The U.S. Energy Department will solicit new proposals this year for paramilitary security services at Savannah River Site, valued at $100 million to $150 million per year.
The contract with the current provider, Wackenhut Services Inc., expires Sept. 30 but will be extended from nine to 15 months to allow time to evaluate proposals, said Energy Department spokesman Jim Giusti.
The new contract will have a five-year base and two renewal option periods of three and two years, according to the draft request for proposals issued this week.
The draft is out for public review for 30 days, after which the Energy Department will issue a formal request for proposals that outlines the specifications.
Wackenhut's services cover the site and its operations, which include security for nuclear weapons materials.
"As an organization, it is run much like the military," Mr. Giusti said. "They have armed guards with certain expertise, SWAT teams and military-type equipment. Some of it is classified."
Wackenhut, which has provided security at the site since 1983, will "absolutely" submit a proposal, company spokesman Rob Davis said. The firm employs about 870 people at the site.
The request is online at www.emcbc.doe.gov/srs.
Reach Rob Pavey at (706) 868-1222, ext. 119, or rob.pavey@augustachronicle.com.
WACKENHUT WINS NATIONAL EVENT
A Wackenhut Services team from Savannah River Site won the top honor at the U.S. Energy Department's Security Protection Officer Training Competition in Albuquerque, N.M.
The four-day national event, which concluded Thursday, is a tactical, skills-oriented firearms competition open to teams of security forces from DOE sites across the nation.
The SRS team was selected from a pool of volunteers and included Team Leader Casey Petosky, Tommy Goodson, Joshua Zeigler, Anthony Tisbert, Nicholas Mothershed, Jonathan Perry and Gideon Hornung.
Mike Howard, a Wackenhut training instructor, was the team coach, and Noel Hilton was the fitness coach. The national championship, known as the Secretary's Trophy, has been won by Wackenhut's SRS team eight times since 1984, including four wins in the past five years. The company is based in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., and employs about 870 at SRS.
-- From staff reports
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