KENNEWICK — The Hanford nuclear site contractor responsible for radioactive waste tanks for more than 16 years has lost $10.2 million in potential pay after claims that workers were too often idle because they had no work assigned.
In the previous fiscal year similar accusations were made against the Hanford sitewide services contractor Hanford Mission Integration Solutions. Shortly after that evaluation, the U.S. Department of Justice joined a civil lawsuit alleging overbilling of the government for idle workers.
Washington River Protection Solutions earned nearly $32.8 million in incentive pay, or 69 percent, for fiscal 2024, which ended Sept. 30, according to the Department of Energy. It was eligible for a maximum of $47.5 million.
The unearned pay included $4.5 million for some work that was not completed during the fiscal year and $10.2 million for shortcomings in DOE’s assessment of its performance, which included criticism that workers were not assigned tasks.
DOE reimburses the costs for much of the contractor’s work. The contractor makes profit through incentive pay, or “fee” as it is called at Hanford.
DOE listed a “significant deficiency” in a two-page scorecard summarizing the Hanford site contractor’s performance, saying that the contractor failed to effectively manage some workers, work activities and their associated costs, which are covered with taxpayer money.
“… DOE was provided with evidence of numerous occasions when crews were excessively idle and participated in nonwork-related activities due to ineffective work planning and execution that went uncorrected by contractor management,” the scorecard said.
Although DOE did not describe nonwork-related activities, the civil lawsuit against Hanford Mission Integration Solutions (HMIS) unsealed a year ago said some workers napped, read and watched TV and movies when they were not assigned work.
The 580-square-mile Hanford nuclear site in Eastern Washington was used from World War II through the Cold War to produce plutonium for the nation’s nuclear weapons program.
The work left 56 million gallons of radioactive and chemical waste awaiting treatment stored in underground tanks plus radioactive and chemical contamination. Environmental cleanup is being done at a cost of about $3 billion annually.
Work is highly coordinated with detailed plans and briefings and the need for employees with multiple different skills and sometimes from different site contractors be available to work together.
Hanford site waste tank work
Wes Bryan, president of Washington River Protection Solutions, said in a December memo to employees that the DOE evaluation is a chance to understand concerns, challenge them appropriately and make improvements where necessary.
But the DOE criticism should not diminish the value of the outstanding work done at the tank farms over the past year, he said.
The contractor finished emptying the last of the waste storage tank in the group called the AX Tank Farm, making it the second farm with waste retrieved to regulatory standards.
It also advanced work to prepare tank waste for treatment at the vitrification plant and disposal.
However, Hanford’s Effluent Treatment Facility and the 242-A Evaporator were not restarted as DOE wanted in fiscal 2024, leading to a loss of $4.5 million in incentive pay for the contractor.
The contractor has made progress on both projects and restarted the Effluent Treatment Facility in the current fiscal year.
The 69 percent of available pay earned by Washington River Protection Solutions for fiscal 2024 was down from 82 percent for fiscal 2023.
Washington River Protection Solutions employs 2,800 workers, including 340 working under subcontracts.
Its contract, originally awarded for 10 years and extended multiple times, is expiring. It is working to transition work to the new tank farm contractor, H2C, short for Hanford Tank Waste Operations and Closure.
Washington River Protection Solutions is owned by Amentum and Atkins.
DOE 2024 pay for HMIS
Hanford Mission Integration Solutions had a better scorecard for fiscal 2024 after missing out on incentive pay in fiscal 2023 after criticism of lack of work assignments leaving some workers idle.
HMIS, which provides services across the Hanford nuclear site, earned 94 percent of available incentive pay for fiscal 2024, up from 72 percent the previous fiscal year.
For fiscal 2024 it received $22.2 million in incentive pay of a possible $23.6 million. That is up from fiscal 2023 when it received $15.1 million of $20.9 million possible.
In fiscal 2023 DOE said HMIS failed to effectively manage fire system maintenance employees, work activities and associated costs.
Similar to DOE’s complaint for fiscal 2024 with the tank farm contractor, it said there were numerous occasions when HMIS fire system maintenance crews were idle and doing nonwork activities because of ineffective work planning by management.
But in its latest scorecard, DOE said HMIS was ahead of schedule in implementing the recovery plan for fire system testing.
DOE also praised HMIS for “efficient and effective delivery of sitewide services” and said it provided high quality support of land management activities
The contractor provides services for the nuclear reservation, DOE and DOE contractors that include security, fire and emergency services, land management, utilities, road services, management of the HAMMER training center and information technology.
Areas of improvement listed by DOE on the fiscal 2024 scorecard included subcontractor management and also collaboration and communication with other Hanford contractors.
“In this new fiscal year, we are focused on prioritizing Hanford’s infrastructure needs and identifying efficiencies to obtain the best value for the government,” said Amy Basche, HMIS president, in a memo to employees.
HMIS, which employs 1,976 people, is owned by Leidos, Centerra and Parsons.
