Savannah River Site 4

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Nuclear Material and Facility Stabilization Section

Environmental Restoration Section

Waste Management Section

LANDLORD ACTIVITIES

The Savannah River Site Infrastructure Program supports line-item projects and general plant projects for constructing or improving facilities, systems, and plant infrastructure. These areas include fire protection, office buildings, domestic water, and bridges. General capital equipment will be acquired and managed to support Savannah River Site missions and goals. The Infrastructure Program consists primarily of capital work and related operating cost work (for example, other project cost activities and requirements). The funding is based on guidance from the Department of Energy and prioritization with other site programs. This prioritization process was initiated for the FY 1997 Outyear Budget and is used to prepare the FY 1996 Annual Operating Plan.

Provision for other landlord-type functions and elements such as: security, emergency preparedness, utilities, space and services, laboratories, transportation, roads and grounds, medical, janitorial, food services, environmental safety and health site-wide programs, and record/storage facilities) are based on specific program requirements and needs. Funding for other landlord activities is provided as operating costs through specific program elements, based on program needs and requirements. The Savannah River Site does not receive directly appropriated funding to support the Landlord/Infrastructure Program. The costs are distributed as a mix of direct charges, vouchered, area support, overheads, and general and administrative allocations.

The FY 1996 Infrastructure Program supports 14 line items, various capital improvement items, general plant project items, and studies funded by the Department of Energy. Future requirements for the Infrastructure Program and other landlord activities will be based on existing and future site missions. The Department will continue to consider privatization, commercialization, consolidation, and subcontracting to ensure the most cost-effective use of resources.

DESCRIPTION OF PERSONNEL

Current Composition

The work scope at the Savannah River Site comprises all phases of Environmental Management programs, including material stabilization, waste management, technology development, environmental restoration, and landlord activities. The personnel composition of the site, profiled in the table below, reflects this scope. The contractor work force is a mix of professional and labor personnel who support the day-to-day operations and plan and conduct remediation at the site.

* The Projections for Full-Time Equivalent employees are based on FY 1996 planning baselines (see Reader's Guide).

Site Management Structure

Westinghouse Savannah River Company operates the Savannah River Site for the Department of Energy under a single management and operating contract that is consistent with those used at a number of Department of Energy locations. The contractor performs its duties in accordance with Department of Energy Orders, contracting officer direction, and day­to-day technical direction from the Department of Energy Savannah River Program Office. A single, integrated contractor, Bechtel Savannah River, Inc., is primarily responsible for engineering, design, and construction activities. The site subcontracts all other acquired services on a competitive basis in accordance with best commercial practices, consistent with required government regulatory and socioeconomic terms and conditions. A new contract is being negotiated. Although it is expected to continue the basic management and operations concept, it will require the contractor to assume substantially greater liability and it will place significant emphasis on privatization and targeted subcontracting to experts to ensure optimal cost-effectiveness. The "primary best in class" subcontractors will be proposed under the new contract arrangement. They will be experts in construction, environmental remediation, and decontamination and decommissioning. In addition, 14 other major partners will play roles in the operations at Savannah River Site.

Future Full-Time Equivalent Needs

The change in mission from defense production to environmental management and the decline in budget continue to impact the required skill mix of the worker population and maintenance of the required core competencies to meet mission requirements. Retaining and replacing critical skills and core competencies is critical to meeting the long-term site objectives. Programs have been implemented to analyze and manage the skill mix of the work force to minimize the impact of restructuring activity on mission-based staffing requirements and to maximize the use of the retained work force. The Environmental Management program has identified core competency and critical skills, with a focus on requirements for operations and maintenance, engineering, research and development, scientific program support, and radiological and industrial hygienists requirements. The programs in place are designed to maintain required core competency for each program phase through timely personnel transfers, retraining, subcontracting, and limited hiring.

Beyond FY 1999, the level of staffing will continue downward through FY 2001 when it will level out through the completion of program scopes. The Department will adjust the mix of skills and staffing levels within each program to meet the requirements of emerging work.

FUNDING ESTIMATE

The following table presents the estimated defense funding information for the Savannah River Site.

COMPARISON WITH PREVIOUS ESTIMATE

The estimated life-cycle cost for the Savannah River Site in the 1995 Baseline Environmental Management Report was approximately $67.6 billion. The life-cycle cost in the 1996 Baseline Environmental Management Report is approximately $48.8 billion, which is 27 percent lower than in the 1995 report, after taking FY 1995 expenditures into account. The life-cycle costs for the Nuclear Material and Facility Stabilization, Environmental Restoration, and Waste Management programs are components of the Savannah River Site total. The three tables provide more detailed breakdowns of life-cycle cost differences estimated for major program elements.

In the 1995 estimate, Program Management was represented in a separate table and discussion. In the 1996 report, Program Management appears separately as a line item on each program's cost table. Other cost differences within each of the program elements are addressed by activity.

Nuclear Material and Facility Stabilization Program Overall Differences (Including Landlord Activities)

Life-cycle costs are 32 percent lower in the 1996 Baseline Environmental Management Report ($9.0 billion) than in the 1995 Baseline Environmental Management Report ($13.1 billion). The cost difference can be attributed a 38 percent decrease (to $5.3 billion) for Landlord support, a 77 percent decrease (to $525 million) for Surveillance and Maintenance, and a 39 percent increase (to $3.05 billion) for Stabilization and Deactivation. The duration of the program is five years shorter in the 1996 Baseline Environmental Management Report, ending in FY 2035.

Environmental Restoration Program Overall Differences

Life-cycle costs are 24 percent lower in the 1996 Baseline Environmental Management Report ($12.7 billion) than in the 1995 Baseline Environmental Management Report ($16.7 billion). Most of the cost difference ($4 billion) can be attributed to lower costs for decommissioning ($7 billion). The program duration is shorter in the 1996 Baseline Environmental Management Report, ending in FY 2045.

Waste Management Program Overall Differences

Life-cycle costs are 31 percent lower in the 1996 Baseline Environmental Management Report ($27.2 billion) than in the 1995 Baseline Environmental Management Report ($39.3 billion). Most of the cost difference ($ 12.2 billion) can be attributed to lower support costs ($6.2 billion), lower costs for spent nuclear fuel ($2.4 billion), and lower costs for low-level mixed waste ($4.1 billion). The program duration is shorter in the 1996 Baseline Environmental Management Report, ending in FY 2045.