The 3,778-acre Portsmouth site was built in the 1950s by the former U.S. Atomic Energy Commission for uranium enrichment. It shut down production in 2001. The scope of work under the contract includes demolition and disposal of buildings and equipment as well as remediation of contaminated soil and groundwater plus disposition of uranium material. 

DOE says it received two proposals for the work. Southern Ohio Cleanup Co.’s submission provides the best value considering key personnel, past performance, management approach and cost, officials said in a statement. The agency did not disclose the name of the other bidder or its team members

Amentum CEO John Heller highlighted the team’s past experience with various DOE decontamination and decommissioning projects, including at another former uranium enrichment site in Oak Ridge, Tenn. 

“Our extensive experience at the Oak Ridge Reservation enables us to bring advanced technical solutions to complete the work safely and effectively at Portsmouth,” he said in a statement.

Fluor has been involved with the Portsmouth decommissioning since 2011 as part of another joint venture, Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth LLC. Department officials exercised multiple extension options on the initial five-year contract, bringing its total value through September 2023 up to $4.9 billion, according to a Fluor representative. 

The Fluor-BWXT work also included additional items not included in the scope of the newly awarded contract. Instead, utilities, emergency management, physical security, uranium transfers and nuclear material control and accountability will be included under a forthcoming operations and site mission support contract. In a statement, the DOE Office of Environmental Management said the change allows the decontamination and demolition contractor to focus on end state completion. 

The contract requires adherence to a community commitment plan and a 5% preference for small business subcontract proposals from local companies. Tom D’Adostino, president of Fluor’s missions solutions business, said in a statement that the company is “proud” to include local small business partners.

“We have worked at the Portsmouth site and have been involved in the community for the past 12 years,” he said. “We know the importance of staying local.”