Inside Iowa State

January 14, 2005

Ames Lab contract extended for two years

by Steve Karsjen, Ames Laboratory

On Jan. 1, Ames Laboratory began a two-year extended contract with the U.S. Department of Energy that will be in effect through December 2006. Iowa State University is the contractor under this arrangement, as it has been for the past 57 years. The most recent contract expired Dec. 31.

The contract extension is intended to create an opportunity for broad bidder participation on lab contracts.The DOE previously announced it would competitively bid lab contacts that hadn't been competed for in more than 50 years. Ames Lab is one of five DOE labs in this category. The others are Argonne, Lawrence Berkeley, Lawrence Livermore and the Los Alamos national laboratories.

The contract extension will include several changes, including a greater emphasis on contracting with small businesses and purchasing items made of recycled materials. There also are requirements for issuing open source software, an increased emphasis on safety, and more required reports.

Ames Lab director Tom Barton said President Gregory Geoffroy has made it clear to DOE that the university will bid on the Ames Lab contract.

"I'm confident the university's intent will remain the same, no matter what the time frame," Barton said.

On Jan. 1, Ames Laboratory began a two-year extended contract with the U.S. Department of Energy that will be in effect through December 2006. Iowa State University is the contractor under this arrangement, as it has been for the past 57 years. However, at the end of the extension, the contract will be put out for competitive bids.