Below is Nuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor’s annual digest of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) performance evaluation summaries: the agency’s report cards for its big contracts, which explain how much management and operations entities earned for their performance.
The Monitor has provided links to NNSA source documents.
Kansas City National Security Campus, Kansas City, Mo. Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technology.
- Total fee earned for fiscal 2023: $62.4 million of a possible $67.3 million, including $19.3 million worth of fixed fees.
- Total award fee earned: $43.1 million/90% of available $48 million.
- Adjectival: Very Good, “exceeding many of the objectives and key outcomes under the PEMP goals, meeting overall cost, schedule, and technical performance requirements with accomplishments that greatly outweighed issues.”
- 2023 was the third option period on the company’s contract. Two one-year options remain.
- “Shipped the Last Production Unit (LPU) Arming, Fusing & Firing (AF&F) assembly, marking the completion of the W76-1 Life Extension Program.”
- “[I]ssues included not effectively managing critical production processes or resolution of the subsequent, production issue which drove increased design agency leadership, technical and safety Subject Matter Expert (SME) work scope, initiated substantial actions from multiple NNSA federal offices, and ultimately required senior level NNSA adjudication.”
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, Calif., Lawrence Livermore National Security (University of California and Bechtel National, with AECOM and BWX Technologies).
- Total fee earned for fiscal 2023: $76.3 million of a possible $79.1 million, including $30.8 million worth of fixed fees.
- Total award fee earned: $45.5 million/94% of available $48.3 million
- Adjectival: Excellent: “exceeding almost all of the Objectives and Key Outcomes. LLNS successfully achieved fusion ignition in the National Ignition Facility (NIF), receiving very positive media attention and high accolades from the scientific community worldwide for this historic accomplishment, opening an entirely new energy regime with important implications to stockpile stewardship and clean energy production.”
- Contract ends Sept. 30, 2026, all options exercised.
- “Executed W80-4 baseline replan per requirements on schedule to support new First Production Unit date of FY 2027.”
- “A number of product review teams experienced delays, including the System Test and Qualification for the W87-1 and the Pellet Can Assembly (PCA).”
Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, N.M. Triad National Security (University of California, Battelle Memorial Institute, Texas A&M University, with industry subcontractors Fluor Corp. and Huntington Ingalls).
- Total fee earned for fiscal 2023: $48.7 million of a possible $51.6 million, including $24.4 million worth of fixed fees.
- Total award fee earned: $24.3 million/89% of available $27.2 million.
- Adjectival: Very Good. “exceeding many of the objectives and key outcomes under the PEMP [Performance Evaluation and Measurement Plan] goals, generally meeting overall cost, schedule, and technical performance requirements with accomplishments that greatly outweigh issues.”
- In 2022, the NNSA picked up all five one-year options on Triad’s contract, extending the team through Nov. 1, 2028.
- “Provided exemplary Design Authority support for stockpile modernization and sustainment.”
- “Delays in PF-4 [Plutonium Facility] work execution schedules due to poor coordination of work activities”
Nevada National Security Site, Mission Support and Test Services (Honeywell International, with Jacobs, and Stoller Newport News Nuclear).
- Total fee earned for fiscal 2023: $30.9 million of a possible $34.3 million, including $2.7 million worth of fixed fees.
- Total award fee earned: $28.2 million/89% of available $31.6 million.
- Adjectival: Very Good: “exceeding many of the objectives under the PEMP goals, generally meeting overall cost, schedule, and technical performance requirements with accomplishments that greatly outweighed issues.”
- The company’s contract, which initially ran through 2022, was extended through 2027.
- “Successfully supported multiple Subcritical Experiments series simultaneously including data analysis, diagnostic support, development, and equipment refurbishment.”
- Within Goal 4, which includes construction of site infrastructure such as the U1a Complex Enhancements Project, “[l]ine-[i]tem projects continue to be behind schedule” and “[d]eficiencies were identified with the integrated work control process.”
NNSA Production Office. Pantex Plant, Amarillo, Texas, and Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge, Tenn. Consolidated Nuclear Security (Bechtel National, with Leidos, Northrop Grumman, and SOC).
- Total fee earned for fiscal 2023: $97.6 million of a possible $108.7 million, including $1.6 million worth of fixed fees.
- Total award fee earned: $95.9 million/90% of available $107 million.
- Adjectival: Very Good: “exceeding many of the objectives and key outcomes under the PEMP goals, generally meeting overall cost, schedule, and technical performance requirements with accomplishments that greatly outweigh issues.”
- NNSA in 2022 extended Consolidated Nuclear Security’s management contract through 2025. The agency planned to separate the Pantex and Y-12 management and operations contracts beginning in fiscal year 2024 with the award of a new Pantex site contract. The agency also planned to solicit bids for a new Y-12 site contract in fiscal year 2024.
- “Notable accomplishments included exceeding the baseline for B61-12 Life Extension Program (LEP) assembly, B61-12 LEP Canned Subassembly, Base Surveillance at Pantex and Y-12, W88 Disassemblies, and Warhead Dismantlements. CNS met the baseline for W76-1 Rebuilds, W88 Alteration (ALT) 370 assembly, and B61 Disassembly LEP.”
- “Experienced an egregious Nuclear Criticality Safety (NCS) occurrence at Y-12, which identified issues with NCS infractions due to personnel errors and NCS control implementation. CNS responded appropriately to the severity of the event and continues to aggressively work actions to prevent recurrence.”
Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, N.M., and Livermore, Calif. National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia (wholly owned Honeywell International subsidiary).
- Total fee earned for fiscal 2023: $42.8 million of a possible $43.6 million, including $34 million worth of fixed fees.
- Total award fee earned: $8.6 million/91% of available $9.5 million.
- Adjectival: Excellent: “exceeding almost all of the objectives and key outcomes under the PEMP goals, generally meeting overall cost, schedule, and technical performance requirements with accomplishments that significantly outweighed issues.”
- In 2022, the NNSA picked up all five one-year options on National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia’s contract, extending the team through fiscal year 2027.
- “Completed the W80-4 Pre-Production Engineering Gate review, garnering NNSA authorization to proceed into the next phase.”
- “Missed key intermediate deliverables for the W87-1 program and experienced technical challenges in component testing, resulting in increased schedule risk.”
Savannah River Site, Aiken, S.C. Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (Fluor, with Honeywell International and Stoller Newport News Nuclear).
- Total award fee earned for NNSA work in fiscal 2023: $49 million of a possible $56.4 million. There is no fixed fee for the contractor’s NNSA’s work at the site.
- Adjectival: “Very Good.”
- “SRNS delivered all Tritium shipments on time and executed all surveillance activities as scheduled.”
- “SRNS completed first shipment of downblended Pu to Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in December 2022 and completed a total of 13 shipments of downblended Pu to WIPP during the period.”
- “SRNS has not been able to perform and report to the submitted Performance Measurement baseline for the SRPPF [Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility] Project. SRNS attention to design production for SRPPF is necessary to recover and maintain the SRPPF design performance baseline.”
