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Friday, Oct. 25, 1996
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Laboratory to negotiate
$150 million . . . contract with Fluor Daniel
Lab granted change of venue
Lab technology featured on CNN this
weekend
It's Kickoff Time for the R&D
100s
CIC-1 adopts new levels of edit
United Way update
Laboratory to negotiate $150 million
construction-management contract with Fluor Daniel
The Laboratory will negotiate with Fluor Daniel Inc. for the right to design and manage construction of at least $800 million in improvements to some of the Laboratory's key nuclear facilities.
The seven-year contract with the Irvine, Calif.-based company would be worth up to $150 million and include an option for a three-year extension, Energy Secretary Hazel O'Leary and U.S. Rep. Bill Richardson, D-N.M., said in announcing the contract decision Thursday at Española City Hall.
"I commend Los Alamos National Laboratory and the congressional leadership of New Mexico for forging this partnership for economic growth in Northern New Mexico," O'Leary said. "This contract is a significant step in building the facilities at Los Alamos that will enable it to fulfill its missions into the next century. An added benefit will be Fluor Daniel's long-term commitment to the economic development of Northern New Mexico."
The Laboratory hopes to award the contract within a month, following successful completion of negotiations.
The contract could lead to the creation of roughly 200 new jobs in the Española Valley and Northern New Mexico, said Tom Garcia, the Lab's director for institutional development. In its proposal, Fluor Daniel agreed to locate an office in the Española Valley, representing a significant investment and additional potential jobs.
Annual contract amounts, and the funding of the various construction projects that Fluor Daniel will help oversee, are subject to annual congressional appropriations. Many of the construction, maintenance and improvement projects are needed because of the Lab's proposed mission of maintaining the nation's plutonium manufacturing capabilities. That mission is spelled out in the Department of Energy's Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Stockpile Stewardship and Management, now in final review.
The company, if it is awarded the contract, must set up a Northern New Mexico office within 30 days. The company also must make a strong local economic contribution, which must include hiring and buying supplies locally; setting up mentor, protege and training programs to improve the local workforce; and establishing loan guarantee and community outreach programs to provide grants, scholarships and fellowships to local community institutions.
The proposed contract will include architectural and engineering services, project management and inspection for work at three major Los Alamos facilities:
-- Upgrading electrical, plumbing, climate, safety, security and other systems at Technical Area 55, the nation's only full-service plutonium facility, built in 1978, plus road work and capability and maintenance improvements to other Laboratory buildings; estimated construction cost is $350 million.
-- Continuation of improvements to the Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Building, built in 1952, and other chemistry facilities; estimated cost is $120 million.
--Improvements that will permit the opening of the Nuclear Materials Storage Facility at TA-55, built in 1987; estimated cost is $45 million.
-- Exterior security renovations; no cost has been estimated yet.
-- Other small construction and modification projects and equipment; estimated cost is $60 million.
Construction is scheduled to extend from 1997 through 2005 and beyond, with spending of more than $70 million annually estimated for the peak years of 1998-2001.
Under terms of the proposed contract, Fluor Daniel will form a partnership with the Laboratory. Employees from the company and the Laboratory will work together to ensure the design, engineering and construction projects meet objectives, Garcia said.
"The Laboratory is buying architectural and engineering services from a nationally recognized company," Garcia said. "At the same time, we are creating a larger construction management team within the Laboratory in partnership with Fluor Daniel for the duration of these projects."
Garcia said the relationship should improve quality, result in better designs and project oversight, and provide a much-needed personnel "cushion" during the demanding peak construction years.
Paul Cunningham, director of the Laboratory's Nuclear Materials and Stockpile Management Program, said, "The country has determined that Los Alamos will have a significant nuclear role in the DOE complex. Los Alamos isn't going to give up its responsibility for making the key decisions and technical judgments during this extraordinary construction process," Cunningham continued. "But at the same time, there's no reason for us to try to take over what the private sector knows best. They do a world-class technical job, and we need a world-class partner."
The contract includes all three phases of project management: conceptual design; detailed design, estimating and engineering; and construction oversight and final inspection.
Fluor Daniel will take charge of design control, records management, configuration management, nuclear construction design standards, quality assurance and all the other tasks involved with coordinating such extensive construction projects.
Companies that competed for the architectural and engineering contract were told they would be judged in part on their plans to improve the economy of Northern New Mexico.
The Laboratory did not consider dividing up the planning for the nuclear facilities work into several small contracts because the nature of the work demands a unified approach.
The company that is awarded the contract eventually may form partnerships with the Laboratory to manage other construction at Los Alamos.
--Jim Danneskiold
Lab granted change of venue
District Court Judge Jim Hall ruled on Wednesday that the Laboratory would not receive a fair trial in Rio Arriba or Santa Fe counties and granted the Lab a change of venue in the trial to address a lawsuit brought against the Laboratory by 102 former Lab employees who claim they were unfairly laid off in last year's reduction in force. Laboratory lawyers and the plaintiffs' legal team will attempt to reach agreement on where to move the trial. The trial could be moved to either Doña Ana, Chaves or Bernalillo counties. The judge said if no agreement on the location can be reached by noon Monday, he would make the decision later that afternoon. The trial date is scheduled for March 3, 1997.
Lab technology featured on CNN this weekend
Lab research on supercritical carbon dioxide treatment of materials for dry cleaning will be featured this weekend on the Cable News Network (CNN) program Science and Technology Week. The program is scheduled to air Saturday at 9 a.m. MST and Sunday at 2 p.m. MST.
It's Kickoff Time for the R&D 100s
Each year R&D Magazine honors scientific innovators from around the world by selecting the top 100 technical advances of the past year for its prestigious R&D 100 Award. The Lab's R&D 100 team will hold three kickoff meetings to explain the 1997 competition. These meetings are scheduled as follows:
Nov. 5 10:30 -- 11:30 am Auditorium, Bradbury Science Museum
Nov. 19 10:30 -- 11:30 am Auditorium, Bradbury Science Museum
Dec. 3 10:30 -- 11:30 am Auditorium, Bradbury Science Museum
R&D 100 team members will discuss the award, as well as the competition's eligibility criteria and application process. After each kickoff meeting, three days of interviews will follow so that individuals interested in entering the competition can discuss their innovations with the R&D 100 team. You can sign up for a 45-minute interview either at the kickoff meetings or by calling Carole Travis of the Industrial Partnership Office (IPO) at 5-6756. You need attend only one of the kickoff meetings.
Any new product, process, material or software that was completed or was ready for transfer to the private sector during calendar year 1996 is eligible for an R&D 100 Award. Entering the competition is an excellent way to increase staff and program recognition and to promote the Lab's efforts in technology transfer. R&D winners enhance the Lab's image as a leader in technological innovation and create new opportunities to license and spin off technologies.
An international competition, the R&D 100 Award is regarded as a measure of excellence by industry and the Department of Energy. Since the competition began in 1963, DOE laboratories have won well over 400 awards. The 46 awards won by Los Alamos scientists and engineers over the last nine years make the Lab top winner both within the DOE complex and worldwide.
If you cannot attend the meeting but would like more information about the R&D 100 competition, call Ileana Buican of Communication Arts and Services (CIC-1) at 5-7893 or Melissa Miller (IPO) at 5-5377.
CIC-1 adopts new levels of edit
The Communication Arts and Services (CIC-1) is adopting a new levels-of-edit scheme for all Laboratory publications. The three new levels - proofreading, grammar and full edit - are briefly defined on the revised Submittal of LA-Series Report form. Copies of the new form have been mailed to all technical group, division and program offices. The form is also available online from the Lab's home page. With the availability of the revised submittal form, CIC-1 is now switching to the new levels of edit.
The new levels are defined in more detail with an editing checklist and chart. The checklist itemizes the document errors to be corrected or queried at each level. The chart defines the recommended level of edit for documents based on their purpose and audience. Both the chart and checklist are available online from the CIC-1 home page and in print from the CIC-1 Customer Service desk (7-4636).
The new online and print versions of the submittal form for LA-series reports replace the old "green" form. To access the online form, select "Official Documents" from the Lab's home page. Then select "LANL Online Forms" under Forms. This will bring you to a list of form categories. The category you select depends on your computer and software.
If you work on a Macintosh or PC and have the JetForm Filler software, you can complete the form online. Select "Publication Forms" and then select "Submittal of LA-Series Report (595)". The online form has help messages (press the F2 key) that give directions on how to complete its fields.
If you do not have JetForm Filler software on a Mac or PC or if you work on a UNIX workstation, you can view and print the submittal form as a PDF file with Acrobat Reader. Select "Blank Forms" and then "Publication Forms," and the submittal form will be listed. You can then print the form to complete it.
The new submittal form is also available as a stock item (ST 2643) from BUS-6. All copies of the previous "green" submittal form should be recycled.
The new levels of edit and LA-series submittal form cap a two-year CQI effort to simplify editing guidelines and tailor editing services more to author needs. All editing done by CIC-1 will now be guided by the new levels of edit. If you have questions about the new levels or submittal form, call the CIC-1 Customer Service desk (7-4636).
Contact: Judy Prono, 5-8383
United Way update
As of Thursday, the Lab has raised $116,685.64 for the 1997 Northern New Mexico/Los Alamos United Way campaign. About 8.7 percent of the employees have contributed so far. The goal is to increase last year's participation by 100 percent, meaning the Lab is aiming for a participaion rate of about 64 percent.
For those who have made pledges or donations, thank you; for those who have not yet made a pledge but are planning to, you still have plenty of time. Just return your pledge card to your United Way coordinator. The campaign ends Nov. 14. Remember, more than 20 Northern New Mexico agencies benefit from funds raised, and you also may direct your contribution to a specific agency or agencies on the pledge card if you wish.
This is the latest breakdown of the percentage of employees by organization who have contributed to the United Way:
| Organization | Percentage | Organization | Percentage |
| AA | 19.51 | IPO | 15.69 |
| AOT | 5.66 | LC | 18.18 |
| BUS | 7.13 | LER | 6.02 |
| CIC | 9.89 | LS | 5.76 |
| CIO | 37.93 | MST | 4.38 |
| CST | 6.92 | NIS | 5.19 |
| DIR | 37.5 | NIS-PO | 4.26 |
| DoD | 15.38 | NMSM | 21.62 |
| DV | 66.67 | NMT | 3.99 |
| DX | 6.25 | NWT | 21.62 |
| EES | 7.14 | P | 13.40 |
| EM | 7.94 | PA | 27.27 |
| ESA | 8.04 | QP | 0.00 |
| ESH | 5.37 | STB | 30 |
| ET | 12.5 | T | 15.85 |
| FSS | 9.12 | TSA | 16.46 |
| GR | 10 | X | 10.04 |
| HR | 14.08 |
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