DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration has Posted Performance Evaluation Documents for Savannah River Nuclear Solutions for FY 2019; “Award Fee” Bonus Again Inexplicably High
Bonus Documents Released in Advance of DOE Budget Request to Congress for FY2021, on February 10 – See Advisory from the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability of What to Look for in the Budget
Columbia, SC – The private company that manages nuclear-weapons and security related projects at the Savannah River Site has earned a large and unjustified bonus for operations in Fiscal Year 2019, according to the public interest group Savannah River Site Watch (SRS Watch).
The DOE’s National Security Administration (NNSA), which oversees nuclear weapons, non-proliferation and nuclear materials management has given Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) a bonus (“award fee”) of $16.1 million out of a possible bonus of $18.8 million, or 85.5% of the amount possible. The “award fee scorecards” appear to have been quietly posted in the last few days. Fiscal Year 2019 ran from October 1, 2018 through September 30, 2019.
“The financial awards for meeting or exceeding contract obligations have long been controversial and DOE and NNSA have offered little explanation as to why simply meeting obligations results in high monetary reward for DOE contractors,” claims Tom Clements, director of SRS Watch.
“It is unknown what happens to the bonus money given to SRNS but we have always wondered if most of it goes to top management,” said Clements. “The relationship between NNSA and its contractors remains overly cozy and the annual bonus awards are seen as a gift between friends, at taxpayer expense,” he added.
Full media advisory linked here: