With less than a month until the final request for proposals is
expected to be released, the competitive field for the management
contract of Los Alamos National Laboratory has been quickly
changing.
Some organizations have recently announced their interest in
bidding for the contract and are seeking possible partnerships to
advance their bids.
Most recently, the University of Texas and Lockheed Martin have
both re-entered the race with a possibility of a joint bid after
having dropped out of the competition earlier on.
Though the UC has not said whether it will bid for a new
management contract of the lab, the university is also readying
itself for a bid with discussions of possible partnerships.
Last month the UC formed a scientific partnership with three New
Mexico institutions which could bolster its chances of winning a
bid for the lab.
The Institute for Advanced Sciences would be created under the
agreement if the UC decides to bid on and wins the management
contract for Los Alamos.
Under the partnership, the UC-run lab would collaborate on
scientific research and educational programs with the University of
New Mexico, New Mexico State University and the New Mexico
Institute for Mining and Technology at Los Alamos National
Laboratory.
Management and operation tasks would remain to be left solely to
the UC.
Adding to its list of potential partners, the UC Spokesman Chris
Harrington said that the UC has had recent discussions with the
University of Texas regarding a possible team bid for the lab.
“We welcome further discussions with the University of
Texas. We hold the University of Texas in high regard,”
Harrington said.
The UC had been in talks with both the University of Texas and
Lockheed Martin before the latter withdrew from the
competition.
Harrington said that while UC discussions with the University of
Texas have been ongoing, the UC’s discussions with Lockheed
Martin ended with the corporation’s decision not to
compete.
But if the UC wants to partner with the University of Texas on a
bid proposal, it may have to entice the university away from
Lockheed Martin first.
The University of Texas already has a partnership with Lockheed
Martin to collaborate on unclassified research at a Lockheed
Martin-run national lab and only announced its interest in managing
Los Alamos after Lockheed Martin announced its decision to bid.
According to a University of Texas press release, school
officials have agreed to meet with Lockheed Martin to discuss what
role the university might play in Lockheed Martin’s bid
proposal.
Anthony de Bruyn, a spokesman for the University of Texas,
declined to comment on whether the university is seeking other
partners besides Lockheed Martin.
The University of Texas’ Board of Regents is scheduled to
meet in a special session on April 28 to discuss a possible bid for
Los Alamos, but no formal action is expected at the meeting.
Lockheed Martin spokesman Don Carson said a partnership with the
University of Texas is possible, but the corporation is also
looking for other potential partners.
Carson said Lockheed Martin withdrew from the competition to bid
for the lab last year because the first draft request for proposals
released by the Department of Energy looked unprofitable for the
corporation. He added that Lockheed Martin reentered the
competition recently due to changes in the draft.
The UC has managed Los Alamos for over 50 years, but the
Department of Energy recently opened the Los Alamos contract to the
public after a series of security breaches and mismanagement issues
at Los Alamos.
Though the university has been preparing for a possible bid, it
has not announced whether it will submit a final bid for the lab.
The UC Board of Regents is expected to make a decision after
reviewing the final request for proposals. The final request is
expected to be released by the Department of Energy later this
month.