The University of California Board of Regents' Committee on Oversight of the Department of Energy Laboratories voted today (Sept. 20) to recommend to the full board that the university compete for the management and operations of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
The full board is expected to endorse the committee's recommendation at Thursday's (Sept. 21) meeting. The final bid, originally due Oct. 12 and extended by DOE to Oct. 27, will be submitted by a team led by UC and Bechtel National.
Acting on the recommendation of UC President Robert C. Dynes, the committee voted to authorize the university, acting through regents' chairman Gerald L. Parsky, to take actions necessary to submit a proposal to the Department of Energy in response to the its July 14 request for proposals.
At their July meeting, the regents appointed national security and nuclear weapons expert George H. Miller as team leader for the competition. Should the UC-Bechtel led proposal win the new contract, Miller would be named director of the laboratory.
"For the past 54 years, the men and women at Livermore laboratory have ably served our nation, providing scientific and technological excellence that has made this country safer and improved the quality of life," said Dynes. "I firmly believe that our team's proposal will build upon their successes, dedication and hard work. Our proposal will be strong and responsive to DOE and the needs of our nation."
As required by the request for proposals (RFP), UC and Bechtel will form a separate corporate entity to act as prime contractor to manage the laboratory.
"For more than a half-century, the Livermore laboratory has performed its public service in the most exemplary fashion through its innovations in energy research and advances in national security," said Parsky. "The University of California has played a vital role in those achievements, and we look forward to contributing our talents and resources to deliver science and technology in the best interests of our country."
As specified in the RFP, current Livermore employees who do not terminate employment or retire will be moved to the new corporate structure and will retain their current benefits and pensions to the extent legally permissible under the Department of Energy's new requirements.
Bechtel National provides world-class program and project management, facilities management, safety and environmental management, and robust government business systems.
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BACKGROUND ON THE LLNL COMPETITION PROCESS
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory – The current management contract expires Sept. 30, 2007. Congressional action in 2003 mandated that DOE conduct a competition for management of any laboratory contract that had been in place for 50 years or more without competition. Five national laboratory contracts, including Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, were affected by this action. On July 14, 2006, the DOE's National Nuclear Security Administration released the final request for proposals (RFP). The deadline for submission of bids is Oct. 12, 2006. According to DOE, a source evaluation board comprised of DOE technical and business experts will review the proposals submitted and provide recommendations to the Source Selection Official. More information about the competition is available at: www.doeal.gov/llnlCompetition/Default.htm
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
The University of California, chartered in 1868, is a system of 10 campuses with a mission of teaching, research and public service. With 208,000 undergraduate and graduate students, UC is the world's premier public university. UC has five medical schools, three law schools and the nation's largest continuing education program. Forty-nine researchers affiliated with UC have been awarded Nobel Prizes; 16 of theses prestigious awards have been won since 1995. UC also has 372 members in the National Academy of Sciences, and UC-affiliated researchers have received 48 Medals of Science since Congress created the award in 1959.
UC is involved in the management of three national laboratories on behalf of the Department of Energy – Lawrence Berkeley and Lawrence Livermore in California and Los Alamos in New Mexico.
For more news and information about the University of California:
www.universityofcalifornia.edu
BECHTEL
Bechtel is a global engineering, construction and project management company with more than a century of experience mastering complex projects in challenging locations. Privately owned, with headquarters in San Francisco, the company has 40,000 employees working in 50 countries. Bechtel National Inc. is supporting national security and U.S. intelligence and defense efforts, developing new technologies to fight terrorism, monitoring the consequences of terrorist acts, designing emergency response programs, and training military and civilian responders nationwide. Additionally, BNI has broad capabilities and extensive experience in the management of complex, multisite, environmental programs, including environmental cleanup projects at several Department of Energy sites in the United States.
BNI's national security work includes managing and operating facilities for the National Nuclear Security Administration. BNI is also a partner in management of NNSA's Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee and the Pantex Plant in Texas, as well as the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. Among its Department of Defense contracts, BNI manages the Kwajalein missile range and supports non-proliferation efforts in the former Soviet Union for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. BNI's portfolio also includes over 15 years of government laboratory management and support experience.
For more news and information about Bechtel National Inc.: www.Bechtel.com
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