Office of River Protection

The Department of Energy Office of River Protection, a civilian sub-agency within DOE, manages the cleanup and long-term stewardship of the Hanford Site's radioactive waste and contaminated facilities — work funded through a mix of direct contracts and interagency agreements. The Office's contracting footprint reflects a decades-long remediation mission requiring sustained engagement with specialized environmental contractors and systems integrators.

The Office of River Protection has awarded 71 contracts since 1999, with the most recent award closing on March 12, 2020. Award volume has declined markedly over the last five years — from 2 awards in 2016 and 2017 to 1 award each in 2018, 2019, and 2020 — signaling a contraction in new contract activity or a shift toward modifications and task orders under existing vehicles. Combined award potential value stands at $3.62 billion, with $3.16 billion obligated to date (87% of the total). The Office works with 43 distinct prime contractors across its portfolio history.

Competitive concentration among current and recent primes is moderately concentrated. The contract set-aside mix is heavily weighted toward unrestricted open competition: 55 of 71 awards (77%) carry no set-aside designation, reflecting the specialized and security-sensitive nature of Hanford remediation work. Small-business set-asides account for 15 percent of awards (11 contracts), while 8(a) sole-source awards comprise 6 percent (4 contracts). HUBZone set-asides represent a single award (1 percent).

No recent contract opportunities are currently recorded against the Office of River Protection in the federal solicitation database. Given the six-year lag between the most recent award date and today, the Office appears to be operating primarily under existing contract vehicles and modifications rather than issuing new solicitations. Organizations pursuing Hanford remediation and waste-management work should monitor DOE's broader procurement channels and the Office's parent agency announcements for future opportunities, and verify current contractual relationships with the Office's existing prime contractors.