Lockheed prepares defense of Sandia Labs contract

Lockheed Martin Corp. wants to keep its contract to manage and operate the Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico. 

Lockheed is managing an annual budget of more than $2 billion for the labs. According to documents obtained by NukeWatch.org, Lockheed was paid a management fee of $27 million in fiscal 2011.

The current contract was extended for a year, through September 2013. There are two three-month option periods after that, if needed. The requests for proposals for the new Sandia contract have not been released yet. 

To hang onto the work, Lockheed will battle at least one competitor but it won't be Boeing, which withdrew from the competition and a teaming arrangement with Fluor Corp. last month, according to the Albuquerque Journal.

Lockheed is pursuing the contract through its Sandia Corp. subsidiary, which has been managing the labs since 1993. Marillyn Hewson is the chairman of Sandia Corp. and executive vice president of Lockheed Martin’s electronic systems business area.

Paul Hommert, president of Sandia Corp. and director of Sandia National Labs, will continue in those roles if Lockheed wins the recompete, the company said in announcing its intent this week to pursue the contract.