With Decision Looming, Moniz Gives Little Sense of Plans for KC M&O Contract

The Department of Energy appears to be on the verge of making a decision on whether or not to compete the Kansas City Plant contract, but Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz gave little sense of the path forward for the contract in comments late last week. Speaking on the sidelines of a dedication of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s new Kansas City Plant, Moniz declined to offer any specifics when asked about DOE’s contract plans, but he confirmed that the issue was among the Department’s priorities. In fact, he noted that the night before the dedication, he and NNSA Administrator Frank Klotz were discussing plans for the contract. “We’re not going to discuss specifics of it but typically we would try to make a decision a year in advance. That’s coming up,” he said. “Secondly, obviously performance is a major consideration.”