WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded a new contract to manage and operate Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) located in Batavia, IL. The award was the result of a DOE competition for the management and operating (M&O) contract for the laboratory. The successful offeror is Fermi Forward Discovery Group, LLC (FFDG). The FFDG team is comprised of four entities: the University of Chicago (UChicago), Universities Research Association, Inc. (URA), Amentum Environment & Energy, Inc. (Amentum), and Longenecker & Associates (L&A).
Fermilab was established in 1967 and is funded primarily by DOE’s Office of Science (SC). Fermilab is a single-purpose laboratory that leads the nation in the construction and operation of world-leading accelerator and detector facilities and in developing the underlying technology for particle physics research. The primary mission of Fermilab is delivering breakthrough science and technology in the area of high energy particle physics. Fermilab is located on a federally owned 6,800-acre site, has a staff of approximately 2,100 employees, and a current annual budget of approximately $614 million.
The new contractor will assume operations effective January 1, 2025, following a ninety-day transition period beginning on October 1, 2024. The initial base term of the contract is five years, from January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2029. The contract has an award term incentive for exemplary performance, allowing the Government to extend the contract up to a total of 15 years beyond the initial five-year base term.
DOE’s Office of Science is responsible for the stewardship of Fermilab. The Office of Science is the largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit the Office of Science website.
