A preproposal conference and site tour for the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Kansas City National Security Campus procurement yesterday drew representatives from just one company, incumbent Kansas City contractor Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies. The public and press were barred from attending the preproposal conference and site tour, which was open only to representatives from companies that filed a non-binding Intent to Submit an Offer with the agency, but the low attendance at the preproposal conference and site tour raises questions about the likelihood of competition for the plant management and operating contract. Industry officials had already wondered whether there would be competition for the contract because of a strong emphasis on past performance, a lack of technical approach required, and a focus on nuclear manufacturing in the Request for Proposals. That, combined with the daunting task of competing against Honeywell, one of the top performing contractors in the weapons complex in recent years, has fueled speculation that companies could shy away from bidding for the contract.
The contract drew initial interest from top Pentagon contractors like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, BAE Systems, and Raytheon along with IBM and Babcock & Wilcox. The NNSA did not respond to a request for comment on the attendance at the preproposal conference. NNSA spokeswoman Shelley Laver previously said the agency received interest from “several potential offerors” after issuing a Request for Information in June. “The RFI also requested industry input on potential barriers to competition as well as suggestions to streamline and improve the procurement process,” Laver said in November. “NNSA considered the input from industry in its decision and in its approach to the competition, and NNSA believes the resulting procurement will be highly competitive.”
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