Staff Reports
WC Monitor
7/17/2015
Last month’s award of a new contract to manage the Department of Energy’s Transuranic Waste Processing Center in Oak Ridge has been challenged by three of the unsuccessful bidders. DOE earlier said seven proposals were submitted for the $123.9 million contract, which was awarded to North Wind Solutions LLC.
According the Government Accountability Office website, the protests were filed by Aerostar Perma-Fix TRU Services LLC, Omega Technical Services Inc., and ARS EnergX LLC. The protests will delay, if not change, the contract transition in Oak Ridge, and DOE said steps have been taken to ensure continuing operations while the appeals process plays out.
Mike Koentop, executive officer of DOE’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, said the existing contract with Wastren Advantage has been extended until Oct. 18 to give time for the protests to be evaluated. “The federal procurement process allows for protests, and we respect the process,” Koentop said. “The WAI contract has been extended until Oct. 18, which should allow adequate time for the protest to be resolved. However, if necessary, we do have three, one-month options on the WAI contract.”
