The Energy Department has issued a draft request for proposals (RFP) for a contract potentially worth up to $904 million over seven years for analysis services at the 222-S Laboratory at the Hanford Site in Washington state.
The current contract, held by Veolia subsidiary Wastren Advantage, ends on Sept. 20, 2020, DOE said in a Monday news release. The Energy Department said the draft RFP is meant to glean information from interested small businesses and help set the stage for a final version due in the last three months of this year.
Interested parties should provide their feedback on the draft RFP by Sept. 7. The Energy Department said it “does not anticipate posting responses to any comments, questions, suggested changes, and/or feedback received; however, all input will be considered in developing the Final RFP.”
Among other things, Contracting Officer Wendy L. Bauer wants to know if the initial document is clear and whether it contains any restrictive barriers to competition. The draft solicitation provides for a small business set-aside.
A presolicitation conference on the draft RFP, which would include a site tour and one-on-one meetings, should occur from Aug. 21-23, DOE said. Participants should register with DOE by 2 p.m. Pacific time on Aug. 10.
Hanford’s Office of River Protection (ORP) is responsible for overseeing the 222-S Analytical Laboratory Facilities. Questions, feedback, and formal responses on the draft RFP should be submitted to: [email protected].
The 70,000-square-foot facility handles highly radioactive samples to support tank-to-tank transfers of Hanford’s radioactive waste by testing waste compatibility and physical traits. The contract covers analytical chemistry production services, testing, research, and related lab work to support environmental cleanup at the former plutonium production complex.
Bidding Pipeline Stays Full at Hanford
Also this week, a DOE official said a final RFP could soon hit the street for another contract at the Hanford Site.
The procurement notice for the potential 10-year, $4 billion Hanford Mission Essential Services contract could be out by the end of August, Norbert Doyle, deputy assistant secretary for acquisition and project management in the Office of Environmental Management, said Tuesday. The document is undergoing final tweaks, said the official, who was previously acting in that post.
Mission Support Alliance, a team of Leidos and Centerra Group, owns the current contract through May 25, 2019, covering security, other emergency services, land management, and running the Hazardous Materials Management and Emergency Response (HAMMER) training site.
The Environmental Management office issued the draft RFP for the “landlord” contract in November 2017. “We received a lot of comments on that,” and they had to be addressed, Doyle said during a meeting in Washington, D.C., on doing business with DOE’s nuclear cleanup office.
The Energy Department also in June issued a final RFP for a potential $125 million contract to provide occupational medical services to employees at Hanford. The contract could last for up to seven years, including options. The deadline for submitting bids is Aug. 14, Doyle noted. The incumbent is HPM Corp. of Kennewick, Wash.
The draft occupational medical solicitation generated 85 questions to DOE, on topics ranging from contract requirements to the practicality of bidders pursuing both the health services contract and the Hanford Mission Essential Services work. The Energy Department did not definitively say if this would be a potential conflict of interest. It added, however, it dislikes the idea of a bidder simply divesting one of the contracts in case it won both.
“When the Government accepts an offer, it expects performance by the team proposed,” because part of the award is based on past performance, DOE said in the online filing. “Divestiture after award may compromise the integrity of the award.” DOE said.
In July, the agency delayed release of a draft RFP for Hanford’s Central Plateau cleanup pending meetings with prospective bidders from Aug. 14 to Aug. 16. CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation is the incumbent under a roughly $6 billion, 10-year contract that focuses on elimination of high hazard waste streams, and remediation of contaminated groundwater plumes before they reach the Columbia River. The contract was set to expire Sept. 30, but DOE said in June it plans an extension of up to one year.
The latest cleanup office procurement schedule, which Doyle alluded to during his presentation, does not yet list an estimated dollar range or target dates for either the draft or final RFPs for the Central Plateau cleanup contract.
