In a letter to Laboratory Director Jeff Wadsworth, DOE's Oak Ridge Manager Gerald Boyd said UT-Battelle received the maximum fee for the laboratory's overall performance in Science and Technology, including continued progress of the Spallation Nuetron Source on time and on budget.
DOE also awarded the maximum fee in Community Service, noting UT-Battelle's leadership role in efforts to rebuild Oak Ridge High School. UT-Battelle received 90 percent of the maximum fee in the category of Operations.
UT-Battelle's total fee for operating Oak Ridge National Laboratory in 2004 is $6,619,000, or 96.4 percent of the maximum fee.
Wadsworth said the outstanding rating is "a tremendous statement about the quality of the ORNL staff who performed so well over the last year. They could not have brought us a higher grade on our report card."
DOE will be conducting negotiations with UT-Battelle in March for a five-year contract extension to continue the management and operation of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
NOTE TO EDITORS: You may read other press releases from Oak Ridge National Laboratory or learn more about the lab at http://www.ornl.gov/news.