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News: Sandia, University of Texas System to sign memorandum of understanding April 6 - 4/5/05

News: Sandia, University of Texas System Unveil Multi-faceted MOU - 2/10/05

Statement: Yudof to Recommend UT System Not Bid on Los Alamos National Laboratory Contract - 1/14/05

Statement: UT System Will Submit Expression of Interest to DOE - 6/29/04

News: Sandia Labs and UT Institutions in Metroplex Announce Partnership - 3/19/04

Statement: Regarding the Los Alamos National Laboratory Draft RFP - 12/1/04

News: Regents Authorize Planning for Los Alamos Bid - 2/4/04

UT System Reconsidering a Los Alamos Bid

The subject of Los Alamos National Laboratory has re-emerged as a hot topic for discussion in the UT System.

In early April, Lockheed Martin Corporation announced its re-entry into competition for the management and operations contract for Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. Lockheed currently has the management and operations contract for Sandia National Laboratories and is one of the nation's largest defense contractors. UT System reacted to the news in a statement, saying, "Lockheed Martin's record as manager of Sandia National Laboratories is outstanding and has appropriately received widespread praise." (Read the entire statement.)

Lockheed - and other possible contenders, including UT System - had dropped out of the competition for LANL in early January. (Read the UT System news release.) Lockheed reconsidered after several changes were made to the Department of Energy's draft request for proposal.

The System has several affiliations with Lockheed Martin through its relationships with Sandia, including a recent agreement signed April 6 in Washington, D.C. Through that agreement, UT System will assess the quality of unclassified science and engineering research, collaborate on research projects, and cooperate on joint educational initiatives. (Read more about the UT-Sandia agreement.)

From left to right: C. Paul Robinson, director, Sandia; Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.); Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas); and Mark G. Yudof, chancellor, UT System

"We view this agreement between UT System and Sandia as a model of university/industrial partnerships with a national laboratory," said UT System Chancellor Mark G. Yudof. The signing ceremony in Washington was hosted by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) and attended by Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.); C. Paul Robinson, director of Sandia; Chancellor Yudof; James R. Huffines, chairman of the UT System Board of Regents; and other Lockheed, Sandia and UT System officials.

At a press conference after the signing, Chairman Huffines said that UT System and Lockheed Martin officials have agreed to begin a dialogue about whether UT System and its institutions might have a substantive role to play in Lockheed's proposal for Los Alamos.

Chairman Huffines has scheduled a special called meeting of the Board of Regents in Austin on April 28 to hear from Chancellor Yudof and other UT System officials. Members of the public are also invited to speak on this issue. The board is not expected to take any formal action at that meeting. (Find out more about this public meeting.)

Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin company, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration. Sandia has major research and development responsibilities in national security, energy and environmental technologies, and economic competitiveness.

Los Alamos National Laboratory is operated by the University of California for the NNSA of the DOE and works in partnership with NNSA's Sandia and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories to support NNSA in its mission. Los Alamos enhances global security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear deterrent, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction, and solving problems related to defense, energy, environment, infrastructure, health and national security concerns.

After more than 60 years of operation under the management of the University of California System, the Department of Energy has decided for the first time to open the management and operating contract for Los Alamos National Laboratory to national competition.

The Department of Energy is expected to release a final Request for Proposal for the contract by May 2005. Proposals will be due 90 days after the final RFP is released and a selection will be made by the end of 2005.