Energy Department Awards New Contract to Manage and Operate Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility

SURATech, LLC was the successful offeror in the Department of Energy’s competition for the laboratory’s management and operating contract.

Office of Science

March 31, 2026
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WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded a new contract to manage and operate Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF) located in Newport News, VA. The award was the result of a DOE competition for the management and operating (M&O) contract for the laboratory. The successful offeror is SURATech, LLC. The SURATech, LLC team is comprised of two team member entities – Southeastern Universities Research Association, Inc. and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and four major subcontractors – Honeywell International, Inc., Longenecker and Associates, Inc., Akima Support Operations, and AtkinsRéalis. 

TJNAF is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) single purpose laboratory that is expected to evolve into a multi-purpose National Laboratory over the next few years with the advancement of SC’s Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) High Performance Data Facility (HPDF) project. TJNAF leads the nation in the construction and operation of world-leading accelerator and detector facilities and in developing the underlying technology for nuclear physics research. TJNAF’s primary mission is to deliver breakthrough science and technology in nuclear physics; accelerator science and technology; and large-scale user facilities/advanced instrumentation. TJNAF occupies a 169-acre site owned by the federal government. The facility employs about 759 employees and operates with an annual budget of approximately $238 million. 

The new contractor will assume operations effective June 1, 2026, following a two-month transition period beginning on April 1, 2026. The initial base term of the contract is five years, from June 1, 2026, through May 31, 2031. The contract has an award term incentive for exemplary performance, allowing the government to extend the contract up to a total of 15 years beyond the initial five-year base term. 

DOE's Office of Science is responsible for the stewardship of TJNAF. The Office of Science is the largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit the Office of Science website

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