DOE to Release Solicitations for New Idaho Contracts in February

11/26/2003

From: Joe Davis of the U.S. Department of Energy, 202-586-4940

WASHINGTON, Nov. 26 -- Following its April 2003 notice to compete two new contracts at its Idaho site, the Department of Energy announced today that the draft Requests for Proposals (RFP) for those contracts will be issued for comment in the first week of February 2004.

"The basic framework and objectives for the two procurements remain unchanged and the material presented at the pre-bid conference is still valid," said Under Secretary of Energy Robert Card. "The Department is absolutely committed to accelerate risk reduction and cleanup at Idaho while making it the center piece of a nuclear power revival."

"As the Department moves forward with defining the scope and new mission of the Idaho site, it is vital that our nuclear energy goals and environmental management goals are clearly defined in the requests for proposals that we will ask companies to bid on," said Card.

"To that end, and as we develop the Department's Fiscal Year 2005 budget, we believe it is prudent to take the time to make certain that the scope of work for these two critical missions is clearly defined and that the missions are working hand-in-hand, thereby ensuring that neither takes precedence over the other. We take contractual obligations entered into on behalf of the taxpayer seriously and we must ensure that the management of our environmental clean-up activities and nuclear energy research activities is appropriate and well-defined."

Both contracts, one for the Office of Nuclear Energy and the other for the Office of Environmental Management for cleanup activities at the site, will be administered through the Department's Idaho Field Office. Overall management of the lab, as announced in April, will remain with the Department's Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology.

"On the nuclear energy side, the Office of Nuclear Energy is completing a 10 year site plan that addresses the infrastructure and investment needs for the future nuclear energy mission of the Idaho Lab," said Card. "This long-range plan is important to ensure that our focus is on the critical needs to accomplish our goal of making the Idaho Lab a world-class nuclear technology laboratory. We believe having this plan in place will allow companies to clearly focus their offers and match them up with our vision for the lab."

"It has become clear that there are advantages to clarifying both the role of other DOE programs in the Laboratory procurement and the work involved in our environmental management program. "Releasing the RFP in February also allows more time for the Department to fulfill its commitment to work with the affected States and Congress to resolve the significant uncertainties created by the Idaho District Court Decision with respect to our accelerated cleanup plans," said Card.

For more information on the new mission of the Idaho National Laboratory link to www.energy.gov and click on our April 30th press release in the press room.

As a result of the February 2004 release date, the target turnover date will now be January 31, 2005. It is the Department's intent to maintain the current contract to coincide with that date.