Management and Operation of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Department of Energy to Compete Management & Operating Contract for its National Renewable Energy Laboratory (Note: This is for informational purposes only and is not the formal RFP. This site will be updated when the RFP is relesed.) WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced that it will compete the management and operating (M&O) contract for its National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado, the nation’s primary laboratory for clean energy research. The competition reflects DOE’s commitment to regularly compete its M&O contracts for DOE national laboratories to ensure the greatest possible benefit to DOE, its mission and this Nation. The current contract, which expires on November 8, 2008, was last competed in 1998. “NREL’s work, including research and development supporting President Bush’s Advanced Energy Initiative, is vitally important to increasing our nation’s energy security,†DOE Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Alexander A. Karsner said “Holding competitions for the management and operation of our world class national labs ensures that we have the best team managing the work and provides the best value for taxpayer dollars.†NREL conducts research, development, and deployment (RD&D) in alternative energy areas such as converting sunlight to electricity, generating electricity from wind, producing fuels and high-value industrial products from biomass, and producing and storing hydrogen fuel generated from renewable feedstocks. In addition to its RD&D activities, NREL, a Federally Funded Research and Development Center, provides DOE expert counsel on the scope and direction of DOE’s alternative energy and energy efficiency programs. Established in 1977 as the Solar Energy Research Institute, NREL was renamed in 1991 to reflect its expanded mission and importance. NREL has a staff of more than 1,000 and an annual budget of approximately $220 million. NREL is currently managed by the Midwest Research Institute (MRI), a not-for-profit research institution headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. More information about this competition will be posted, when appropriate, on Federal Business Opportunities website and on the DOE Industry Interactive Procurement System website.