Hanford Site Contractor Helps Small Businesses Prosper

From left to right: Kathy Miller, Managing Director; Patty Bailey, Director of Project Operations; and Bill Baily, Director of Engineering and Technical Programs, are all part owners of Polestar Technical Services.

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) contractor CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company (CHPRC) is partnering with Richland-based Polestar Technical Services to further cleanup the Central Plateau and along the Columbia River. 

DOE’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization approved a mentor-protégé agreement between CHPRC and Polestar, a small, woman-owned business.
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Through this agreement, CHPRC will provide technical assistance and capability development to expand Polestar’s business knowledge base, including identifying and marketing new clients, developing internal business processes, and subcontracting opportunities. 

“CHPRC looks forward to the opportunity to enhance Polestar’s business and technical expertise performing as a DOE subcontractor,” said Mike Wells, CHPRC’s acting Vice President of Business Services. “The mentor program will help prepare Polestar for future contract work for DOE, other government agencies and the private sector.”

Polestar Technical Services specializes in strategy development, planning and management of complex deactivation, decommissioning and remediation projects, with experience in facility closure, remediation planning and execution. Polestar will be working in Hanford’s 100 K Area supporting the design development for interim safe storage of the reactors.

CHPRC’s contract with DOE requires small businesses to perform at least 17 percent of the total contract price. Since the beginning of the contract in 2008, CHPRC has awarded more than $1.5 billion worth of work to small businesses. That means more than 27 percent of CHPRC’s $5.8 billion contract helped strengthen small businesses, 70 percent of which are locally owned.
 
“Polestar Technical Services is proud to be a partner with CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company in the DOE mentor-protégé program,” said Kathy Miller, Polestar’s managing director. “This agreement aligns with Polestar’s long-term strategic goals of expanding our technical and management capabilities.”