Hanford contractor awarded 98 percent of possible pay

The Hanford contractor analyzing high level radioactive waste at the 222-S Laboratory has been awarded 98 percent of the incentive pay available for fiscal 2018.

Wastren Advantage Inc. will receive nearly $212,000 for its work in the fiscal year that ended in September, according to the Department of Energy

Although DOE released a scorecard for Wastren Advantage, the company is now known as Veolia Nuclear Solutions Federal Services, according to its website.

The company did better than in fiscal 2017, when it was awarded 96 percent of available pay, and fiscal 2016, when it was awarded 88 percent of available pay.

DOE found that in the past fiscal year, Wastren improved laboratory operations by initiating new project management approaches, resolving issues affecting quality, and finding ways to better analyze and handle waste samples.

It continues to need to improve relationships with Washington River Protection Solutions, the Hanford nuclear reservation tank farms contractor, which manages the 222-S Lab, DOE said for the second year in a row.

The company had no incidents of worker exposure significant enough to impact health and safety.

But one worker did have radioactive contamination to his skin, according to DOE. There also were two instances of “concern,” in which employees did not follow the correct radiological procedures.

Wastren/Veolia’s contract at the Hanford Site expires in September 2020 and DOE expects to put out a request for bids in the next few months.

This story was originally published January 7, 2019 at 8:01 PM.