WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced its award of a $39.9 million small business contract to Swift & Staley Mechanical Contractors, Inc. for infrastructure services activities at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Paducah, Ky. A second small business contract for remediation activities at Paducah was awarded earlier this year.

“The Department of Energy will continue to look to the entrepreneurial spirit of small businesses to provide value to the taxpayers and contribute to the cleanup of our Cold War legacy,” Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman said. “Safe and effective infrastructure services at Paducah will support our goals of risk reduction and protection of human health and the environment.”

Swift & Staley will be responsible for infrastructure services such as surveillance and maintenance of selected facilities; site security; computing and telecommunications services, property and records management; janitorial services; and grounds and roadway maintenance.

Swift & Staley is a small, woman-owned business headquartered in Paducah, Ky. The contract, which will run for five years including the transition period, is a cost-plus-award-fee contract providing reimbursement of costs and earned fee.

An infrastructure services contract was also awarded today for work at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Piketon, Ohio. 

Swift & Staley takes over from Bechtel Jacobs Company LLC, whose contract extension expires May 31, 2005.  Bechtel Jacobs has been actively participating in planning for the transition of projects and people to ensure a successful hand-off to the new contractors.

The Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office will manage three major contractors at the Paducah site under the Environmental Management cleanup mission. In addition to Swift & Staley conducting infrastructure services, North Wind Paducah Cleanup Company is responsible for environmental remediation services; and Uranium Disposition Services, LLC, is responsible for the Depleted Uranium Hexafluoride (DUF₆) Conversion Project.  Opportunities will likely be available for various subcontracts awarded by the major contractors on specific tasks.

The Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, owned by DOE, was constructed in the mid-1950s to manufacture enriched uranium for commercial and defense use. The Department manages site cleanup. The United States Enrichment Corporation, a private enterprise supplying enriched uranium for commercial use, still operates the plant under a lease with DOE. 

Media contact:  Joe Davis, 202/586-4940