DOE awards $182 million security guard contract, WSI ‘disappointed’

Federal officials announced Thursday that they have awarded a $182 million contract to protect U.S. Department of Energy sites in Oak Ridge, including the East Tennessee Technology Park, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Joe L. Evins Federal Building, and the rest of the Oak Ridge Reservation, not including the Y-12 National Security Complex.

The five-year contract was awarded to National Strategic Protective Services LLC, or NSPS.

“We are pleased to welcome NSPS as a part of the Department of Energy team in Oak Ridge,” said Larry Kelly, Oak Ridge Office manager. “We evaluated the proposals and it was clear to us that NSPS is the right company for this difficult and important job.”

NSPS will replace WSI Oak Ridge, which has provided protective force services in Oak Ridge since 2000.

In a press release, DOE said NSPS is a joint venture between Triple Canopy Inc. and Securiguard Inc. with Santa Fe Protective Services Inc. as its subcontractor. Santa Fe Protective Services Inc. is a woman-owned small business.

NSPS and Triple Canopy Inc. are located in Reston, Va. Securiguard Inc. is located in McLean, Va. Santa Fe Protective Services is located in Santa Fe, N.M.

WSI Oak Ridge said it was disappointed with the contract award.

“Since 2000, we have strived for mission excellence and excellence in the community,” the company said in a statement. “We are proud of our work for DOE and for our support of the Oak Ridge community and many of its worthwhile charitable organizations.”

The company, previously known as Wackenhut and now part of G4S Government Solutions, had earlier lost its contract to provide more than 500 security guards at the Y-12 National Security Complex. That contract termination followed the July 28 security breach at Y-12, when three anti-nuclear weapons activists cut through fences in a high-security area before dawn and splashed human blood and spray-painted slogans on the Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility, where bomb-grade uranium is stored.

Oak Ridge Today asked Michael T. Koentop, a spokesman for the DOE Oak Ridge Office, if the security breach had had any impact on the contract award announced Thursday.

“NSPS was selected after a thorough and careful evaluation of all offerors, and was chosen because it provides the best value for the American taxpayer in providing this vital service,” Koentop said in an e-mailed response. “All offerors were considered against the same set of technical criteria, which included technical approach, key personnel, corporate experience, past performance, transition approach, and Small Business Participation Plan.”

He declined to name other bidding teams or say how many there were.

WSI said it has more than 50 years of service to DOE across the country and will work with NSPS to ensure a smooth and productive transition.

“We will also work to ensure that all of our employees continue with the new contractor and will assist those who are not placed in finding new employment,” said WSI Oak Ridge General Manager Steve Hafner.

The NSPS general manager for the new protective forces contract is Greg McDowell. The contract period of performance is five years, which includes a three-year base and a two-year option period.

A 60-day transition period begins January 22.

Security guards at Y-12 are now provided by the plant’s management and operating contractor, currently B&W Y-12. WSI became a subcontractor to B&W Y-12 after the July 28 security breach. WSI had previously operated under a separate contract with the National Nuclear Security Administration.

A new contractor has also been announced for the Y-12 plant as part of a consolidated contract to also manage the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas. The new contractor, Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC, is expected to provide security services at Y-12 when it takes over May 1.