News Releases | Newsroom

Washington Closure awards $151 million to small businesses

01.26.2010

RICHLAND, Wash.—Washington Closure Hanford awarded $151 million in subcontracts to small businesses in fiscal year 2009.

From October 2008 through September 2009, Washington Closure subcontracted $163 million in work to other businesses. Of that, $151 million, or 93 percent, went to small businesses. That is significantly more than the 65 percent the company was required to spend with small businesses.

The $163 million total includes more than $24 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act dollars Washington Closure placed with nearly 50 subcontractors. The total also includes $75.5 million spent locally in Benton, Franklin and Yakima counties.

The 65 percent small business goal is written into Washington Closure’s contract to manage the River Corridor Closure Project at Hanford for the U.S. Department of Energy. It is one of the most aggressive subcontracting goals within the DOE system. The goal was placed into the contract to ensure the company makes every possible effort to locate qualified subcontractors and give them opportunities to bid on government-funded work.

“We are anxious to work with any small business that can meet the qualifications and safely perform work at Hanford,” said Rodney M. Harrison, Washington Closure procurement and property manager. “That we have been able to exceed our goal by such a wide margin demonstrates that there are many small businesses willing, able and qualified to take on some fairly complex, hazardous and challenging projects,” he said.

The small businesses range from one-person firms that provide supplemental staffing to new firms just getting started in the waste cleanup business to established firms that provide a full range of cleanup services.

Businesses interested in doing work with Washington Closure may visit the Web site at www.washingtonclosure.com/procurement/90-day_forecast/ to see upcoming procurements and prequalify to receive requests for proposals.

Washington Closure manages the $2.4 billion River Corridor Closure Project for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Richland Operations Office at the 586-square-mile Hanford Site in southcentral Washington state. The company is responsible for cleaning up 370 waste sites, demolishing 486 buildings, placing three nuclear facilities in interim safe storage and operating and expanding Hanford’s onsite Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility.

Washington Closure Hanford is a limited liability company owned by URS, Bechtel and CH2M Hill.