National Lab Contracts Extended

Open bidding on the management contracts for several of the Department of Energy’s national laboratories will be delayed for a year or more so the bidding process can “proceed in an orderly manner” and to allow “maximum opportunity for bidder participation,” according to Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham. While announcing the delays, Abraham reaffirmed his belief that “a competitive environment is generally desirable for the effective and efficient operation of our labs.”

The delays most immediately affect the University of California’s management contract at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The contract, which was set to expire 30 January, was extended 12 months. The university’s management contract for Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico was not extended, and a new contract will be awarded by 30 September 2005, after competitive bidding. The timetable has not been set for bidding on the contract for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the third DOE lab managed by UC. Security and financial scandals at Los Alamos triggered the DOE action to open bidding on that contract, and Congress followed with a requirement that several other lab contracts be opened to competition.

The UC regents haven’t officially decided that the university will compete for the contracts, which date back to the founding of the labs, but school officials have indicated they will fight hard to keep them. Contract extensions of a year or more were also granted to DOE’s six other national laboratories.