Combined SSN and RFI Posting for NUREG Support 6.18.2026.docx

Source Sought/Request for Information Notice

Title: Updates to NUREG-1520, NUREG-2212, and Related Interim Staff Guidance

THE U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (NRC) is issuing this Sources Sought/Request for Information Synopsis as a means of conducting market research or as a market survey to determine the availability and potential technical capability of the business community to provide independent technical assistance in performing updates to NUREG-1520, NUREG-2212, and Related Interim Staff Guidance. The applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code assigned to this procurement is 541690 – Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services.

THERE IS NO SOLICITATION AT THIS TIME. This request for capability information does not constitute a request for proposal. Submission of any information in response to this market survey is purely voluntary. The Government assumes no financial responsibility for any costs incurred.

Background:

NUREG-1520, “Standard Review Plan (SRP) for Fuel Cycle Facilities License Applications” is published by the NRC to provide guidance to the staff reviewers in the NRC’s Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards who perform safety and environmental impact reviews of applications to construct or modify and operate nuclear fuel cycle facilities.

NUREG-2212 is the “Standard Review Plan for Applications for 10 CFR Part 70 Licenses for Possession and Use of Special Nuclear Materials of Critical Mass but Not Subject to the Requirements in 10 CFR Part 70, Subpart H” is being developed by the NRC, to provide guidance to the NRC staff who perform safety, radiological, and criticality reviews of license applications for facilities that possess or use significant quantities of special nuclear material without triggering Subpart H integrated safety analysis requirements (commonly known as Greater Than Critical Mass – GTCM).

Capability Sought:

The NRC is seeking to identify commercial organizations capable of providing updates to NUREG-1520, NUREG-2212, and Related Interim Staff Guidance.

The NRC seeks vendors that will address their capabilities regarding the following activities:

· updating existing guidance chapters for existing fuel cycle facilities, including for fuel fabrication, enrichment, and reprocessing activities.

· developing new guidance sections for emerging and complex fuel cycle technologies—such as TRISO fuels, metal fuels, molten salt fuels, mixed-oxide fuel fabrication, and reprocessing using the pyroprocessing and aqueous separation methods—which introduce technological areas for review to be added to the current NUREG-1520;

· incorporating lessons learned from recent NRC licensing reviews;

· updating chapter formats and chapter structures;

· developing Safety Evaluation Report (SER) templates;

· improving document clarity and organization;

· creating supporting tools such as checklists, reference materials, and review flowcharts to enhance usability, including AI readiness features; and

· adding new chapters on electrical safety, digital instrumentation and control safety, human factors safety, and structural safety.

Respondents must demonstrate their capability to develop, revise, and organize regulatory guidance, with expertise in the listed priority areas.

To ensure an efficient evaluation, respondents must include a Capability Mapping Table at the beginning of their submission. This table must explicitly map the respondent's provided evidence, past performance examples, or attached documentation to the specific numbered Priority Areas, below.

1. Priority 1 – Technical and Regulatory Expertise

1.1. Review of 10 CFR Part 70 Subpart H, NUREG‑1520, likelihood definitions, and related guidance.

1.2. Knowledge of fuel cycle facility regulatory requirements and integrated safety analysis (ISA) implementation.

1.3. Ability to draft program-level regulatory guidance for reviewers to identify demonstrations of adequate safety.

1.4. Knowledge of risk concepts (frequency, probability, consequence) and how credible events are evaluated.

1.5. Understanding of baseline design criteria versus performance requirements.

1.6. Capability to update structural/ natural phenomena hazard (NPH) guidance and integrate applicable codes/standards. Ability to add examples for applying ISA methodology to NPH related events.

1.7. Knowledge of human factors program safety requirements, for guidance updates including administrative controls important to safety.

1.8. Capability to update aging management guidance.

1.9. Develop safety related guidance for digital and electrical Instruments and Controls (I&C), including evaluation of system interactions.

1.10. Update guidance for remote operations in hazardous environments such as high-radiation areas and high chemical toxicity and corrosive environments that could adversely impact workers or degrade SSCs important to safety and IROFS.

1.11. Update guidance for control room design and human-system interface considerations.

1.12. Develop guidance for Application of 10 CFR Part 50 Appendix B for reprocessing and MOX-related facilities.

1.13. Develop guidance for structural acceptability related to external events involving natural phenomena hazards (NPH) such as earthquakes and tornadoes, as well as human-made hazards such as accidental aircraft impacts and nearby gas pipelines.

1.14. Develop Pre-licensing construction guidance (early site prep, long-lead procurement, configuration control).

1.15. Develop reprocessing facility operator licensing program guidance.

1.16. Develop Guidance for reprocessing related to operational readiness reviews (ORR); inspections, tests, analyses and acceptance criteria (ITAAC), general design criteria (GDC).

1.17. Develop guidance updates for source term/dose assessment and quantitative risk modeling, particularly for spent fuel reprocessing facilities and plutonium processing and fuel fabrication plants.

1.18. Develop guidance updates for reprocessing for environmental impact statements (EIS) and environmental assessments (EA), while ensuring they are aligned with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

1.19. Develop guidance updates to consider Safeguards-By-Design (SBD) for reprocessing.

1.20. Develop Materials Control & Accounting (MC&A) guidance for advanced fuel cycles, including process monitoring and measurement uncertainty, particularly for reprocessing.

1.21. Develop guidance updates to cover liability insurance guidance for fuel cycle facilities, particularly for reprocessing facilities.

1.22. Develop guidance updates to cover foreign ownership control and domination (FOCD)/ foreign ownership control and influence (FOCI) assessment guidance, particularly for reprocessing facilities.

1.23. Develop updated guidance for nuclear security involving Official Use Only, Safeguards, and classified information; experience with 10 CFR 73, 95, 32 CFR 117.

1.24. Develop guidance related to the application of 10 CFR Part 21 to fuel cycle facilities required to conduct an ISA, including the process for reporting defects and commercial grade dedication of basic components.

2. Priority 2 – Document Structure and Content Updates

2.1. Capability to assess and improve structural consistency across NUREG‑1520 chapters.

2.2. Review the acceptance criteria from both NRC reviewer and applicant perspectives, and enhance their clarity.

2.3. Explicit identification of which criteria are applicable to new applications, renewals, and amendments.

2.4. Review of existing exemptions and creation of guidance/acceptance criteria for current and future exemptions.

2.5. Differentiation of applicant commitments vs. license conditions.

3. Priority 3 – Formatting, Templates, and SER Support

3.1. High-quality writing, formatting, and layout skills for consistent NUREG organization.

3.2. Ability to emphasize acceptance criteria in NUREGs and make simple instructions for simple and consistent referencing of acceptance criteria in the Safety Evaluation Report (SER) and Requests for Additional Information (RAIs).

3.3. Development of chapter-specific templates for ease of SER creation.

3.4. Capability to draft standardized concluding SER language aligned with regulations and acceptance criteria.

4. Priority 4 – Supporting Materials for Efficient Reviews

4.1. Development of SER sections or chapters which map acceptance criteria to supporting guidance.

5. Priority 5 – Updates for AI Tool Compatibility

5.1. Capability to recommend content/structural optimizations to improve NUREG-1520 and NUREG-2212 compatibility with AI tools while maintaining human readability.

SCOPE AND SIZE OF PLANNED WORK

NRC anticipates that the place of performance will be performed remotely with remote meeting calls with the project manager held by Microsoft Teams every two weeks, and drafts created to be compatible with Microsoft Word and Track Changes. Change control registers may be in Microsoft Excel compatible format or a secure browser-based spreadsheet software, compatible with NRC network security requirements.

NRC anticipates that the deliverables in the Statement of Work (SOW) may include the following tasks and deliverables:

Task 1: Incorporate Updates into NUREG-1520.

NRC staff have identified areas for update in NUREG-1520. In some cases, NRC staff have existing text drafts for incorporating into NUREG-1520. In other cases, text and edits will need to be developed. This task will include developing new guidance sections for existing, emerging, and complex fuel cycle technologies—such as TRISO fuels, metal fuels, molten salt fuels, mixed-oxide fuel fabrication, and reprocessing using the pyroprocessing and aqueous separation methods—which introduce technological areas for review to be added to the current NUREG-1520.

Task 2: Incorporate Updates into NUREG-2212.

NRC staff have identified areas for update in NUREG-2212. In some cases, NRC staff have existing text drafts for incorporating into NUREG-2212. In other cases, text and edits will need to be developed.

Task 3: Perform Formatting and Structural Updates on NUREG-1520 and NUREG-2212.

NRC continually seeks improvement in efficiency of licensing reviews. During these NUREG updates, the work will include several improvements in the formatting and structure of the NUREGs, as well as creation of templates to accompany the NUREGs. These changes are intended to ease processes for NRC reviewers and applicants, while also increasing compatibility of the NUREGs with AI Tools.

Task 4: Additional Interim Staff Guidance Updates (OPTION) NRC staff may identify additional technical areas for staff guidance, of relevance for fuel cycle facilities, for interim staff guidance development.

Potential Schedule for Required Deliverables:

Anticipated start date between October 1, 2026, and December 31st, 2026.

after incorporation of NRC Feedback 9 months

HOW TO RESPOND TO THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE

If your organization has the capability and capacity to perform, as a prime contractor, one or more of the services described in this notice, then please respond to this notice and provide written responses to the following information. Please do not include any proprietary or otherwise sensitive information in the response, and do not submit a proposal. Proposals submitted in response to this notice will not be considered.

Respondents must have no potential for organizational conflicts of interest (OCOI). Situations that may give rise to OCOI are outlined in NRCAR Subpart 2009.5, “Organizational Conflicts of Interest” and include:

i. Where the offeror or contractor provides advice and recommendations to the NRC in the same technical area where it is also providing consulting assistance to any organization regulated by the NRC.

ii. Where the offeror or contractor provides advice to the NRC on the same or similar matter on which it is also providing assistance to any organization regulated by the NRC.

iii. Where the offeror or contractor evaluates its own products or services, or has been substantially involved in the development or marketing of the products or services of another entity (e.g. competitor product/design/service).

iv. Where the award of a contract would result in placing the offeror or contractor in a conflicting role in which its judgment may be biased in relation to its work for the NRC or would result in an unfair competitive advantage for the offeror or contractor.

v. Where the offeror or contractor solicits or performs work at an applicant or licensee site while performing work in the same technical area for the NRC at the same site.

For information on NRC COI regulations, visit NRC Acquisition Regulation Subpart 2009.5 (http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/contracting/48cfr-ch20.html). All interested parties, including all categories of small businesses (small businesses, small-disadvantaged businesses, 8(a) firms, women-owned small businesses, service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, and HUBZone small businesses) are invited to submit a response. The capabilities submitted by a vendor should demonstrate the firm's ability, capability, and responsibility to perform the principal components of work listed below. The response should also include past performance/experience regarding projects of similar scope listing the project title, general description, the dollar value of the contract, and name of the company, agency, or government entity for which the work was performed.

Sources Sought Market Research Questions 1-12

1. Please provide the Capabilities Mapping Table, as well as any documentation that provides evidence of the capabilities.

2. Has your organization performed the above capabilities as a prime contractor?

3. What size is your organization with respect to NAICS code identified in this notice (i.e., "small" or "other than small")? If your organization is a small business under the aforementioned NAICS code, what type of small business (i.e., small disadvantaged business, woman-owned small business, economically disadvantaged woman-owned small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, 8(a), or HUBZone small business)? Specify all that apply.

4. What is the size of your company in terms of employees and consultants? (Breakdown the mix between the two categories.)

5. Which GSA Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) contracts, if any, do you possess? When do they expire?

6. List any companies or government agencies your company plans to perform work related to civilian nuclear reactors.

7. Has your company previously faced organizational conflict of interest issues with NRC? How were they resolved?

8. Is your organization currently performing or have in the past performed same or similar services as those listed above for any of the licensees regulated by the NRC? If so, which licensees? See http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/regulatory/licensing.html for more information on NRC sites undergoing decommissioning.

9. Do any of the situations that may give rise to OCOI as described in NRCAR Subpart 2009.5 currently apply to your company? Do any of these situations apply to planned or foreseeable work that your company will perform?

10. Describe any information your company deems relevant to supporting the updates to NUREG-1520 and NUREG-2212.

11. Do you have the expertise and resources available in the Priority Areas referenced above?

12. Will you need to subcontract out any areas and if so, what portion?

Request for Information Market Research Questions 1-7

1. Vendors are requested to provide a standard, non-proprietary commercial price list or representative labor category rates applicable to this type of requirement, if available-see additional question 3 below.

2. Is the proposed length of time and/or schedule specified feasible?

3. Do you have suggestions for how NRC might best create a Firm-Fixed-Price contract for the different topic areas, including your cost estimate for each priority area? For market research purposes only, interested vendors are requested to provide a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) cost estimate for the requirements described herein. The estimate should include a brief explanation of the assumptions, labor categories, level of effort, and other factors used in developing the estimate. Responses are for planning and budgeting purposes only and shall not be considered binding offers or proposals. The Government will not evaluate or rank responses based on pricing information provided under this Sources Sought Notice/RFI. Any future solicitation may contain revised requirements and request formal pricing proposals.

4. In the event that a formal Request for Proposals (RFP) is issued, what is the minimum number of business days you believe would be required to prepare and submit a comprehensive proposal? Is the potential SOW project structure with deliverables (above), well-chosen? Do you recommend a different project structure?

5. Do you find Microsoft Word with Track Changes to be a suitable technology for the drafting effort? Do you recommend a different technology?

6. Do you find Microsoft Excel and/or other spreadsheet software to be suitable for the change control register tracking? Do you recommend that NRC consider allowing industry to propose other control register tracking softwares?

7. NRC may provide an opportunity by invitation for capability presentations from vendors with specific expertise relevant to this RFI, to better understand their specific capabilities. Would your organization like to be considered for such an invitation, recognizing that the timeframe for such a presentation is likely to be one week after this RFI’s deadline?

Interested organizations responding to this Sources Sought/RFI Synopsis are encouraged to structure capability statements in the order of the area of consideration noted above. All capability statements sent in response to this notice must be submitted electronically, via e-mail, to Jenny Ford at Jennifer.ford@nrc.gov, either Microsotf Word format (.docx), Microsoft Excel, or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), within 25 calendar days from the date of publication of this notice.

If your organization has the capability and capacity to perform, as a prime contractor, all requirements stated above, please respond to this notice and provide written responses that specifically address the requirements stated above. Please do not include any proprietary or otherwise sensitive information in the response, and do not submit a proposal. Proposals submitted in response to this notice will not be considered.

DISCLAIMER AND NOTES: Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization’s potential capability and capacity to perform the subject work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. All responses to this notice must be 20MB or smaller in size; otherwise, the NRC server will reject the response. Respondents may submit more than one response in order to stay under the 20MB threshold.

After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in sam.gov. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation.