WASHINGTON, DC - The D.O.E. (DOE) today issued a outline Request for Proposals (RFP) for prospective contractors who are interested in competing on a full and open basis to manage and operate DOE's Pacific Northwest Countrywide Lab (PNNL). PNNL is a world-class multi-program Countrywide Lab located in Richland, Washington, whose mission is to deliver science-based solutions for the nation's energy, environmental, and security needs.
The outline RFP's Statement of Work highlights the type of work being performed at PNNL and allows firms to determine if they have the comprehensive knowledge, skills, and capability to meet the overall requirements to provide the intellectual leadership and management of PNNL. D.O.E. expects to award the new performance-based contract in the fall of 2008, which will be followed by a transition period of up to 90 days.
The PNNL contract will be a performance-based, cost-plus-award-fee management and operating contract. The current PNNL contract expires on September 30, 2008; however, the contract contains an option that may extend the contract for up to one additional year, to allow for the competition process.
The outline RFP will be open for comments or questions for 45 days through December 10, 2007. All comments or questions related to the outline RFP should be submitted and will be answered through the D.O.E. Industry Interactive Procurement System. The procurement is being handled by the Office of Science's Integrated Support Center in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, whose point of contact can be reached at pnnlseb@oro.doe.gov for further information. Learn additional information about the PNNL RFP process.
Since the mid-1990s, D.O.E. has competed the management and operating (M&O) contracts for its Countrywide labs to ensure that the taxpayers' investment in the D.O.E. lab complex is allocated wisely and effectively. The PNNL contract competition will ensure the continued sound management of the Lab facilities and solidify the long-term viability of this world-class lab, integral to America's scientific competitiveness and security. This competition is the 1st since PNNL's establishment.
PNNL is currently operated under 2 contracts: the M&O contract and a parallel contract, known as a use permit. D.O.E. will not continue the separate use permit contract beyond the expiration of DOE's current contract with Battelle Memorial Institute to manage DOE's Pacific Northwest Countrywide Laboratory. Under the terms and conditions of the use permit contract, Battelle is able to use Lab and other resources to pursue work for its own benefit and in direct competition with the private sector. In order to ensure that Lab resources are dedicated to the public benefit and governmental purposes, this separate contract will not be accessible to the successor contractor as a result of this competition. DOE's decision is based generally on the need to foster competition through a "level playing field" and to better align the new PNNL contract with every other D.O.E. management and operating contract. Through the existing Work for Others Program, non-DOE entities will continue to have access to specialized or unique PNNL capabilities.
PNNL is one of DOE's 17 world-class Countrywide laboratories, and performs research for several D.O.E. plan offices - including the Office of Science - as well as government agencies, universities, and industry, to deliver breakthrough science and technology. PNNL solves complex problems in energy, Countrywide security, life sciences and the environment by advancing the understanding of physics, chemistry, biology and computation. PNNL currently has approximately 4,200 staff members and a 2006 fiscal year business volume of $750 million.
The outline RFP will be accessible on DOE's Industry Interactive Procurement System and/or FedBizOpps.
