:: GENERAL INFORMATION ::

THIS PROCUREMENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION OF THE RARE ISOTOPE ACCELERATOR (RIA)
DOE will conduct a solicitation in support of the RIA facility through an open competition Request for Proposal process and will select the organization judged best able to: i) operate and manage RIA as a national user facility and maximize its research, educational and related benefits for the Nation; ii) provide a site suitable to be considered the preferred site; and iii) lead the design, construction, and commissioning of RIA. The contractual relationship between DOE and the entity will be a DOE Management & Operation (M&O) contract. Selecting the M&O contractor with the capabilities described above will provide a preferred site linked to a contractor capable of leading the effort to design the scientific features and infrastructure that, in turn, drives the requirements for the associated civil works of the total facility. The selection of a site will not be considered final until the NEPA process is completed, a record of decision is issued, and, in the event a non-FFRDC is selected, the new site will be established as a FFRDC.

THE RARE ISOTOPE ACCELERATOR (RIA) PROGRAM
The proposed RIA facility will permit studies of nuclei far from stability that promise to improve radically our understanding of atomic nuclei - the cores of all atoms, and the building blocks of the universe. RIA will allow the U.S. research community to be the world leader in exploring the structure and forces that make up the nucleus of atoms, learning how the elements that make up the world around us originate, learning how energy is generated in stars, testing current theories about the fundamental structure of matter, improving the ability to model the explosions of nuclear weapons, and playing a role in developing new nuclear medicines and techniques.

The scientific program and technical concept of RIA has been thoroughly reviewed by the Department of Energy/National Science Foundation Nuclear Science Advisory Committee, which recommends RIA as its highest priority for new construction in the 2002 Long-Range Plan. In addition, the Office of Science's Facilities for the Future of Science, A Twenty Year Outlook, identifies RIA as a near-term rank third priority facility. This plan, endorsed by Secretary Abraham at his November 10, 2003 press conference, was developed with input from all the relevant stakeholders throughout the physical sciences and outlines the Office of Science's future scientific initiatives and priorities.

The RIA project includes a highly flexible superconducting linear accelerator capable of producing high-power, 400 MeV/nucleon beams of uranium, rare isotope beam production and delivery systems, experimental apparatus, civil construction, and central facilities.

More information about RIA and DOE’s Office of Nuclear Physics can be found at http://www.sc.doe.gov/henp/np/projects/projects.html