Bidding begins for $45 billion contract for Hanford Site waste cleanup
Tri-City Herald | 10/22/2021
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It will be the first contract awarded for vitrification plant operations. The new contract also would roll in the current responsibilities of the current tank waste contract, which is expiring.
DOE earlier had proposed a separate contract just for the work at the tank farms, with a proposed value of up to $13 billion, less than a third of the estimated value of the current expanded contract. DOE will be restricted from spending more than the $45 billion cap on work by the new contractor, with the cap
amount set to allow for any contingencies, which could range from stimulus money being awarded to work needed to address emergencies.
Work also could extend beyond 10 years, including work that DOE orders from the new contractor late in the decade-long contract period.
The proposed new contract will use DOE’s new “end state” contracting model, under which DOE awards a contract and then negotiates specific tasks to be completed. Currently, Congress is appropriating about $2.5 billion a year for environmental cleanup across the Hanford site. DOE typically does not comment on pending contracts beyond its prepared announcement.
PROPOSED CONTRACT WORK
In addition to operating the vitrification plant, the contract put out to bid includes work in the tank farm to pretreat radioactive waste to allow the vit plant to turn it into a stable glass form for disposal. It also includes emptying of leak-prone single-shell waste tanks and closure of emptied tanks. The current tank farm contractor, Washington River Protection Solutions, employs about 2,450 people.
Hanford has 56 million gallons of radioactive and hazardous chemical waste stored in underground tanks, some of which have held waste since World War II. The approximately 580-square-mile Hanford site in Eastern Washington produced about two-thirds of the plutonium for the nation’s nuclear weapons program from WWII through the Cold War. DOE will
require the new contractor to subcontract 18% of work to small businesses.
The orders for the tasks to be completed under the contract will be openly negotiated to provide the most reduction of risk and financial liability to DOE and get as much environmental cleanup completed as possible during the length of the contract, according to DOE’s announcement. A contractor will be selected based on the key personnel selected, with that criterion being more important than past performance and the management approach, which will be considered equal in performance. DOE also will consider the costs of work and profit proposed by bidders.
Bids for the new Integrated Tank Disposition Contract are due Dec. 20. The last multi-billion contract DOE awarded for Hanford work was a $10 billion contract to Central Plateau Cleanup Co., which began work about a year ago. That contract covers much of the environmental cleanup work of the site,
with the exception of the management and treatment of Hanford’s tank waste.
ECA maintains a record of current DOE open contracts, which may be viewed here.
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"CAPITALIZING ON A NEW ERA OF CLEANUP
SUCCESS"
December 7-9, 2021
Hilton Alexandria Mark Center
Alexandria, Virginia
If you have already registered for the Workshop, you will not need to re-register. If you need to register, please click here. If you have questions, please contact Autumn Bogus at abogus@la-inc.com or (865)
300-1061.
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OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENGAGEMENT
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NOVEMBER 8-12
The RemPlex Global Summit, to be held virtually Nov. 8-12, is being organized in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The Summit is hosted by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). This IAEA-PNNL cooperation supports the Summit objectives of promoting knowledge transfer, collaboration, and networking to address challenges to successful remediation and long-term stewardship of
contaminated sites worldwide.
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NATIONAL NUCLEAR SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
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Hinderstein nomination for NNSA approved in Senate committee
ECA Staff | 10/22/2021
On October 21, the Senate Armed Services Committee approved six nominees for senior defense posts, including Corey Hinderstein as deputy administrator for defense nuclear nonproliferation of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The nominee now must be confirmed by the full Senate.
According to the American Nuclear Society, Hinderstein currently serves as the vice president of international fuel cycle strategies at the Nuclear Threat Initiative. Her focus is on the "international nuclear fuel cycle and nonproliferation policy, global
nuclear security, and arms control and nonproliferation monitoring and verification."
Pending her full confirmation, Hinderstein will not be new to the NNSA scene. From 2015 to 2017, Hinderstein was the senior coordinator for nuclear security and nonproliferation policy affairs at the Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation office of the NNSA. In this role she led DOE's preparations for the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit and worked with other projects relating to nuclear security and illicit trafficking, Iran's nuclear program, and international
monitoring and verification.
Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm remarked in an August 4 statement, "Everywhere [Henderstein's] been - from NNSA to top think tanks and academic institutions - Corey has been widely recognized for her expertise and leadership on nuclear security. If confirmed, she would lead our nonproliferation work and help keep our nation—and our world—safe from nuclear threats. I am deeply grateful for Corey’s willingness to return to federal service, and look forward
to her speedy confirmation."
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Read about DOE's High Level Waste Interpretation
Have questions about DOE’s recent high-level waste (HLW) interpretation? Download ECA’s Key Points and FAQs on the issue to better understand what ECA believes are the potential benefits of implementation.
Interested in learning more? Read the ECA report “Making Informed Decisions on DOE's Proposed High Level Waste Definition” at www.energyca.org/publications
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Stay Current on Activities in the DOE World
Read the latest edition of the ECA Bulletin, a regular newsletter providing a detailed brief of ECA activities, legislative news, and major events from across the DOE complex. Have suggestions for future editions? Email bulletin@energyca.org.
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Learn More about Cleanup Sites with ECA's DOE Site Profiles
ECA's new site profiles detail DOE's 13 active Environmental Management cleanup sites and national laboratories, highlighting their history, missions, and priorities. The profiles are a key source for media, stakeholders, and the public to learn more about DOE site activities, contractors, advisory boards, and their surrounding local governments.
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