The Department of Energy has announced that it selected
Los Alamos National Security LLC – made up of Bechtel
National the University of California, BWX Technologies,
and the Washington Group International, to manage operations
for the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.
This is the first time management of the lab, one of
three National Nuclear Security Administration nuclear
weapons labs, has been open to competition after it was
founded in 1943 to build an atomic bomb. The University
of California and its group beat out a rival group
including the University of Texas and Lockheed Martin
to keep its management role.
A Source Evaluation Board of career civil servants from
the nuclear weapons complex started the contracting
process in May 2004. Following a five-month evaluation,
NNSA assistant deputy administrator for defense
programs, Tom D’Agostino, made the final selection,
according to DoE.