KENNEWICK — The Department of Energy awarded its Hanford support services contractor only $2.9 million of a possible $8.4 million in incentive pay in its subjective evaluation for fiscal 2023.
However, Hanford Mission Integration Solutions (HMIS) earned 98% of the pay available for meeting objective goals outlined in its performance plan for the year for a total of $15 million of almost $21 million available in incentive pay for the year.
DOE was unhappy with the contractor’s management of fire system maintenance workers, work activities and associated costs.
DOE directly reimburses HMIS for its costs of providing services and then HMIS earns profit through incentive pay, called “fee” at Hanford, which is determined by DOE.
“During the performance period, DOE was provided with evidence of numerous occasions when crews assigned to perform fire system maintenance were excessively idle and participated in non-work-related activities,” said DOE in a one-page award fee determination scorecard made public.
DOE blamed “ineffective work planning and unproductive work execution that went uncorrected by contractor management.”
“We disagree with the DOE position,” said HMIS President Bob Wilkinson in a message to employees.
Overall employees performed a high quality and quantity of work during fiscal 2023, he said.
The 78% of possible fee earned for objective evaluations of work goals completed and subjective evaluations compared to 90% of possible pay earned for fiscal 2022, the contractor’s first full year of work at Hanford.
HMIS provides support services for DOE and other contractors at the Hanford site, where environmental cleanup is underway. HMIS is responsible for water, power, sewer, roads, fire, security, snow removal, information technology, training and more.
From World War II through the Cold War, the 580-square-mile Hanford nuclear reservation near Richland in Eastern Washington produced almost two-thirds of the plutonium for the nation’s nuclear weapons program.
DOE praised HMIS for meeting 35 of 37 performance target levels and its overall performance of site services, including support for specific environmental cleanup projects underway by other Hanford contractors.
However, it needs to improve communication and coordination when services, such as water and fire systems, are taken out of service so plans and preparations can be made by other contractors.
Correcting the fire system maintenance program will require improving personnel activities, work planning and execution, and cost management and reporting, DOE said.
HMIS also needs to improve fire apparatus pump, aerial and ground ladder testing to ensure equipment available.
HMIS is owned by Leidos Integrated Technology, Centerra Group and Parsons Government Services
