The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration ability to reimburse contract workers for commuting expenses could help in recruiting and job retention, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said this week.
NNSA oversees eight government-owned, contractor-operated sites and relies on around 70,000 management and operating (M&O) contractor employees to carry out the agency’s mission, according to GAO’s Tuesday report,
These sites are undergoing a multi-billion-dollar modernization, which intensifies commuting concerns, according to the report.
The Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of fiscal 2025, allow NNSA to reimburse workers for public transit subsidies and other commuter perks. Park-and-ride shuttles are also authorized for approved plans.
GAO found as of July, only one of the agency’s M&O contractors had planned to submit a transportation proposal plan. The sole contractor was Triad National Security, which manages the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.
NNSA’s legislative proposal for commuter’s reimbursement was driven by a shuttle service pilot program that the Los Alamos contractor conducted in 2023, according to GAO.
“The contractor started the pilot in 2023 to address challenges with the growing workforce supporting the plutonium pit production mission at the laboratory,” as stated in the report.
Other contractors said they did not submit a plan due to “available transportation services, sufficient on-site parking, or lack of accessible mass transit facilities due to a remote location,” according to the report.
Triad submitted a transportation plan for fiscal 2025 through 2030 that would include park-and-ride shuttles, new off-site parking from additional shuttle bus routes and transit and vanpool subsidies.
The contractor planned to implement the park-and-ride shuttle bus in fiscal 2025, which ended Oct. 1. The other services will be added in fiscal 2026 and beyond, GAO said.
In May the Los Alamos management contractor estimated the multi-year plan would cost $74.4 million.
Under NNSA’s oversight framework, Triad will have primary responsibilities overseeing the transportation plans. Triad will provide monthly and annual assessment of the transportation plan’s costs and benefits, GAO said, citing interviews with NNSA representatives.
DOE’s Office of Inspector General can also carry out audits of the contractor commuting authority, GAO said in the report.
NNSA anticipates challenges to come about with the proposed transportation plan.
“NNSA officials we [GAO] interviewed said they anticipate challenges with assessing some of Triad’s intended benefits and overseeing the transportation services, given longstanding human capital constraints for contractor oversight,” according to the report.
NNSA contracting officers at Los Alamos provided comments to Triad’s third revised proposal plan from July and are reviewing the plan, according to GAO.
GAO conducted the performance audit from this January to September.
GAO said NNSA received a draft of the report and provided technical comments. The agency’s comments were incorporated into the report as needed, according to the report.