spokesperson would not say when CNS discovered the discrepancies first reported by KAMR, or how widespread the potential irregularities are.
“When reviewing business reports CNS discovered what appear to be potential discrepancies between time entered in the timekeeping system and badge reader records at Pantex,” the company spokesperson said by email. “CNS began an investigation and notified the DOE Inspector General of its investigation. CNS is committed to conducting all work with the utmost integrity, and we are cooperating with the Inspector General’s office to investigate this issue.”
The contractor manages Pantex and Y-12 under an award worth about $2 billion annually over 10 years, including options. The NNSA exercised its first option in 2018, extending the deal two years beyond its five-year base into 2021.
