Sandia National Laboratories Contract Process Announced

WASHINGTON (May 18, 2016) – The Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has initiated the process to compete the management and operating contract for Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) in Albuquerque, N.M.; Livermore, Calif.; Kauai, Hawaii; Amarillo, Texas; and Tonopah, Nev. The current SNL management and operations contract was extended until April 30, 2017, to allow time for a full and open competition and an orderly transition. Today, NNSA released a Request for Proposal (RFP) with all information related to the competition, including the contract terms and conditions. The RFP is located here and here. Any amendments to the RFP or other pertinent information relating to the acquisition, including questions and answers, will also be available on these websites.

SNL is currently operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation. It is one of the largest multidisciplinary institutions in the world and one of the largest employers in New Mexico and has a significant presence in California. The laboratories have an annual operating budget of about $2.88 billion and employ more than 10,000 employees. About 20 percent of Sandia’s technical staff are employed in electrical engineering, 20 percent in mechanical engineering, and 17 percent in other engineering fields. An additional 17 percent of the technical staff work in computing, and 5 percent in chemistry. Other technical staff members work in mathematics and computational science, biological science, geoscience and other disciplines.

SNL began in 1945 as Z Division, the ordnance design, testing, and assembly arm of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. It became Sandia Laboratory in 1949. The principal mission of SNL is to be the Nation’s premier science and engineering laboratories for national security and technology innovation related to nuclear weapons; defense systems and assessments; energy and climate; and international, homeland and nuclear security. The contractor will be required to provide the intellectual leadership and management expertise necessary and appropriate to manage, operate, and staff the laboratories and to accomplish the missions assigned by NNSA.

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Established by Congress in 2000, NNSA is a semi-autonomous agency within the U.S. Department of Energy responsible for enhancing national security through the military application of nuclear science. NNSA maintains and enhances the safety, security, and effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile without nuclear explosive testing; works to reduce global danger from weapons of mass destruction; provides the U.S. Navy with safe and effective nuclear propulsion; and responds to nuclear and radiological emergencies in the U.S. and abroad. Visit nnsa.energy.gov for more information.