Oak Ridge's UCOR earns 98% of fee for second half of fiscal 2020

UCOR completed demolition on the final structures at the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) during the performance evaluation period of April 2020 through September 2020.

OAK RIDGE, TN – EM recently awarded Oak Ridge cleanup contractor UCOR $28 million for its performance from April 2020 through September 2020, amounting to 98% of the available fee for the evaluation period.

The Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) issued its fee determination scorecard for UCOR for the second six-month period of fiscal 2020 after completing its evaluation of the contractor.

EM releases information relating to contractor fee payments — earned by completing work called for in the contracts — to further transparency in its cleanup program.

The contractor received “excellent” ratings for project management and business systems, quality and safety culture, and regulatory and stakeholder activity; a “good” rating for operations management; and “high confidence” for cost and schedule incentive, according to the scorecard.

Among UCOR’s significant accomplishments:

• Achieved all performance-based incentives designed to complete Vision 2020, resulting in the world’s first demolition of a former uranium enrichment complex at the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP). The project finished ahead of schedule and under budget
• Seamlessly transitioned to limited operations and implemented the Phase 1 resumption-of-work plan during the COVID-19 pandemic, with effective safety protocols and no confirmed workplace COVID-19 cases
• Successfully transitioned approximately 250 workers from ETTP to perform cleanup work at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex upon achieving Vision 2020
• Implemented effective safety and health programs, and received the DOE “Legacy of Stars Award,” which is provided to sites that have earned the DOE Voluntary Protection Program Star of Excellence for three consecutive years
• Maintained regulatory compliance. UCOR had no regulatory permit infractions, non-compliances, reportable spills, or notices of violation. The contractor also met all enforceable regulatory milestones or supported renegotiation of them
• UCOR hosted numerous visits and formal regulatory inspections by Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency personnel with no violations identified.
• Provided excellent support as part of the Regulatory Partnership initiative, enabling the Executive Leadership and Emerging Issues Teams to proceed more quickly to address longstanding issues, fostering improved relationships between OREM and regulators

OREM also noted areas for improvement. UCOR experienced several issues with work planning and controls, including conducting a task without an approved work plan. Additionally, there were several transportation collision incidents. In response, the contractor promptly established a collision taskforce to evaluate options for improving the transportation program’s performance.

Published January 5, 2021