Total procurement spending tallied $211 million at Hanford’s Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant, or Vit Plant, during Fiscal Year 2017, contractor Bechtel National Inc. announced today.
“Our successful procurement spending supported the positive progress made with continued construction and startup efforts for the Department of Energy’s Direct Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW) vitrification approach,” said Frank Salaman, BNI’s manager of Procurement and Subcontracts. “We purchased quality-driven equipment, supplies, and services throughout the U.S. while also increasing business with companies in Washington, Oregon, and here in the Tri-Cities.”
Of the $211 million, 60 percent or $126 million was spent in Washington and Oregon with $94 million of that in the Tri-Cities, where the Vit Plant is based. Local businesses provided goods and services such as safety supplies, small tools, electrical supplies, and vehicle maintenance.
The Vit Plant workforce remains on pace to support the DFLAW approach to begin treating Hanford’s low-activity tank waste by 2022. The main Low-Activity Waste vitrification facility has a construction complete contract milestone in June 2018. A supporting Analytical Laboratory is nearly complete, and the 20 support facilities that make up the utility systems are also largely complete and undergoing initial startup and testing work.
“Procurement opportunities have changed as work transitions from the construction to the startup and testing phase,” Salaman explained. “Startup phase procurements focus on spare parts for machinery and equipment; tools and materials for testing and maintaining plant equipment; consumables such as worker safety equipment, and office supplies and routine business services.”
Since Bechtel began construction of the Vit Plant, it has spent more than $4 billion in goods and services with companies across the United States. Of that, $1.94 billion has been in Washington and Oregon, with $1.36 billion in the Tri-Cities.