With the future of the management of Los Alamos National
Laboratory uncertain, the University of California will begin to
move toward a decision on whether to try to renew its contract for
the lab.
Robert Foley, UC vice president of lab management, responded
positively after the draft request for bidding proposals to manage
the laboratory was released by the U.S. Department of Energy for
comments on Wednesday.
While Foley declined to provide specifics about the draft
Request for Proposal, he said in a press release that the
university is “pleased that the draft RFP has been released
and that the competition process will now start in
earnest.”
The UC has managed the lab since its creation in 1943, but
problems such as the misappropriation of funds, missing inventory
and misplaced classified data at the UC-managed labs led the
Department of Energy to open its management contract to outside
bidders for the first time.
Though the UC Board of Regents has not decided whether to enter
the bid for a new management contract, UC officials are taking
steps to prepare the university if the regents do decide to bid.
Its current contract expires at the end of September 2005.
“I believe we will be in an excellent position to submit a
strong and winning proposal should the UC Board of Regents make the
final decision to compete,” Foley said.
The Department of Energy will primarily focus on the ability of
the bidders to conduct research and the technology of competitors
in its selection process for a new a contractor, but it “will
be looking for proposals from bidders who can demonstrate that they
can in fact provide the kind of security that the lab needs,”
said Al Stotts, a spokesman for the National Nuclear Security
Administration.
The Nuclear Security Administration plans to select a contractor
by the summer of 2005 to begin work by Oct. 1 of that year.
The management contract will be for five years, with possible
extensions of 15 more years.
The draft will be open for public comments for a 30-day period
and the final Request for Proposal will be released after all
comments have been considered.
A missing computer disc containing classified information and an
eye injury sustained by an intern led to a complete shutdown of
classified operations at the lab in July.
Since then employees have gone through comprehensive safety and
security retraining and most of the work has been resumed at the
lab.
The Board of Regents have not indicated whether the UC will bid
for the new management contract.
The problems with security have led some members of the board to
express frustration with the lab.
In July, Regent Chairman Gerald Parsky said the problems which
led to the security lapses must be corrected before a renewal of
the contract can even be considered.
Many still believe the UC should bid for the management of the
lab if it can move past its security problems.
During a recent visit to Los Alamos, Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M.,
said, “It is incumbent on everybody here and the University
of California to showcase the strengths of this lab and to
demonstrate that (the lab) has overcome (its)
shortcomings.”