A project baseline that includes costs and timelines for the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility’s (SRPPF) main building was submitted for federal review in January, with no projections for when it might be acted upon.
While awaiting approval, Fluor-led Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS), the management contractor at the 310-square-mile Savannah River Site in Aiken, S.C., has been scrutinized for its handling of the work at SRPPF, a facility expected to help increase the nation’s plutonium pit stockpile.
Fluor Federal Services has the construction management contract for the plutonium pits facility at Savannah River.
An SRNS spokesperson recently told ExchangeMonitor that the baseline was submitted on Jan. 30 to the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), the semiautonomous branch of the Department of Energy. Details of the baseline were not provided, since it is a projection that was seeking approval.
“SRNS submitted its contractor performance baseline for major construction of the SRPPF Main Process Building,” the spokesperson said. “The package is currently under federal review by NNSA.”
NNSA was asked if the review process is ongoing, when a decision will be made. In a brief response, a spokesperson said, “NNSA continues to work closely with Savannah River Nuclear Solutions to evaluate the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility project baseline and identify opportunities to improve execution.”
As baseline numbers loom, SRNS awaits the fate of its contract. The contract for the Fluor-led company runs out in September, but NNSA has implied it won’t pick up the one-year option for 2027.
In May, when NNSA Director Brandon Williams announced they are rebidding SRNS’ contract, because the timeline and budget are “not acceptable.” Two months prior, the NNSA issued a request for proposal for a new M&O contract at Savannah River. “We do not have additional information to share regarding future contracting decisions,” the NNSA spokesperson said on Tuesday. “When appropriate, NNSA will provide updates through the appropriate public channels.”
For SRNS’ part, a contractor spokesperson said they continue working with the federal agency to improve costs and schedule, and “recognized the need to drive changes across the organization.” Additionally, SRNS enacted several management changes to improve their performance at the SRPPF.
“The SRPPF team has collaborated with other sites across the Nuclear Security Enterprise to identify best practices and opportunities for improvement,” the contractor added. “SRNS is working with mission partners to identify commercial construction standards that, when appropriately implemented, will improve project cost and schedule performance.”