The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded a new $2.3 billion contract to the University of California to manage Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, extending the university’s 70-year management of the lab. The contract was granted under the first competitive bidding process for management rights since the lab’s founding in 1931.
“I am very pleased that the Department of Energy has chosen the University of California to continue our proud tradition of managing Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,” UC President Robert C. Dynes stated in an April 19 press release. “Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory is an excellent example of the successful interaction between universities and the federal government in managing a scientific research facility and producing results of national significance.”
The university has managed the lab since its inception, and also manages Los Alamos National Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore Laboratory. Among the three labs, Berkeley is the only lab that does not conduct classified nuclear research. Congressional legislation passed in 2003 mandated that the management and operating contracts for the labs be put up for competitive bidding. The university was the only bidder for the Berkeley facility.
“The University of California was the sole bidder for the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, and so it wasn’t a surprise that they won,” said Marylia Kelley, executive director of the Tri-Valley Communities Against a Radioactive Environment, a nonprofit watchdog group for the labs. “The [Berkeley lab] does no classified weapons work, and therefore the University of California may well be the appropriate manager.”
The lab specializes in areas such as life sciences, computing technologies and cosmology. Researchers from the lab have won 10 Nobel Prizes and 12 National Medals of Science.
“From the start of the process, we have felt that, based on our distinguished history of partnership and our impressive record of success, continuing management by the university was essential to maintaining the strength and quality of both institutions,” Berkeley lab Director Steven Chu stated in a press release. “The announcement to extend that partnership promises more mutual rewards, and further advances in scientific exploration in the future.”
The new contract will go into effect on June 1, 2005, and will last until May 31, 2010, with the possibility of a 15-year extension if the university and the laboratory exhibit good performance. According to lab spokesman Ron Kold, performance standards will include the assessment of scientific programs, financial operations and safety violations.
“It’s hoped that we won’t have to compete for another management contract if we have outstanding performance,” Kold said.
The new contract contains several changes, including a different fee allocation structure, according to Kold. It also establishes an external advisory board to assess business practices, according to UC spokesman Chris Harrington.
However, the contract will include the same pensions and benefits for UC lab employees, Kold said. The employee pensions and benefits system is a major sticking point in the request for the Los Alamos bids.
“There are a lot of initiatives we’re pursuing in science and operations, but there aren’t any dramatic changes to the employees’ benefits,” he said.
Although Kelley feels that provisions of the contract are generally positive, she said she would also like to see the local Berkeley community become more involved in the affairs of the lab.
“I’d also like to see a citizens’ advisory board on the programs at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and to have neighbors be able to serve on that board,” Kelley said. “The University of California has treated the neighbors of the Berkeley lab with a certain amount of arrogance. I’d like to see the local community more involved in the decision-making process.”
With the management contract for the Los Alamos lab expiring in September, the Department of Energy expects to award a new contract by July. The UC management of the Los Alamos lab came under scrutiny after a series of safety and security violations in recent years. The university has also faced legal challenges over its treatment of laboratory employees.
Last month, the University of California also showed a strong possibility of bidding for the Los Alamos lab when it partnered with the New Mexico Consortium, a group of science institutions, to collaborate on research between the institutions and the lab.
In January, Tri-Valley C.A.R.E.S. announced its partnership with Nuclear Watch of New Mexico to submit a competitive bid for the Los Alamos lab. The purpose of the bid was to influence the bidding process and to exemplify how the lab could be modified into a more civilian-based facility, Kelley said.
Both the university and Tri-Valley C.A.R.E.S., among other competitors, are still awaiting the release of the request for proposals for the Los Alamos lab from the Department of Energy. The contract for the Livermore lab has been extended, according to Kelley.
“The Department of Energy recognized the important role and the benefits of a university managing a premier national laboratory [with the Berkeley lab],” Harrington said. “We sincerely hope that they recognize this important role in the Los Alamos and Livermore request for proposals.”
