Search for next Savannah River M&O contractor delayed

In April, the DOE released a draft RFP for the $21.5 billion, 10-year Savannah River Site M&O contract. Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, a partnership of Fluor, Newport News Nuclear, and Honeywell, holds the current SRS contract, and is expected to retain its position under a 12-month extension option ending September 30, 2022.

RFP reexamination: In its postponement announcement, the DOE said it is suspending the contract search “to reexamine the RFP to ensure it provides for the best possible mission execution and value for the taxpayer as the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is committed to increasing its scope of work at Savannah River, including the full execution of the two-site pit production strategy and construction of the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility.”

When the NNSA approved Critical Decision 1 (CD-1) for the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility project in June, the cost estimate for the facility was between $6.9 billion and $11.1 billion, with an overall project completion range of between 2032 and 2035. CD-1 marks the completion of the project definition phase and the conceptual facility design. When completed, the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility is expected to produce at least 50 plutonium pits a year for nuclear weapons production.