The Energy Department and some potential contractors are keeping quiet as the agency reviews the bids for the new liquid waste contract at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina.
The department could announce an award in early April, based on the June 30, 2017, expiration date on incumbent Savannah River Remediation’s contract and the follow-on deal’s 90-day transition period. The new contract could be worth up to $6 billion over 10 years, including a two-year option period.
Bidding pits AECOM, lead parent company in incumbent contractor Savannah River Remediation, against Fluor and BWX Technologies, Weapons Complex Monitor learned last year. Bechtel National is said to be part of one of these teams. Westinghouse could also be part of Fluor’s team. Irving, Texas-based Fluor last week disclosed it is the majority owner of a new joint venture company called Fluor–Westinghouse Liquid Waste Services.
Savannah River Remediation is rounding out an eight-year, $4.1 billion contract. AECOM leads the consortium, with partners Bechtel National, CH2M, and BWXT. Each of the four companies registered representatives for the April 2016 presolicitation conference on the new contract, alongside other major DOE contractors including Fluor, Parsons, AREVA, Honeywell, and EnergySolutions.
BWXT spokesman Jud Simmons said Wednesday the company “remains interested in a number of significant opportunities for the Department of Energy where the mission matches our expertise and experience, but we don’t have any announcements to make at this time regarding the specific contracts we are pursuing or other companies with whom we would partner.”
A Bechtel official also said by email he could not comment on the company’s interest in the liquid waste contract, nor any potential partners on the work. In July the company said it would “carefully evaluate the opportunity.” An industry source subsequently told Weapons Complex Monitor that Bechtel is part of a team bidding on the work.
AECOM and CH2M did not respond to inquiries Wednesday. AECOM has confirmed it is bidding on the follow-on contract.
An agency spokesperson said “DOE does not publicly comment on ongoing procurement actions.”
The Energy Department issued the draft request for proposals (RFP) for SRS liquid waste services in March 2016, followed by the final document last June.
The contract covers operations of existing SRS facilities for storage, treatment, stabilization, and disposal of radioactive liquid waste. Specifically, the new contract calls for cleaning up 10 tanks’ worth of bulk waste, including eight in the deal’s eight-year base period, and closing down seven tanks, including five in the base period.
The contract awardee will also be responsible for preparing for on-site storage some 72 million gallons of radioactive salt waste extracted from liquid tank waste by the Salt Waste Processing Facility built by Parsons Government Services. That includes 42 million gallons of salt waste in the eight-year base period.
