Battelle earns cash for As and Bs on its report card
The Battelle Memorial Institute has earned $11.75 million in fees after earning As and some Bs for its management of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
Battelle contracts with the U.S. Department of Energy to manage the $1 billion Richland research center, which is one of 10 national labs operating under the Office of Science.
Fees are based on how well operators such as Battelle accomplish their goals. The 2018 fee represents 94 percent of the possible $12.5 million Battelle could have earned in fiscal 2018.
Battelle employs just over 4,400 people, with about 3,900 based in the Tri-Cities.
The report card released Friday shows Battelle earned three As, two A-minuses and three B-pluses, with no overall grade given for the year that ended Sept. 30.
Battelle’s performance is similar to 2017, when it earned two As, four A-minuses and two B-pluses, netting it $12.13 million in incentive pay, or 97 percent of the money available.
The other national laboratories earned similar blends of As and Bs on their respective report cards for 2018.
DOE’s Office of Science prepared the report card with input from other agencies and DOE offices that fund PNNL’s 10-figure budget, including the Department of Homeland Security, the National Institutes of Heath and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
DOE offices that sponsor research also provided input, including the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the National Nuclear Security Administration, the Office of Electricity, the Office of Environmental Management and the Office of Nuclear Energy.
DOE praised Battelle for its work in 2018. saying it generally exceeded expectations in all of the major categories — science and technology, leadership and stewardship, and maintenance and operations.
Battelle reinvests a portion of its fee into the community through corporate gifts that support STEM education, performing and visual arts and human services organizations.
This story was originally published December 21, 2018 at 1:43 PM.