Lab Director Thom Mason discusses new construction standards, need for efficiency with NM business leaders

Business leaders from across New Mexico gathered at Buffalo Thunder Resort April 15-17 for the Energy, Technology and Environment Business Association's New Mexico Federal Business Opportunities Forum. The annual meeting links state industry to Los Alamos National Laboratory and other organizations to facilitate discussion on current and future infrastructure needs.

During a talk on the Laboratory’s strategic vision and business engagement, Director Thom Mason noted that while procurement at the Lab is leveling off after several years of growth, project execution remains a high priority, particularly in areas of the Pajarito Corridor that support plutonium pit manufacturing.

The Laboratory is eyeing an estimated $356.4 million spending plan for fiscal year 2025 construction and recently adopted new commercial standards in order to improve efficiency, which will allow more contractors to be considered for mission-critical work.

"The goal is to align the safety expectations of contractors with the OSHA standards they're used to, as opposed to the more bespoke Department of Energy rules, which can be daunting, especially for new entrants," Mason said. "There's a more competitive environment when you don't have a barrier to entry, and for lower complexity construction — things like office buildings — there's no reason to apply the level of rigor you'd apply for work on a nuclear facility."

In the big picture, the Laboratory's campus master plan identifies 4.7 million gross square feet of planned construction in the mid- and long term. Looking ahead, Mason noted that the Lab's budget outlook is stable but flat, meaning every dollar must be maximized to generate the results needed to hit infrastructure targets and sustain operations.

"There's really a premium on being able to do more with the resources we have at our disposal and do it more quickly," Mason said. "We need to do everything we can to make sure we're doing as much as possible with our federal dollars."

Skilled trades and other services offered by New Mexico small businesses will continue to be vital to Laboratory operations this year and beyond. Last fiscal year, the Lab spent roughly $600 million on procurement and another $900 million on goods and services with New Mexico small businesses.

"Contractors and subcontractors are still vital to operations, especially when it comes to construction," Mason said. "We still have a lot of work to do to modernize our site."

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