DOE IG: Improvements Needed After Delays at Hanford?s PFP

After numerous issues led to a three-year delay and increased costs at Hanford’s Plutonium Finishing Plant, additional steps should be taken to improve performance and oversight at the project, according to a Department of Energy Inspector General report released yesterday. D&D work at the former plutonium processing facility was originally expected to be complete by September 2013 for a total of $581 million, but now is not slated for completion until September 2016 for a total of $932 million, the report notes. DOE encountered numerous problems with the work performed by contractor CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Company, including productivity issues, insufficient labor resources and a malfunctioning crane needed to complete D&D, the report says.

 

While CHPRC has implemented actions to tackle those issues, contract oversight by DOE Richland also needs to be worked on. “While we recognize that CHPRC acted to address a number of productivity problems, we identified areas of needed improvement in Richland’s administration of the CHPRC contract,” the IG report states. DOE Richland should better enforce existing contract requirements related to risks and potential problems and issues, adequately track performance problems and complete formal quality assurance audits and assessments. CHPRC should develop corrective action plans to address the productivity problems. DOE Richland agreed with the recommendations and proposed corrective actions in a response attached to the report.