Washington (Platts)--14May2008

DOE is seeking bids for a contract worth up to $2.6 billion to manage and
operate the repository project at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, the department said
May 13. The request for proposals indicates that the contractor must produce
top-quality work during the initial five-year contract period and each of the
five possible yearlong extensions to receive the maximum available award fees
cited. DOE announced in February that it would recompete the job now held by
Bechtel SAIC Co., which has been the M&O contractor since 2001. DOE spokesman
Allen Benson said May 14 that nothing precludes BSC from seeking to keep the
job. BSC officials were reviewing the RFP on May 14 before deciding whether to
bid, company spokesman Jason Bohne said.
The new M&O contractor's duties will include completing the repository
design, responding to NRC questions during repository licensing, and managing
repository construction and, possibly, operation, DOE said. The department is
said to be targeting early June for the submittal of a repository license
application to NRC.