Re: DOE ANNOUNCES BNL CONTRACTOR/PENA STATEMENT

[kaplan@bnl.gov]

>THE FOLLOWING NEWS RELEASE IS BEING ISSUED THIS MORNING BY THE US
>DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY. PLEASE SHARE IT WITH EMPLOYEES WHO DO NOT HAVE
>E-MAIL.

>IMPORTANT NOTE: CHANGES TO SCHEDULED WBNL/VIDEO REPLAY LOCATIONS: * WBNL
>broadcast in Instrumentation, Bldg. 535, will not take place. * Video
>replay in Chemistry will be in Hamilton Seminar Room, not Room 300


>EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE 10:30 a.m., November 25, 1997
>NEWS MEDIA CONTACTS:
>Jeff Sherwood, DOE Headquarters, (202) 586-5806
>Carol Morrison, Brookhaven Group, (516) 344-2252
>Gary Pitchford, Chicago Operations Office, (630) 252-2013

>ENERGY DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES NEW CONTRACTOR TO IMPROVE MANAGEMENT OF
>BROOKHAVEN LAB
>PROCUREMENT SELECTION MADE IN RECORD TIME

>Completing a major step in its ongoing effort to improve management and
>restore confidence at Brookhaven National Laboratory, the Department of
>Energy today announced selection of Brookhaven Science Associates as the
>new contractor to manage and operate its Long Island, N.Y., research
>facility.  The Brookhaven Science Associates team is led by the Research
>Foundation of the State University of New York on behalf of the State
>University of New York at Stony Brook and Battelle Memorial Research
>Institute of Columbus, Ohio.
>Secretary of Energy Federico Pena said, "Brookhaven Science Associates
>has demonstrated leadership at their institutions, and I will look to
>them to fully integrate safety and environmental protection into
>scientific research, to accelerate and intensify recent efforts to
>rebuild community trust, and to achieve overall excellence.  Working
>together, we will make it possible for the laboratory to carry out its
>mission as a world-class research facility and prove itself a good
>neighbor to Suffolk County and Long Island."
>"I want to thank all those who provided input into this contract process
>and selection -- our neighbors on Long Island, members of the scientific
>community, lab employees, and many others.  I also want to thank the
>selection team which worked tirelessly to create an open, fair and
>efficient process.  This is the fastest competition we have ever held for
>a management and operating contract, and reflects a new way of doing
>business at the Department of Energy," he added.
>Brookhaven Science Associates will manage and operate the laboratory for
>a five-year term at an estimated cost of $2 billion, with a contract to
>be awarded in early January 1998.
>Two proposals from nonprofit-led teams were submitted in response to a
>July 18, 1997, Request for Proposals.  One proposal was from Brookhaven
>Science Associates.  The other competing team was led by the IIT Research
>Institute of Chicago, Illinois.  Both teams provided excellent proposals
>and demonstrated their ability to manage scientific, environmental,
>safety and health, and community involvement initiatives at the
>laboratory.  The selected team demonstrated the best total capability to
>improve the laboratory's performance.
>Stony Brook is a national leader in high energy and nuclear physics.
>Battelle Memorial Research Institute has operated the department's
>Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash., for the last 32
>years and has long been a leader in applied science and technology,
>including environmental, safety and health management.  Battelle manages
>environmental, safety and health activities at the department's Pantex
>Plant.
>Brookhaven Science Associates committed to exceeding the requirements of
>the department's Request for Proposal in several areas, including: the
>department's safety management program that integrates safety into
>employees' daily work activities; implementing IS0 14001, an
>international standard for environmental management systems; and
>instituting a Voluntary Protection Program whereby the lab will subscribe
>to meeting proven industrial standards for worker safety.
>Other immediate organizational commitments include retention of existing
>salary, benefits and tenure systems for employees and appointment of
>separate deputy directors for science and operations. In addition,
>offices for environment, safety and health, environmental management,
>reactor operations and community involvement will report directly to the
>laboratory director.
>The Brookhaven Science Associates proposal identified Dr. John Marburger
>as the new Brookhaven Laboratory director.  Dr. Marburger is a
>distinguished science administrator and served as State University of New
>York at Stony Brook's president for 14 years.  He has committed to
>integrate laboratory safety with scientific excellence and to regain
>community trust and confidence.
>The department's streamlined process for selecting a new contractor,
>limited to nonprofit organizations or teams led by nonprofit
>organizations, was completed in six months, rather than the usual 18, and
>was developed with extensive community, industrial and academic
>involvement.  The department initially planned to award the contract in
>mid-November 1997. However, an early January 1998 award is now
>contemplated in order to comply with recently enacted legislation
>requiring 60-day notice to Congress before awarding certain contracts.
>Brookhaven Science Associates will assume responsibility for laboratory
>operations following a transition period of  60 days after the contract
>award.  Until that time, Associated Universities Inc., the current
>contractor for Brookhaven, will continue to manage the laboratory. The
>new five-year performance-based contract with Brookhaven Science
>Associates embodies concepts developed in the department's contract
>reform initiative.  Distinct performance measures have been included in
>the contract, reflecting the department's performance improvement
>objectives at Brookhaven.
>In addition to performance measures for Fiscal Year 1998 in science and
>technology, environment, safety and health, and community involvement
>areas, the contract also contains an "off-ramp" provision.  If the Energy
>Department determines that the contractor is not performing in an
>excellent manner after contract performance of 33 months, the agency may
>terminate the contract short of completion of the initial term of five
>years. Alternatively, the department could also choose to continue
>through the initial five years, but not exercise the option under the
>contract to continue the contractor's performance for an additional
>five-year period. Attached is a statement by Secretary Pena that was read
>at the public announcement of the contractor's selection.  The source
>selection statement will be available on the Internet at:
>http://www.ch.doe.gov/bnlseb Brookhaven National Laboratory carries out
>basic and applied research in high energy, nuclear and solid state
>physics, nuclear medicine, biomedical and environmental sciences and
>selected energy technologies. -DOE-


>Statement from Secretary of Energy Federico Pena on the Announcement of a
>New Contractor for Brookhaven National Laboratory
>With today's announcement, the Department of Energy is meeting a
>commitment I made to the people of Long Island.  On May 1st, I said that
>we would take the necessary steps to change the management of Brookhaven
>National Laboratory, increase community input and improve our approach to
>protecting the environment, preserving worker safety and ensuring public
>health.  And I said that these priorities could go hand in hand with
>scientific excellence.
>I am pleased to help introduce Brookhaven Science Associates to Long
>Island citizens and Brookhaven employees.  The team members have
>demonstrated leadership at their institutions, and I will look to them to
>fully integrate safety and environmental protection into scientific
>research, to accelerate and intensify recent efforts to rebuild community
>trust, and to achieve overall excellence.  Working together, we will make
>it possible for the laboratory to carry out its mission as a world-class
>research facility and prove itself a good neighbor to Suffolk County and
>Long Island. I want to thank all those who provided input into this
>contract process and selection -- our neighbors on Long Island, members
>of the scientific community, lab employees, and many others.  I also want
>to thank the selection team which worked tirelessly to create an open,
>fair and efficient process.  This is the fastest competition we have ever
>held for a management and operating contract, and reflects a new way of
>doing business at the Department of Energy.
>I invite the people of Long Island and our employees to join me in
>welcoming the new contractor and supporting this transition.  The
>Department of Energy will demand excellence from itself and our new
>contractor -- we ask you to demand the same.  But let's also celebrate
>this new chapter for a laboratory that's respected worldwide and valued
>by so many Americans for its discoveries in basic research, medicine,
>energy and the environment.  The Department of Energy is committed to
>continuing this tradition of excellence.
>--  DOE --




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kaplan@bnl.gov   [Ed Kaplan  (516) 344-2007 (voice)/5810 (fax)] Brookhaven
National Laboratory
Building 703M
Upton, NY 11973-5000
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