The Energy Department could issue a draft request for proposals this month for a paramilitary security services contract at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, according to a recently updated list of major procurements from DOE’s Office of Environmental Management (EM).
The final RFP for the contract, forecast to be worth $1 billion to $3 billion, is expected to go out by the end of this calendar year, the schedule shows. Centerra-SRS holds the current 10-year, $1 billion contract, which expires on Oct. 7, 2019.
The company has indicated it expects to compete for a subsequent contract at the 310-square-mile site, which is home to DOE nuclear weapons and environmental remediation programs, along with the Savannah River National Laboratory. The agreement would include safeguarding assets overseen by the Environmental Management office and DOE’s semiautonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).
About three dozen people participated in an industry day last August in Augusta, Ga., to learn more about the potential contract. The Energy Department also received 35 questions last year in response to a request for information.
During a procurement presentation July 31 in Washington, D.C., Norbert Doyle, EM deputy assistant secretary for acquisition and project management, stressed the paramilitary nature of the contract, which extends well beyond providing security guards. The Energy Department has indicated the work involves law enforcement at SRS, protective forces, canine handlers for explosive detection, and 24/7 staffing of perimeter barricades.
