Brian Bradley
NS&D Monitor
7/17/2015
The Energy Department and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are seeking sources to determine the feasibility of building a 64,800-square-foot construction support facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex, estimated to cost between $10 million and $25 million and to require about 1 1/2 years to complete, according to an announcement posted on FedBizOpps late Tuesday afternoon. “The proposed project is for the design and construction of a three-story, weather tight, fully accessible, Construction Support Building (CSB) at the Y-12 National Security Complex,” the notice states. A government source with knowledge of the project told NS&D Monitor this week that any contract would probably be awarded by this fall. The announcement asks interested parties to respond by July 29, and notes any resulting contract could be a set-aside if “a reasonable number of interested small business concerns” exist. The National Nuclear Security Administration referred questions to USACE, which did not respond to requests for comment by press time. Y-12 also did not respond to a request for comment.
The sources notice suggests any resultant contract is estimated to run 480 days, and the work scope could entail building LEED Gold certified office buildings three stories or taller. DOE/USACE is also asking interested construction firms to provide “no more than three” examples of contracts at greater than 95 percent completion or projects completed in the last five years in which the company served as the prime contractor.
UPF Makes Significant Progress
The building appears intended to support Y-12’s Uranium Processing Facility (UPF) infrastructure project, which has made significant progress of late. USACE in June awarded a $5.89 million contract to Emerald-A&H Joint Venture for site infrastructure and services at UPF. The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board also recently released a site representative report from June 5 that detailed progress in Material-at-Risk (MAR) reductions, which are part of a Uranium Infrastructure Strategy meant to aid in transitioning out of Y-12’s aging UPF Building 9212. The report says Consolidated Nuclear Security (CNS), the contractor that manages Y-12, has incorporated MAR reductions into the Safety Analysis Report and Technical Safety Requirements for Building 9212. The building’s capabilities are set to eventually be replaced by the UPF.
