A venture called Carlsbad Operations Alliance LLC has filed a bid protest with the Government Accountability Office challenging the Department of Energy’s selection of a Bechtel-led entity to serve as the next prime contractor for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

A notice of the contract challenge dated Monday was filed online with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) website. The notice said GAO expects to rule on the protest by Nov. 9. 

Multiple industry sources said Wednesday Carlsbad Operations Alliance appears to be a joint venture led by Westinghouse. One of the sources said Veolia is also a partner. A Westinghouse spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment. A Veolia spokesperson declined comment.

An Internet search indicated Carlsbad Operations Alliance has an office in Hopkins, S.C., and is in the hazardous waste treatment and disposal business, according to a notice with a government procurement website

Carlsbad Operations Alliance marks the second entity to contest the July 11 selection of Bechtel’s Tularosa Basin Range Services, doing business as Salado Isolation Mining Contractors, over four other contractor teams.  The winner’s contended contract could be worth $3 billion over 10 years, with options. 

National TRU Solutions, a joint venture led by Huntington Ingalls Industries, was the first to protest the award, filing protest with GAO last week.

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is currently managed and operated for DOE by Nuclear Waste Partnership, a team of Amentum and BWX Technologies. It is the United States only underground disposal site for defense transuranic waste.