Sources Sought Notice DPF.docx

Sources Sought Notice – NIST-AMD-SS-F-22-03 Decommissioning Funding Estimate Study for the NIST Gaithersburg Campus

The National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) seeks information on commercial vendors that are capable of development of a decommissioning funding estimate for the SNM-362 radioactive materials license (Type-A broascope license) and accelerator facilities. The radioactive materials license covers radioisotopes for elements from hydrogen to einsteinium in sealed and unsealed forms in a wide range of uses for research, development, and calibrations.

License records indicate that since establishment of the NIST Gaithersburg Campus, licensed radioactive material work under the SNM-362 license or the predecessor licenses has been authorized in approximately 20 buildings, yet the bulk of the work has been in the radiation physics building. Approximately 200 rooms have been authorized for licensed material work since the Gaithersburg campus open, of which approximately 130 are in active use.

The NIST operated a 100 MeV linear accelerator for production of charged particle and neutron beams used for materials science and fundamental physics from the mid 1960s through the mid 1980s. NIST continues to operate additional accelerators of lower energy. The major components of the 100 MeV accelerator were removed and disposed of during the late 1980s and early 1990s; however residual activation remains in building walls and structural components along the beam paths. Dose rates on some accessible (unshielded) surfaces as measured with hand held ion chambers currently range up to 5 mR/hr. Most activated surfaces are less than 0.5 mR/hr.

After results of this market research are obtained and analyzed, NIST may conduct a competitive procurement and subsequently award a Purchase Order. If at least two qualified small businesses are identified during this market research stage, then any competitive procurement that resulted would be conducted as a small business set-aside.

In 2009 a decommissioning study was developed as part of the license renewal process to satisfy 10CFR 70.25 and NUREG 1757, “Consolidated Decommissioning Guidance”, vol. 3 appendix A. (NOTE Nureg 1727 has been superseded by Nureg 1757).

NIST requires that prospective vendors provide a statement with the following information:

1. How the vendor will review historic license documentation to assess the need for and plan scoping measurements throughout the facility.

1. How the vendor will perform sufficient and necessary confirmatory and scoping surveys, contamination checks, and sampling including, if necessary, removal of surface shielding and core boring, drain pipe sampling and duct work measurements to determine the extent and depth profile of residual activation or contamination throughout the facility. (Sampling, core boring, or opening of mechanical systems shall be performed with care to assure no structural damage to the facility or prolonged removal from service. All surfaces and systems shall be restored following sampling.)

1. How the vendor will report estimates of the magnitude, isotopic composition, and distribution of long lived contamination throughout the radioactive materials laboratories, plumbing, or ventilation systems that would require removal for decommissioning

1. How the vendor will determine the extent of material removal or demolition required to satisfy the decommissioning release criteria of less than 25 millirem per year to the critical group. (In the report the contractor must define the basis of critical group i.e. they must identify utilization activities of the critical group).

1. How the vendor will provide an initial characterization plan and monitoring requirements for the period prior to decommissioning and estimate of the cost for performing the monitoring.

1. How the vendor will provide the scope, initial plan, and description of processes or activities required to perform the decommissioning of each of the major sections or operations of the facility.

1. How the vendor will provide a written cost estimate for performing the required demolition or removal. Including engineering costs, equipment and material requirements and costs, labor requirements and costs, and contractor overhead.

1. How the vendor will provide a written description of monitoring requirements during decommissioning processes and an estimate of the resources and costs for performing that monitoring.

1. How the vendor will provide a written estimate of waste disposal requirements (volumes, mass, activities and forms) and estimate of costs.

1. How the vendor will provide a written description and scope for performing the final status survey operations and an estimate of resources and cost.

1. How will the vendor provide a basis for estimating annual escalation of the decommissioning funding costs and table estimating that escalation for 20 years.

1. How will the vendor provide a summary written report satisfying the NRC requirements. The final report shall follow and conform to the requirements of NUREG 1757 and satisfy the breakdown of cost components as specified

NIST is seeking responses from all responsible sources. Small businesses are defined under the associated NAICS code for this effort, 541618, as those domestic sources having annual total sales of $16.5M or less. Please include your company’s size classification and socio-economic status in any response to this notice.

Companies that can provide these services are requested to email a detailed response describing their abilities to robert.singman@nist.gov no later than 11:00am ET on April 19, 2022 the response date for this sources sought notice. The response should address items 1-12 above.

Point of Contact Robert Singman, Contracting Officer, Phone (301) 975-6388, Email robert.singman@nist.gov