Small Business-Themed Issue Features DOE Awards to Small Businesses Supporting EM; Features on Small Business Employees Across EM Complex; and Much More!

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EM Update | Vol. 9, Issue 10 | May 31, 2017

DOE Honors Five Small Businesses Supporting EM
Eagle Rock Specialties Soars as Fluor Idaho Supplier
Moab Project Manager Continually Excels in Career
Navarro’s Jeff Wurtz Hopes to Inspire Future Scientists
Beach Leads Small Business to Perform Big Responsibility in Oak Ridge
Jeff Harris Ascended from Laborer to Supervisor at Swift & Staley
Hanford Safety Representative Maintains Safety Focus At Home and Work
Peter Keenan Ensures Safe, Efficient Progress in SPRU D&D
Q&A: Small Business 'Critical' to Success, EM Acquisition Official Says
ORP Gives ‘Good’ Marks to WTP Contractor for 2016 Performance
Savannah River Site Employees Work Together on Major Waste Treatment Outage
Demolition to Begin on Most Challenging Part of Plutonium Finishing Plant
Los Alamos Field Office Deploys Spider Excavator at Townsite
Roger Jarrell Joins EM as Senior Advisor to the Secretary
Crews Secure Cover Over Tunnel at Plutonium Uranium Extraction Facility
House Nuclear Cleanup Caucus to Focus on Achieving EM Cost Savings
Hanford Site Services Contractor Earns 91 Percent of Fiscal Year 2016 Fee
Savannah River Site Avoids $12 Million in Costs by Consolidating Calibration Labs
Joint Convention Elects EM’s Douglas Tonkay to Key Leadership Post
SRS Employees Find New Home for Operations Station

DOE Honors Five Small Businesses Supporting EM

Buster Bivens and Kaitlyn Weaver of Restoration Services, Inc. (RSI) perform field inspections at a Portsmouth Site process building. DOE recognized RSI with the Small Business of the Year award.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Five small businesses supporting cleanup across the EM complex were recipients of major awards from DOE’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) this month.

OSDBU honored the companies as part of its fiscal year 2016 small business awards program at the 16th Annual DOE Small Business Forum & Expo in Kansas City, Missouri on May 16-18. The EM-related businesses garnering awards include:

Restoration Services, Inc. (RSI) of Oak Ridge, Tennessee for Small Business of the Year;
Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) of Richland, Washington state for Mentor of the Year;
i-3 Global, Inc. of Kennewick, Washington for Protégé of the Year;
Scientific Sales, Inc. (SSI) of Oak Ridge, Tennessee for 8(a)/Small Disadvantaged Business of the Year; and
Innovative Solutions Unlimited (InSolves) of Piketon, Ohio for HUB (Historically Underutilized Business) Zone Small Business of the Year.

Acting DOE Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization Director Christy Jackiewicz presents Restoration Services, Inc. Program Director Greg Wilkett with the Small Business of the Year award.

With a 20-year history of supporting EM cleanup, RSI is an Alaskan Native-owned minority business with nearly 250 employees. The company has excelled at providing value to EM’s Oak Ridge and Portsmouth sites. RSI is known for its strong technical subject-matter expertise, exceptional local and corporate leadership, outstanding responsiveness, safe work execution, and innovations resulting in significant cost and schedule savings. One innovative RSI strategy resulted in a nitrogen consumption reduction of more than 24 million cubic feet per year at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, saving $75,000 per year.

"RSI is very excited about this award. The RSI team at Portsmouth led the way in demonstrating the characteristics that exemplify the efforts of all RSI employees at all locations for all of our customers,” RSI President Paul Clay said.

Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) Small Business Program Manager Haley Taylor holds the company’s Mentor of the Year award alongside Acting DOE Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization Director Christy Jackiewicz and WRPS Procurement Manager Jose Legarreta.

It was the second time WRPS won the Mentor of the Year award, with the first being for fiscal year 2011. The EM Office of River Protection tank farms contractor at the Hanford Site provides oversight and coaching to TerraGraphics Engineering and Environmental, Inc. through a mentor-protégé agreement. WRPS championed its protégé company in several company-sponsored outreach events and provided it technical advisors in growth areas. Due to the WRPS support, TerraGraphics continues to evolve into a strong competitor in the federal marketplace, delivering quality products to DOE prime contractors.

“As a large prime contractor, it is an honor to receive the Energy Department’s Mentor of the Year Award recognizing WRPS’ efforts in partnering with local firms, particularly with small and disadvantaged businesses,” said Jose Legarreta, WRPS manager of procurement services. “Through the department’s mentor-protégé program, WRPS has been able to provide technical developmental assistance to protégés to enhance their capabilities to compete directly for DOE prime and subcontracts.”

i-3 Global, Inc. President Kris Lapp receives the DOE Protégé of the Year award from Acting DOE Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization Director Christy Jackiewicz.

DOE recognized i-3 Global, protégé to Hanford Site services contractor Mission Support Alliance, for its outstanding customer service during a year of significant growth and accomplishment. i-3 Global successfully completed a pre-award audit for the Hanford Cloud End User Support subcontract, which led to the company managing its first multimillion dollar fixed-price contract. Due to the success of the mentor-protégé program, i-3 Global has grown from five employees to more than 40 employees in less than a year. The company enhanced its core capabilities, moving from staff augmentation into fixed-price, service-based information technology contracts. i-3 Global also created an internship program, promoting two employees to full-time positions.

i-3 Global, Inc. employee Sharon Gest provides information technology support to workers at the Hanford Site.

“Winning this award is not only gratifying on a business level, but something I am personally proud to bring back to my hometown and the Hanford Site,” said Kris Lapp, president of i-3 Global. “Our company is on a mission to showcase the positive aspects of the work being done at Hanford and the tremendous amount of tech talent in our great community. Our mentor organization, Mission Support Alliance, has been key in supporting our efforts and putting us in an excellent position to succeed along with them. This has been a great partnership, and we look forward to continued success together.”

Scientific Sales, Inc. (SSI) President Vicki Dyer receives the 8(a)/Small Disadvantaged Business of the Year award from Acting DOE Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization Director Christy Jackiewicz.

SSI has supported the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) at Hanford with 83 purchase orders. The woman-owned, small disadvantaged business works with WTP to achieve the greatest cost savings and on-time delivery. With a record of zero accidents and injuries, SSI is dedicated to maintaining safety as the number one priority. SSI has developed long-term relationships with some of the highest quality manufacturers and suppliers in the laboratory, safety, environmental and industrial industries. A wholesale distributor of supplies, SSI also offers repair and rentals of environmental equipment. SSI subcontracts to URS/CH2M Oak Ridge, stocking and delivering products for EM cleanup activities. The company also holds subcontracts for personal protective equipment and other materials.

Vicki Dyer, president of Scientific Sales, Inc.

“At SSI, we feel it is a privilege to support DOE and the prime contractors in their mission. To be recognized for our efforts by receiving DOE’s FY 2016 8(a)/Small Disadvantaged Business of the Year Award is extremely gratifying and one of the most exciting events of my business life. I feel honored that my staff’s performance and commitment to providing the best service and quality products to our customers was recognized by our DOE customers,” SSI President Vicki Dyer said.

Innovative Solutions Unlimited Vice President Steve Barbarits holds the company’s HUB Zone Small Business of the Year award alongside Acting DOE Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization Director Christy Jackiewicz and Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth Small Business Liaison Officer Karen Davis.

With headquarters in Piketon, Ohio, and project offices in Paducah, Kentucky and Aiken, South Carolina, InSolves has supported DOE project sites and the nuclear fuel cycle industry for more than 20 years. InSolves developed robotics technology for locating and quantifying radiological contamination in process piping at DOE former gaseous diffusion facilities undergoing decontamination and decommissioning.

Innovative Solutions Unlimited technicians Jason Wheeler, left, and Mike Clark discuss equipment scans in the X-326 Process Building, where decontamination and decommissioning is underway at EM’s Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant.

“We are honored to be recognized on a national level for our development of new technology designed to reduce the high cost of complex nuclear cleanup projects. We especially want to thank Ms. Karen Davis of Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth LLC for her support and encouragement,” said InSolves Vice President Steve Barbarits, who accepted the award from Acting OSDBU Director Christy Jackiewicz.

- Contributor: David Sheeley

Eagle Rock Specialties Soars as Fluor Idaho Supplier

Fluor Idaho Procurement Manager Shawna Southwick, left, inspects inventory with Ashley Quiroz and Mike Hendrickson of Eagle Rock Specialties. The firm has provided outstanding support to Fluor Idaho.

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho – A small, woman-owned company subcontracting to EM Idaho Cleanup Project (ICP) contractor Fluor Idaho is known as the “rock star” of suppliers to the Idaho Site for its timely, around-the-clock deliveries.

Established in 2009, Eagle Rock Specialties provides water, sports drinks, respirator filters, booties, tools, piping, ice melt and other products to the ICP daily. The company has developed a reputation for coming through in a crunch.

“They often work on nights and weekends to ensure we have what we need for the projects,” said Fluor Idaho Procurement Manager Shawna Southwick.

Ashley Quiroz and her father Mike Hendrickson are the lifeblood of the business. Southwick said Hendrickson proactively calls her if he perceives a problem with a shipment. One time, EM’s Accelerated Retrieval Project (ARP) needed a special filter for its respirators, but every supplier was out. Hendrickson worked tirelessly to locate 170 cases, which kept the ARP project operating uninterrupted.

“His actions were definitely above and beyond,” said Southwick.

The company provided much-needed ice melt — a sought-after commodity during the harsh winter months — which kept employees safe.

“We could not ask for a better supplier,” said Southwick. “You’d think we were their only customer as well as they take care of us.”

- Contributor: Erik Simpson

Moab Project Manager Continually Excels in Career

Matt Udovitsch, quality assurance and environmental compliance manager with S&K Logistics Services.

MOAB, Utah – Matt Udovitsch is the quality assurance (QA) and environmental compliance manager for S&K Logistics Services, a tribally owned small business and technical assistance contractor (TAC) to EM’s Moab Project.

Udovitsch currently oversees work by the remedial action contractor responsible for relocating the uranium mill tailings at the Moab site to the disposal cell near Crescent Junction, Utah.

Continually looking for opportunities to increase his knowledge and skills, Udovitsch passed the qualification exam to become a certified hazardous materials manager in 2015. In December 2015, he passed the auditor exam and completed the requirements to become a certified quality auditor under the American Society for Quality. EM recognized Udovitsch with a certificate of appreciation in July 2016 for his effective integration and coordination among contractor and EM personnel at all levels.

In March 2016, S&K promoted Udovitsch to quality assurance manager. Last fall, S&K assumed much of the project’s environmental compliance scope for the project, especially in regards to inspections and permits. Udovitsch added many of those responsibilities to his workload. He was again promoted, and his title now includes environmental compliance.

“Matt is enthusiastic about helping the project improve its processes and ensure quality is infused in everything we do,” S&K Senior Program Manager Joe Ritchey said.

“It is very rewarding to be part of a project that is having such a positive impact on the environment and local community,” Udovitsch said.

When not working, Udovitsch enjoys rock climbing, trail running and taking his dogs on long walks. He and his wife live in Grand Junction, Colorado.

- Contributor: Wendee Ryan

Navarro’s Jeff Wurtz Hopes to Inspire Future Scientists

Jeff Wurtz uses his “ant farm” model to demonstrate groundwater systems for a local student and a participant dressed as a Stormtrooper at the Desert Research Institute’s “May the Science Be With You” event in Las Vegas on May 4, 2017.

LAS VEGAS – Navarro Geologic Interpretation Manager Jeff Wurtz has supported EM’s missions at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) for more than 20 years.

As a hydrogeologist in the groundwater characterization program, Wurtz studies NNSS groundwater systems to determine the extent and movement of contaminants resulting from historic underground nuclear testing. Wurtz began his career at NNSS after working in mining for several years. He earned a bachelor’s degree in geology at the University of Arizona.

At NNSS, Wurtz has a significant role teaching members of the community about the importance of science and resource conservation.

Giving demonstrations on the science of groundwater is not in Wurtz’s official job description. But he prioritizes making time to interact with Nevada’s future scientists.

“If somebody asks, I’m coming,” Wurtz said of outreach events. “I can always make time for the technical work I have; but I’ll never have another chance to interact with these kids.”

His demonstration involves a dynamic model that allows students to see the behavior of groundwater firsthand. Dubbed the “ant farm,” the glass rectangle filled with sand simulates various natural and constructed water systems.

When Navarro’s Strategic Communications group reached out to the company’s scientists for help creating an interactive demonstration for science students, Wurtz recalled the ant farm model used by a scientist from DOE’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. After borrowing the model for Wurtz’s first demonstrations, Navarro procured one for Wurtz and other NNSS scientists to use during outreach activities.

From in-class demonstrations at local schools to large events around Las Vegas and communities surrounding the NNSS, Wurtz and his ant farm have brought real-world science to thousands of children and adults.

“I hope when kids get a chance to see what I do, that it sparks some interest — not just in geology and groundwater, but in the physics of the world. I also try to help them understand how important finite resources like water are to our civilization. The ant farm keeps it interactive so that they stay interested and have fun,” Wurtz said.

- Contributors: Kaylyssa Hughes, Dona Merritt

Beach Leads Small Business to Perform Big Responsibility in Oak Ridge

Senior officials from DOE's Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management and North Wind Solutions celebrate the one-year anniversary of signing a partnering agreement. Linda Beach is pictured in the center of the group.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – Processing and shipping the inventory of transuranic waste offsite is one of the EM program’s most important near-term commitments in Oak Ridge. North Wind Solutions, a prime small business contractor, is leading this important task through the leadership of program manager Linda Beach.

Beach brings a breadth of experience and technical expertise to her role with more than 30 years of leadership and program management in the nuclear industry under DOE, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the state nuclear regulatory authority. A professional engineer and project manager professional, Beach holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and chemistry-mathematics and a master’s degree in chemical engineering.

Under her leadership, employees are responsible for operating EM’s Transuranic Waste Processing Center and processing contact-handled and remote-handled transuranic waste to meet the EM Waste Isolation Pilot Plant’s (WIPP) waste acceptance criteria for permanent disposal.

The project was recognized for exceeding all of its waste processing goals for the first contract year. Employees there also recently designed and constructed a new machine to safely process a challenging waste stream of contaminated soil. Crews continue to prepare Oak Ridge’s transuranic waste for offsite disposal, set to resume later this year.

Linda J. Beach, PE, PMP is the North Wind Solutions program manager at the Transuranic Waste Processing Center.

“Partnering with DOE has been key to our success,” said Beach. “We recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of our formal partnering agreement with Oak Ridge’s EM program, and through this partnership, we are able to collaborate and communicate more effectively.”

Oak Ridge’s EM program has been a leader in establishing formal partnering agreements within DOE. The agreement emphasizes a collaborative approach at all management levels. North Wind has used this framework as a model for other projects.

North Wind was awarded the contract to operate the Transuranic Waste Processing Center, a Category 2 nuclear facility, in 2015. The contract has a total value of $154 million and funds more than 200 local jobs. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cook Inlet Region, Inc., an Alaska Native Corporation.

- Contributors: Anne Smith, Ben Williams

Jeff Harris Ascended from Laborer to Supervisor at Swift & Staley

Jeff Harris of Swift & Staley, Inc.

PADUCAH, Ky. – In 2002, Swift & Staley, Inc. (SSI), a woman-owned small business and then-subcontractor doing infrastructure work at Kentucky’s Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, needed laborers who could drive a tractor.

Years of farming experience helped Paducah native Jeff Harris secure one of those jobs performing general maintenance, including mowing, weed trimming and office moves, and he became a member of United Steel Workers Local 550.

Harris’s work ethic earned him a carpenter position in 2003, and he was certified as a locksmith in 2004. He took advantage of the SSI educational reimbursement program and earned a bachelor’s degree in business in 2007. This helped him land a salaried position in the Security group in 2008. In 2015, SSI promoted Harris to his current position of physical security and access control supervisor. He is a certified facility security officer and lead auditor, and his primary responsibilities include physical security and visitor control.

Harris, who also serves as backup for the security manager, said he enjoys the combination of office and field work, problem solving and dealing with people.

“You have to wear a lot of hats, but you get to wear a lot of hats,” he said. “That provides flexibility to learn new things.”

The company hopes Harris’s success inspires other employees, says SSI Deputy Project Manager Debora Jolly.

“Being a small business doesn’t mean we can’t provide big opportunities for our employees,” she said.

In addition to security and maintenance, SSI’s infrastructure support services include computing, telecommunications and cybersecurity; fleet, property and records management; environment, safety, health and quality; and training services.

Performing its third consecutive prime contract, awarded in 2015, SSI is a two-time recipient of the DOE Small Business of the Year Award (2008 and 2013), and has achieved DOE Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Star Status for safety and health excellence.

- Contributors: Chris Bodell, Brad Mitzelfelt

Hanford Safety Representative Maintains Safety Focus At Home and Work

Ben Culver, a small business employee at the Hanford Site, and his daughter spend a moment together near the Columbia River in Richland.

RICHLAND, Wash. – Before mowing his lawn, Ben Culver inspects the mower and the surrounding area. He tosses a net his 3-year-old daughter uses to catch bugs out of the way.

Always on the lookout for any defects or obstacles that could lead to an unsafe environment, Culver has picked up these safety-focused habits during his 17-year career at the Hanford Site.

On the job, Culver is no stranger to offering suggestions to management in the name of improving safety. His focus on safety led to the recommendation that he become the building trades craft safety representative for Hanford contractor CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company (CH2M).

Culver works for Indian Eyes, LLC, a CH2M subcontractor, and supports the project technical services group, calling it the best job he could ever ask for. Non-Hanford Site employers for whom he has worked in the past focused on getting the job done as quickly as possible so they could move to the next task, he said.

“CH2M truly cares and respects the workers,” he said. “Management listens to what we have to say and gives us the freedom to do our work and to do it safely, while also empowering us to find ways to do our job better.”

Culver remains motivated to be safe at work and home, and while doing things he enjoys, like catching bugs with his daughter, watching the Seattle Seahawks or mowing the lawn.

- Contributor: Rochelle Twomey

Peter Keenan Ensures Safe, Efficient Progress in SPRU D&D

NISKAYUNA, N.Y. – Peter Keenan is part of a team that helps ensure the safety of workers demolishing contaminated facilities at EM’s Separations Process Research Unit (SPRU) nuclear facility.

Keenan, a senior health physicist/radiological engineer with Boston Government Services, LLC (BGS), performs calculations to ensure the safety of workers and confirm they can carry out deactivation and decommissioning (D&D) without generating airborne contamination levels of concern for worker health.

Earlier this year, EM finished removing all process equipment and tanks from SPRU’s Building H2 for shipment to an out-of-state disposal facility. The work represented the end of the first phase of demolition of that Cold War research facility.

Workers then began the second phase of demolition in the building’s pipe tunnel area, which isolated the transfer piping that moved radioactive materials among the various processing cells and tanks within Building H2 and accompanying Building G2. EM completed demolition of above-ground portions of Building G2 in November.

Peter Keenan, a senior health physicist/radiological engineer with Boston Government Services, LLC

BGS provides technical and programmatic support to EM and its contractors across the DOE complex. At the SPRU D&D project, BGS provides highly qualified radiation protection professionals who support EM oversight of the radiological protection program implementation for D&D operations. This support includes Keenan’s calculations of potential airborne radiation levels resulting from the demolition of contaminated facilities.

EM uses BGS calculations to establish that contamination levels in surplus facilities in conjunction with the methods used for demolition by SPRU D&D contractor AECOM do not exceed acceptable levels of airborne contamination. Providing oversight for the safe and compliant demolition of contaminated facilities supports EM’s mission to safely and efficiently complete the cleanup of the environmental legacy of decades of nuclear weapons development and government-sponsored nuclear energy research.

DOE recognized BGS with its 8(a)/Small Disadvantaged Business of the Year award for fiscal year 2015. The award honors the company for exceptional performance contributing to core DOE mission accomplishments.

SPRU was instrumental in developing the chemical processes used to separate plutonium for use in nuclear weapons and materials research. It closed in the mid-1950s.

EM began decontaminating and demolishing buildings at the site in 2009.

- Contributor: Harry Boston

Q&A: Small Business 'Critical' to Success, EM Acquisition Official Says

EM Update recently spoke with Norbert Doyle, EM associate deputy assistant secretary for acquisition and project management, on the benefits small businesses bring to the DOE cleanup program and on how EM is working to encourage small business participation in the Department’s cleanup work.

How do small businesses help EM carry out its mission?

Small businesses are critical to the success of the EM program. We have found that small businesses provide niche capabilities that none of the large businesses with whom we work have organically within their companies. Regardless of whether we use small businesses as prime contractors or as subcontractors, use of small business is an imperative. Small businesses bring large capabilities to the forefront and, without doubt, contribute heavily to our EM success.

What have been some recent small business successes?

Working for DOE’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM), CTI and Associates, Inc., a small disadvantaged business, safely performed a fixed-price decontamination and demobilization (D&D) and environmental characterization project at the K-732 Switchyard at the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP). The project is a key component of OREM’s goal for the cleanup and transfer of ETTP to the private sector for industrial redevelopment.

CTI’s execution plan entailed radiological surveys to enable release of site equipment and materials for recycling, rather than a conventional demolition and disposal project. The value of the recycled materials were used to offset project costs to DOE. A complimentary benefit was the savings in DOE landfill space, reserving capacity needed for other projects. In all, over 1.6 million pounds of materials were recycled, including over 55,000 gallons of mineral oil.

Link Technologies, Inc., a woman-owned small business, worked directly with CTI on the K-732 project to more accurately delineate and bound characterization of oils and contaminated soils in the K-732 Switchyard. Link was involved in the planning, responsible for gaining regulatory approval from Environmental Protection Agency and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, as well as the execution of the sampling and analysis plan. This effort resulted in zero required remedial action in the switchyard, a dramatic reduction from earlier expectations.

Another good example is the work being done at the Savannah River Site by C.A. Murren & Sons Co. Inc., based in Grayson, Georgia. The site’s liquid waste contractor, Savannah River Remediation (SRR), awarded a subcontract to C.A. Murren & Sons Co. Inc. to provide excavation, shoring and backfill services at the Low Point Pump Pit in support of the Salt Waste Processing Facility Integration. The shoring and excavation efforts at the 511-S Low Point Pump Pit building have been proceeding at a furious pace. C.A. Murren and Sons, Inc.'s work on this project and their performance to this point has been exemplary. They have truly been a partner to SRR and taken ownership of completing the work safely, on schedule and within the budget limits.

What is EM doing to help encourage small businesses to participate in the DOE cleanup program? How would you rate EM's success in this?

We do a great deal in this area and are very successful. First, we are constantly reaching out to small businesses in various forums. For example, the recently concluded DOE small business event was tremendously successful. Not only did our representatives meet with many small businesses in one-on-one match-making sessions, numerous company reps stopped by our booth for information on how to do business with EM. We also present our upcoming opportunities at events sponsored by industry associations.

With regard to Native-owned companies, we’ve attended several events sponsored by Native American associations, at both the national and regional levels. At these events, we meet with Native-owned small businesses that desire to do business with EM in one-on-one matchmaking sessions, talk to companies that come by our information booth, and present at sessions in which upcoming opportunities are described. Our participation goal is to increase the number of Native-owned small companies who work on behalf of EM.

We conduct quarterly industry forums at which all businesses, large and small, are invited to participate. At these forums, we discuss future opportunities. We also maintain our booth and participate in sessions at the annual Waste Management symposium, which presents a great opportunity for small business to build relationships with our key industry partners as well as learn about upcoming opportunities. This is by no means a complete list. Routinely, our site small business specialists and contracting leadership attend numerous local events.

Within DOE, the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization specializes in helping and educating small businesses in navigating the federal contracting process. Along these lines, each of our sites have small business specialists who are trained to assist small business. They meet on a regular basis with companies who are eager to work in the EM space.

How does EM decide what kinds of work to set-aside and make available for small businesses to carry out? How is EM working to ensure that small businesses have meaningful opportunities in the DOE cleanup program?

Federal contracting regulations are the controlling factor. Our contracting officers are required by law to set-aside for small business any requirement in which there is a reasonable belief that at least two small businesses can successfully perform. That being said, we always want to do the right things. The right thing is to support small business.

Some of the steps we’re taking to increase small business participation in our EM projects include mandating small business subcontracting goals in our larger prime contracts and stipulating that small business subcontracts must include clearly defined performance work statement elements.

What near-term opportunities are coming up for small businesses in the EM program?

The EM Consolidated Business Center plans to award several new prime contracts to small business in the near future. These include:

Oak Ridge Technical Support Services, which has an approximate value of $25-50 million;
Portsmouth/Paducah Technical Support Services; which has an approximate value of $100-150 million; and
Moab Technical Assistance; which has an approximate value of up to $25 million.

What advice would you give small businesses looking to participate in the EM cleanup program?

Stay engaged in the process. All federal government requirements are mandated to be posted at the Federal Business Opportunities website. Companies should be reviewing this site on a very regular basis. Our locations also have their own websites in which opportunities are posted.

Follow our contracting press releases. We tend to award many very large-dollar contracts that may go on for up to 10 years. There are numerous subcontracting opportunities available with those companies to whom contracts are awarded.

Attend events and sessions in which we discuss our opportunities, as discussed above. Visit our small business specialists. Learn how to do business with EM specifically and the federal government in general.

And if you do work for EM, do it well. Past performance on our projects as well as on other federal projects, matters in our selection process.

- Contributor: Michael Nartker

ORP Gives ‘Good’ Marks to WTP Contractor for 2016 Performance

RICHLAND, Wash. – EM’s Office of River Protection (ORP) has given Bechtel National (BNI), the contractor for the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP), a positive assessment for its performance in 2016, according to a recently released award fee scorecard.

ORP rated BNI “very good” for its cost performance and “good” for its project management performance for 2016. As a result, BNI earned 71 percent of the available fee last year, or approximately $7.24 million out of an available $10.2 million. In comparison, BNI earned 66 percent of the available fee for 2015.

Among the specific award fee objectives for 2016, BNI earned a rating of 97.4 percent for the “One System” objective; 90 percent for technical issue resolution; 85.8 percent for project performance; and 75 percent for environmental/safety/health and Safety Conscious Work Environment.

ORP outlined a number of “key positives” in BNI’s performance in 2016 in the award fee scorecard, including:

Facilitating accomplishment of key milestones related to the Direct Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW) approach to beginning tank waste treatment as soon as 2022;
Positive performance in installing two melters for the WTP Low Activity Waste (LAW) Facility;
Significant progress in resolving remaining technical issues;
Having the “One System” concept recognized as a “best practice” by the DOE Office of Enterprise Assessments;
Continued improvement in nuclear safety and quality culture; and
Improved assessment programs.

The WTP is intended to process the radioactive waste stored in underground tanks at the Hanford Site through vitrification, which involves combining the tank waste with glass-forming materials and then heating the mixture to 2,100 degrees Fahrenheit. The material is then poured into stainless steel containers, where it cools to a solid glass form for long-term storage. The DFLAW approach to tank waste treatment will use the WTP LAW Facility, Analytical Laboratory and other ancillary support facilities. These sections of WTP are closer to completion than the two other main sections of WTP — the High-Level Waste and Pretreatment facilities.

Each year, EM releases information relating to contractor fee payments — earned by completing the work called for in the contracts — to further transparency in its cleanup program.

View BNI’s full 2016 award fee scorecard here.

- Contributor: Michael Nartker

Savannah River Site Employees Work Together on Major Waste Treatment Outage

A new melter is undergoing testing before workers transport it to the Defense Waste Processing Facility.

AIKEN, S.C. – EM has begun the critical task of connecting the Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF) to the Savannah River Site (SRS) liquid waste facilities earlier than planned, taking advantage of a system-wide outage prompted by the need to replace a major facility component.

Most of the site’s liquid waste facilities are not processing materials during the outage, which is accounted for in the SRS Liquid Waste System Plan. It does not impact long-term production in EM’s liquid waste mission.

Due to the complexity of the work, the outage will be in effect until the end of this year, according to DOE-Savannah River Assistant Manager for Waste Disposition Jim Folk.

“The extended outage ensures all our work in the facilities can be accomplished safely and thoroughly,” Folk said. “Using 2017 to complete this significant outage will put the liquid waste facilities in a better operational position and make them more robust for the next year and beyond.”

DOE-Savannah River Manager Jack Craig views the outage as the right time to complete significant tasks to improve operations.

“The system outage presented an optimum time to perform preventive and corrective maintenance on systems that cannot be shut down for extended periods during melter operations,” Craig said.

The outage is like an interstate highway: everyone travels in a lane, interconnected, with on-and-off-ramps and mergers. Led by liquid waste contractor Savannah River Remediation (SRR), it requires the expertise of multiple organizations, with work scopes overlapping. They include safety and health, engineering, contracting, project integration, project communications, facility operations, project design and construction, nuclear safety, maintenance, radiological controls, and work planning.

A key step in connecting SWPF is exposing and modifying the waste transfer lines for the liquid waste facilities. Workers installed sheet piling and flushed and drained all transfer lines. Next, they will finish the excavation.

Process jumpers within 511-S, a liquid waste facility adjacent to the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF), must be modified to support SWPF. This requires resolving processing chemistry issues and flushing and draining the systems to minimize impact to the liquid waste facilities. Once operational, SWPF will process the majority of the remaining salt waste inventory at SRS.

Workers finished installing sheet pile as part of the Salt Waste Processing Facility tie-in outage in March.

The outage allows EM to replace the DWPF melter that operated nearly 14 years. Workers moved Melter 2 to an underground storage vault. The new melter will be transported to DWPF later this spring following inspections in an onsite mock-up facility.

The melter is a 65-ton refractory-lined melting vessel that receives treated high-level waste from the site’s underground waste tanks. When heated with other constituents, the waste forms a molten glass. The solid glass-formed waste is then poured into stainless-steel canisters, which are safely stored onsite until they can be placed in permanent storage.

Before taking out the old melter, workers shut down or removed equipment and systems surrounding it, including 93 jumpers and components that require disassembly. They readied the melter storage box, and cleaned and removed the surrounding cell covers for the melter’s exit path. They also prepared several cranes to lift the melter from its cell for transport by rail and lower it into the storage vault.

Other facility outages and specialized work are part of the system outage.

At DWPF, workers will perform preventive and corrective maintenance on systems that cannot be shut down for extended periods during melter operations.

Workers continue to transfer high-level waste between Tanks 13 and 15 to prepare for Tank 15’s operational closure.

Integral to the outage work is the Documented Safety Analysis, which provides the technical basis for ensuring safe, compliant operations of the liquid waste facilities.

SRR President and Project Manager Tom Foster emphasized the focus on ensuring the safety of the workers, public and environment.

“We use our Integrated Safety Management process to ensure each potential risk and hazard is identified, analyzed, and then controlled,” he said.

“I have compared the complexity of this melter replacement at the same time as the SWPF tie-in work to be like sending a man to the moon,” Foster said. “It’s going to take outstanding skill, and we have a great team in place at Savannah River Remediation to do so. The energy is high and our people are dedicated to delivering results.”

- Contributor: Colleen Hart

Demolition to Begin on Most Challenging Part of Plutonium Finishing Plant

This April 2017 aerial photo shows demolition of the Plutonium Reclamation Facility progressing from the exterior toward the canyon, a large reinforced concrete rectangular processing room.

RICHLAND, Wash. – Workers are preparing for a challenging phase of the Hanford Site’s Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) demolition: continuing the teardown of the Plutonium Reclamation Facility (PRF) canyon.

The former processing canyon has a high concentration of contaminated material embedded underneath the walls and floor, which were “locked-down” with grout or fixative during the facility’s deactivation.

“Demolition of the Plutonium Reclamation Facility canyon is the most challenging task we will face at PFP and will mark a major step toward meeting our milestone,” said Jack George, senior nuclear engineer for demolition of the plant at EM’s Richland Operations Office.

EM and contractor CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company (CH2M) removed contaminated infrastructure from the canyon; decontaminated the walls, ceiling, and floor as much as practicable; and applied fixative before knocking down portions of PRF in 2016.

Crews remove a glove box from the Plutonium Finishing Plant’s main processing facility prior to demolition.

Crews will proceed slowly with the canyon demolition to ensure radiological contamination controls, such as dust suppression and additional fixative application, remain effective. Demolition of the canyon is expected to be completed by the end of June.

“The canyon will be a challenge for us until the end,” said Tom Bratvold, CH2M vice president for the Plutonium Finishing Plant Closure Project. “But I know we have the right team in place, the right controls and the right training to safely remove this hazard from the site.”

Inside the main processing facility, employees are wrapping up asbestos abatement, contaminated ventilation ducting, hazardous material removal, and preparations to remove the last remaining large glove boxes before demolition. Crews waited to clear those glove boxes because they first needed to take down walls and other infrastructure. Workers are also isolating the building’s water and sewer lines.

Demolition of the main processing facility and fan house is to begin in June, with completion expected by September 2017.

- Contributor: Destry Henderson

Los Alamos Field Office Deploys Spider Excavator at Townsite

LOS ALAMOS, N.M. – EM’s Los Alamos Field Office (EM-LA) and contractor Los Alamos National Security (LANS) have begun removing contaminated soil along the steep south-facing slopes of Los Alamos Canyon adjacent to the Los Alamos Townsite.

The contaminated soil is primarily associated with legacy outfalls and surface disposal from the Manhattan Project and early Cold War research and site management activities. EM-LA is conducting the cleanup under its Historical Properties Completion Campaign in coordination with LANS and its subcontractor TerranearPMC (TPMC). That contractor successfully completed EM cleanup on other nearby sites in 2016, and near the Smith’s Marketplace in 2015.

The following photos show scenes from May 24, 2017 — the day a spider excavator was deployed at the first of two cleanup sites.

The project team use a crane to position crews and a spider excavator to remove soil on difficult terrain.

The project team conducts routine safety briefings before daily field work.

Workers securely rigged the spider excavator before the crane hoisted it onto the steep canyon slope.

The crew is transported to and from the cleanup site in a personnel basket.

The crane hoists the spider excavator and places it at the cleanup site.

The spider excavator enables the project team to safely remove contaminated soil from a site that would otherwise be inaccessible.

Contributor: Steven Horak

Roger Jarrell Joins EM as Senior Advisor to the Secretary

Roger Jarrell, Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Energy for EM

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Roger Jarrell has joined EM senior management at DOE headquarters as Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Energy for EM. In his new role, Jarrell will serve as EM’s key interface with the Office of the Secretary and other senior Administration leadership.

Jarrell began working with DOE in January, supporting the Administration’s transition team focusing on EM issues. He previously served as a legislative aide for U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.); a political consultant; and an elected Republican Party official in Lexington, Virginia.

Jarrell graduated from the Virginia Military Institute with a bachelor’s degree in international studies. After receiving his Juris Doctor Degree from Washington and Lee University in 2004, he worked as a civil litigator in energy law and commercial and corporate litigation.

“Roger has demonstrated a deep commitment to public service,” Acting EM Assistant Secretary Sue Cange said. “We are very excited to have Roger continuing as part of our team in his new role.”

- Contributor: Michael Nartker

Crews Secure Cover Over Tunnel at Plutonium Uranium Extraction Facility

RICHLAND, Wash.– In this video, recorded May 20, Hanford Site workers place a protective cover over Tunnel 1 at the Plutonium Uranium Extraction Facility (PUREX), where a portion of the tunnel roof was discovered collapsed May 9. For reinforcement, crews strung cables across the cover, which is providing additional protection to workers and the environment while EM’s Richland Operations Office and contractor CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company develop and implement further risk mitigation measures.

- Contributors: Destry Henderson, John Wilkerson

House Nuclear Cleanup Caucus to Focus on Achieving EM Cost Savings

Workers prepare to hoist a two-ton truss into position to support a newly installed cable bus at the X-530 Switchyard at the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in southern Ohio. The Portsmouth Site achieved cost savings by optimizing utilities and infrastructure, contributing to a more than $100 million reduction in operating costs by EM sites in fiscal year 2016. Achieving more cost savings is the primary topic of a June 7 event for the House Nuclear Cleanup Caucus.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Acting EM Assistant Secretary Sue Cange will participate in a panel discussion on June 7 for the House Nuclear Cleanup Caucus on achieving cost savings at EM sites.

“EM was able to achieve $100 million in costs savings last year that we put back into the program and I’m looking forward to discussing efforts to build upon that achievement,” Cange said. “By maximizing every tax dollar we are entrusted with, EM initiatives like this help move the cleanup mission forward.”

In addition to Cange, panelists will include Stuart MacVean, president of Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, EM’s management and operations contractor at the Savannah River Site; Doug Shoop, manager for the EM Richland Operations Office; and Sandra Fairchild, vice chair-elect of the Energy Facility Contractors Group (EFCOG).

The event, organized by EFCOG, will be held at 5 p.m. June 7 in 2043 Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill. Those interested should visit the EFCOG website to register.

“For over two decades, DOE and EFCOG have successfully partnered to make operations across the cleanup complex safer, more efficient and more effective,” said EFCOG Chair Billy Morrison, who will moderate the discussion. “This opportunity to update members of Congress and key staff on our latest cost savings initiatives is particularly important as budgets are developed for next year.”

The bipartisan House Nuclear Cleanup Caucus is led by Reps. Chuck Fleischmann (Tennessee) and Ben Ray Luján (New Mexico). Caucus members serve as both educators about EM and advocates for cleanup in Congress.

- Contributor: Jessica Gleason

Hanford Site Services Contractor Earns 91 Percent of Fiscal Year 2016 Fee

MSA employee Mike Stong checks the installation of the new media in a filter at the 283W Water Treatment Plant. Filter beds are an important component of the water treatment system at Hanford as they help remove impurities in the water. As the site services provider, MSA delivers over 400 million gallons of water annually to the Hanford Site.

RICHLAND, Wash. – EM’s Richland Operations Office (RL) has awarded Mission Support Alliance (MSA), the Hanford Site services contractor, 91 percent of its available fee for fiscal year 2016, according to a recently release award fee determination scorecard.

The contractor met or exceeded the majority of performance goals and objectives for the performance period, according to the scorecard.

Providing critical support to other Hanford Site contractors is central to the mission of MSA, which earned $19.2 million of the $21.1 million of available fee for 2016.

“I am pleased with the progress attained this past fiscal year. I look forward to working with MSA in continuing to right-size the Hanford Site infrastructure, improving site-wide safety, and overall, driving for safe and cost effective cleanup,” RL Manager Doug Shoop wrote in a letter to MSA accompanying the fee scorecard.

Maintaining the safety and security of Hanford operations and the workforce is the number one priority of MSA's emergency response forces.

Among its significant accomplishments, according to the scorecard, MSA exceeded targets for completion of corrective maintenance on several utilities; performed notably in several areas, including conduct of business operations; provided excellent support to public involvement in renegotiating Tri-Party Agreement milestones; and demonstrated strong performance in safety and a culture of continuous improvement.

Despite the ratings of “excellent” and “very good” for the objective and subjective categories, respectively, in MSA’s performance and evaluation plan, RL noted room for improvement in quality and regulatory compliance.

“We are pleased with our partnership with DOE and the other Hanford contractors. This score is a tribute to our employees who perform a number of specialized services that are diverse and essential to cleanup,” MSA President Bill Johnson said.

View the scorecard here.

- Contributor: Mark Heeter

Savannah River Site Avoids $12 Million in Costs by Consolidating Calibration Labs

Savannah River Nuclear Solutions employee Tim Hines works on a multifunction process calibrator at the Savannah River Standards Lab.

AIKEN, S.C. –Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS), the management and operations contractor at the Savannah River Site, recently streamlined calibration laboratories, avoiding an estimated $12 million in costs.

In 2016, SRNS began evaluating six of its organizations that performed approximately 18,000 calibration services annually.

The major calibration labs included the Savannah River Standards Lab (SRSL), Site Services Calibration Lab (SSCL); Savannah River Tritium Enterprise Hot Calibration Lab; and Health Physics Instrument Calibration Lab.

“Our goal was to determine the best cost and service model for the calibration services and reduce redundancy and facility footprint, while maintaining program accreditation and compliance,” SRNS Best Business Model Process Program Manager Alexcia Delley said.

”We consulted with various onsite and offsite subject-matter experts, used results from a site services fiscal year 2017 study for consolidating labs and evaluated numerous alternatives to ultimately determine if we should outsource the calibrations to an offsite lab or restructure the six existing labs to keep the services onsite.” Delley said.

Savannah River Nuclear Solutions employee Eric Homyer transfers a 20-gram weight to a balance during a calibration at the Savannah River Standards Lab.

SRNS decided not to outsource additional calibrations service, and determined that services at the SRSL and the SSCL should be consolidated into one building. Consolidating the calibration services eliminates redundant services and equipment and results in approximately $562,000 in anticipated savings over the next five years.

Consolidating into one building allows for an estimated $12 million in cost avoidance and reduces the site footprint by approximately 6,500 square feet.

Last year, SRNS identified $7.6 million in projected savings over the next six years after evaluating company functions. Some of those savings resulted from improving record and materials management. SRNS outsourced storage of some records at a low cost and optimized its records work flow process. The company also improved efficiency by implementing new bar scanning technology, reducing property marking and tagging for low-value items, and improving delivery schemes.

- Contributor: Caroline Reppert

Joint Convention Elects EM’s Douglas Tonkay to Key Leadership Post

Douglas Tonkay, director of the EM Office of Waste Disposal

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Douglas Tonkay, director of the EM Office of Waste Disposal, has been elected a vice president of the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management.

“Everyone in the EM family is proud of Doug and his election to this important position,” said Acting EM Assistant Secretary Sue Cange. “His accomplishment is an example of the talent and leadership that exists within EM.”

Tonkay was elected to the post during the Sixth Organizational Meeting of the Parties to the Joint Convention held in Vienna, Austria on May 16-19.

As a vice president, Tonkay will support the newly elected Joint Convention president, Bismark Mzubanzi Tyobeka of South Africa. Tonkay will participate in meetings of the General Committee; assist the president as appropriate; and chair meetings of open-ended groups established by Joint Convention plenary sessions. Geoff Williams of the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency also was elected a vice president.

The Joint Convention, a multinational convention under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency Secretariat, incentivizes countries to work together within a three-year peer review process, with the goal of increasing the level of safety of spent fuel and radioactive waste worldwide. Seventy-five countries have ratified the Joint Convention. The Sixth Review Meeting of the parties will take place in May 2018 in Vienna.

Tonkay has almost 27 years of leadership, management and technical experience in a wide variety of waste management programs within EM. He has extensive experience working with the Joint Convention, serving for 14 years as the U.S. national point of contact, as well as serving as advisor to David Huizenga, president of the Fifth Review Meeting.

- Contibutor: Julia Donkin

SRS Employees Find New Home for Operations Station

AIKEN, S.C. – EM and Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS), the Savannah River Site (SRS) management and operations contractor, are upgrading a key operations center for the H Canyon and HB Line with wireless technology, new software and other improvements.

The H Area Operations Station is responsible for controlling process cooling water and steam for H Canyon, a chemical separations facility, and HB Line, a chemical processing facility.

The station had been housed in an out-of-service steam plant constructed more than 60 years ago. That plant has had frequent issues with failed wiring, batteries and annunciators, and other problems due to degraded conditions.

As a result, SRNS moved the station to a structure relocated from K Area with the operational capabilities needed for the station.

There, workers installed new wireless technology for process monitoring, eliminating the need for replacement wiring. They added new compressors, dryers and a new structure for a direct current power supply.

“We put a real focus on continuous improvement and this is a great example of our personnel finding new ways to be more efficient, save money and improve the working environment for our operators,” SRNS President Stuart MacVean said.

Faced with the growing challenge of addressing legacy infrastructure issues and process equipment deterioration, SRNS employees worked together to find the solution of relocating the station to the former K Area structure. The move was part of the SRS continuous improvement program.

“This innovative solution to the H Area Operations Station increased system and equipment reliability, operator response time, and helped make the H Area Operations Station facility a better place to work,” SRNS Site Services Director Geoff Reynolds said.

- Contributor: Martin Schneider

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